Ruffa Gutierrez can’t live without earrings–but an engagement ring?
Ruffa Gutierrez can do without rings, bracelets, and necklaces. But earrings? Non-negotiable.
“They’re the first thing I reach for in my jewelry case in the morning. I don’t leave the house without them because I don’t feel comfortable when I don’t have them on—like I’m not very womanly!” she told Lifestyle.
It’s not a deliberate styling choice, nor something she feels compelled to do to match her outfits. It’s instinct—a habit she has carried since her youth.
Her mom, Annabelle Rama, was a well-known jeweler in show biz circles back in the day. And as the family’s unica hija, Gutierrez naturally grew up accustomed to such shiny adornments.
“They have been a part of my life,” said the actress, who was recently introduced as the new endorser of Magical Gems, a Davao-based jewelry brand that specializes in pieces made from semi-precious and precious stones.
Indeed, many of the milestones in her life and most memorable experiences—like her pageant days and 18th birthday—are linked to jewelry in one way or another.
“Turning 18 is usually a bonggang celebration, especially back then. You had a cotillion and everything. Wearing jewelry made me feel like I had truly come of age,” said Gutierrez, who finished second runner-up at the 1993 Miss World contest.
But not all the memories are gilded in gold.
Valuable pieces
The engagement ring given to her by her ex-husband, Turkish diplomat and businessman Yilmaz Bektas, was perhaps one of the most valuable pieces she had ever owned. But following the collapse of their marriage in the mid-2000s, in her haste to leave Istanbul and return to the Philippines, Gutierrez inadvertently left it in the home they once shared.
“They say that jewelry, unlike paintings or other prized possessions, is easy to carry wherever you go. You just put them in a bag and leave. I forgot to bring the ring with me. Nagmamadali na ’ko. It was in a safe,” she related.
Gutierrez’s collection, which also includes luxury watches, inevitably grew over the years. Most of her cherished items she bought herself—like the platinum Rolex she dreamed of when she was 17. Some were presents, like the Bulgari Serpenti bracelet from her mother, and a Turkish-crafted eel-leather ruby choker from Bektas.
In any case, she treats her jewelry as investments—a lesson instilled in her by her mother. With showbiz projects and endorsements continuing to pour in, she has never found herself in a position where she had to sell them. And with “God’s grace,” she was able to raise her two kids—Lorin, 21, and Venice, 20—and send them to good schools in the United States.
“You will go through ups and downs. There will be slow months. But when it rains, it pours. I’m also lucky that my mom and my brother Richard (Gutierrez, actor) give my kids baon sometimes… I was able to survive everything, thanks to my family,” she said.
“But when the time comes that I have to sell—knock on wood—at least may maibebenta!” the ever-loquacious actress added, laughing.
Borrowing from her mom
Once in a while, Gutierrez borrows jewelry from her mother for special occasions or television appearances. Rama gladly obliges—but not without assigning a security staffer to watch over her daughter. Fair enough. But the nonstop calls to check on the jewelry? “Nakakaloka!”
“One time I told her, ‘Ma, I don’t want to borrow from you anymore.’ Because the last time, she sent four security staffers. And she calls and calls and calls. ‘’Yung mga alahas, Day, baka makawala!’ It stresses me out. I can’t memorize my lines!” Gutierrez said.
You can’t really blame the mother for being so antsy, though. Rewind to the early 1980s at an airport in Honolulu, Hawaii: Rama asked a then 10-year-old Gutierrez to hold onto a pouch containing gold jewelry while she and her husband, Eddie Gutierrez, went to claim their luggage.
“When we got home, she was asked, ‘Nasaan ang alahas ko?’ I had left it in a baggage cart! She was so mad! Napagalitan talaga ako,” Gutierrez recalled.
If Gutierrez returns the jewelry with even the slightest smudge, best believe her mother will dish out a harangue. “I always get scolded because she claims I don’t know how to take care of jewelry—that they’re dirty and caked with makeup when I hand them back to her,” she said.
But now, she knows better. “I regularly clean my jewelry. I don’t spray perfume when I’m wearing them. And I put them on only after I’m done with hair and makeup,” she said.
Different styles
Mercifully, she won’t have to borrow anything from her mother for her upcoming GMA 7 series, “Beauty Empire,” where she will play a powerful figure in the beauty industry. Magical Gems will take care of her jewelry and accessories.
“I will be showing off different styles and designs in different episodes. Opening scene pa lang, bongga na,” said Gutierrez, who arrived at her press launch decked in earrings and a necklace replete with London blue topaz gems and pink sapphires.
“First-time buyers are likely to go for diamonds. But it’s also good to invest in precious and semi-precious stones. You can play them up and wear them on more casual days or occasions,” she pointed out.
“We don’t use gold or diamonds, but as you can see, that doesn’t make the pieces any less beautiful,” Magical Gems owner Harry Lopez Chua said.
Gutierrez can’t live without earrings. Is the same true for an engagement ring?
Last May 12, she “hard-launched” her relationship with long-rumored boyfriend, actor-politician Herbert Bautista, on TikTok. She declined to go into detail about matters of the heart. Their romance isn’t a secret—but it’s private. Still, she let on that she’s “happy the way things are,” and that she’s not closing her doors on marriage.
“After my breakup with Yilmaz, I was like, ‘Ayoko nang magpakasal.’ Because I was so traumatized. But my friends say, ‘Never say never.’ We don’t know what the future holds,” she said.
But if an engagement ring does find its way onto her finger, Gutierrez can only hope that it will be the last. “If I get married in the future, I hope that’s the last one—until the last breath of my living life,” she said.“If not, jowa-jowa na lang!”
