What your jewelry says about you
How does jewelry reflect a person’s essence? Is it in the size of the stone or purity of the metal? Is it in the glint when light reflects off the cuts? Is it in value attached to these precious accessories?
According to industrial designer and jeweler Kristine Dee, jewelry reveals a person’s essence by being an extension of their personal style and, in her particular case, creativity.
For mindfulness and sustainability advocate Christine Dychiao, on the other hand, it is an expression of their individuality and personal history.
The longtime friends have turned collaborators for a one-of-a-kind collection called “Essence,” bringing to life gorgeous versatile pieces designed by Dee using gemstones chosen with Dychiao.
Gemstones, the duo said, have meanings, and there is a reason behind people’s affinity to specific stones.
“When you choose them, you make them your own. It is your own unique DNA. It is your identity, capturing your individuality. It is your essence,” said Dee. “Every piece tells a story. It is not just jewelry, but beautiful pieces that hold meaning for us.”
“We’re attracted to certain stones. Like, Cleopatra loved lapis lazuli. Empress Cixi of China loved pink tourmaline. But sometimes the stone chooses you,” added Dychiao, who brought strands of gemstones from India (left untouched in the jewelry box for far too long) to Dee, setting off their joint project.
“You find something that resonates with you and you’re attracted to a certain color or maybe a certain stone. Then when you research on it—the meaning, the attributes and even the healing properties—you realize that stone has the energy you’re looking for. The stone has something you will need in a particular part of your life.”
Attraction
Dee agreed: “For example, you’re attracted to emerald, said to foster love, patience and truth. In your life, you most likely have a lot of that or maybe you need some more. You’ll also discover something about yourself when you choose the stones and you wear them.
“It’s not just something to beautify you, but something that serves a purpose while beautifying you,” she added.
Lapis lazuli, which Cleopatra reportedly used as eye shadow, is supposed to enhance intuition, wisdom and peace while blocking negative energies. Pink tourmaline, favored by Cixi, is said to calm energies and foster love and communication.
Blue sapphire represents truth, love and spiritual wisdom, while amethyst offers protection and enhances spiritual awareness. The world’s rarest garnet, tsavorite, encourages prosperity, inner beauty and calm.
The “Essence” collection also features customizable necklaces comprised of separate elements like gemstones, chains, connectors and pendants that can be added, removed, or rearranged, and even paired with earrings, rings and bracelets to complete a personal set to reflect one’s personality.
Enabling clients to create different permutations from a single necklace also reflects the pair’s sustainability mindset in addition to their common love for beautiful things.
Dee reworks old jewelry and turns them into updated and timeless accessories. In fact, Dychiao has gone to her a few times in the past two decades with old pieces for reworking.
Repurpose
“An earring that lost its pair, on pendant, small things with stones, gold things like bracelets that you don’t use. We can repurpose them, give them life again,” said Dee.
“She’s so good,” gushed Dychiao, recalling the way Dee turned a client’s little bits and pieces into a beautiful statement piece. “Sometimes, you wear jewelry from your lola, but it’s old-fashioned and you can tell it’s from a different time period. So she makes it modern, but also timeless.
“And then you have something of your own, and together it tells a story of who you are, and I find that beautiful, that you can carry these people that you love with you wherever you go,” she added.
Transforming old jewelry into something fresh that can actually be worn by the owner appeals to Dychiao, who is the first certified Konmari consultant in the Philippines. “It’s one of the most sustainable ways to accessorize because you make use of what you have. You can add stones, you can take away stones. You can really grow with the jewelry.”
“I think it’s choosing, deciding, saying yes or no. ‘This one, I like. This one works for me. This one serves my purpose, and this one, no.’ So it’s something that you are very sure about that you need and you really want to keep in your life,” added Dee.
Dychiao agreed: “It’s really about what sparks joy, finding joy in your life, appreciating beauty and really finding the little things that bring you good vibes, and meaning to your life and purpose.”
