No stone unturned • Joyce Makitalo

MANILA, Philippines - Jewelry designer Joyce Makitalo first stole the limelight when she bested 300 contestants in the Guild of Philippine Jewelers’ Annual Design Competition in 2007. Instead of sending in a technical drawing, she submitted a watercolor artwork of a necklace made of mother-of-pearl (shaped as delicate petals) and T’nalak fabric, dipped in 18-karat gold. The unique design captured the hearts of audiences, securing her victory in the non-traditional category. 

After the competition, she immediately launched her modest Ventum collection, consisting of no more than a couple of pieces. Back then, her objective was just to sell these items abroad. But the public clamor for an encore of her pieces became too loud to ignore. And so, with the urging of her Finnish husband Petteri Makitalo, she abandoned her life as a graphic designer and took a plunge into the colorful world of semi-precious stones.

Her rock star past (Joyce was a band member who used to play at Club Dredd back in the day), however, played a role in her early obsession with semi-precious stones. “I love music and I’m very sensitive to sound. I remember the first time I held semi-precious stones in my hands. I closed my eyes and I heard the stones rub against each other. The sound they made was so attractive I wanted to eat them,” she describes with a mischievous smile.

Now a successful jewelry designer whose pieces can be acquired from top accessories stores such as Firma, Rustan’s, House of Laurel and Cura V, Joyce’s decision to be a full-time jewelry designer has certainly paid off. But just like many successes, her climb up the ladder also led to artistic and professional challenges. “The biggest challenge would have to be about originality. In a way it’s flattering when other people copy your design, but it also puts on pressure to innovate — be more original in your future works.”

Joyce’s works have also been featured not just in glossy magazines in the Philippines, but abroad as well. Her most notable exposure was in the March 2011 edition of Vogue US, where her amethyst and malachite ring was featured. The ring is also her bestseller.

A self-confessed klutz when it comes to organizing things, Joyce finds comfort in the arms of her husband Petteri when it comes to managing the business. “I like designing jewelry, but the business part, not too much. That’s why I’m glad that I have a husband who’s serious about my passion, someone who reminds me that I need to design more. And meet my deadlines,” she shyly admits.

Outside her workshop, Joyce is a mom to three kids and a doting wife. Theirs is a family outside the stereotype — from education (her kids are homeschooled), to diet (vegan), all the way down to faith (Hindu). And at the end of a hard day’s work, it is this unique bunch that gives Joyce even more reason to glow — both as an artist and a woman.

Photography by MAU AGUASIN • Creative direction by LUIS ESPIRITU JR. • Styling by RUDOLPH LEONOR • Makeup by REGIE ESCOLIN • Hairstyling by HYATT LAUREL • Jewelry by MILADAY JEWELS • Shot on location at the FAIRMONT POOL AREA