Fashion and Beauty

Dream gems

February 8, 2012 | 12:00am

Less than a decade ago, I was impressed with a young male jeweler who joined a private sale in a Makati home that was inundated by the social set as the holiday gift-giving season was in high gear. At an early age, Paul Syjuco was exposed to jewelry manufacturing through their family business. A graduate of the Ateneo High School and with a Business Economics degree from the University of the Philippines, he worked in consumer finance but veered to jewelry design when he took up further studies to become a graduate gemologist from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America in 2002.

Today, Paul manages his family’s jewelry business. His work allows him to enjoy the best of all worlds — combining his love for design with his passion for business and industry. He is guided by generations’ worth of knowledge in producing timeless, artisanal pieces, all of which are still meticulously handcrafted in their atelier.

Not content with being a full-time jeweler, Paul contributes articles on gem and jewelry matters to some of Manila’s most widely circulated fashion magazines. He has appeared on television a number of times, giving advice to would-be investors of fine jewelry as well as promoting his art jewelry exhibits. He also occasionally holds lectures and workshops on jewelry design at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts.

Paul’s career started in 2004 as an in-house jewelry designer for high-end lifestyle shops Firma (Greenbelt 3) and Felicity (Shangri-La Mall). In early 2005, he exhibited pieces with Sagesse the Object Shop, at The Esplanade in Singapore and was promoted along with its pool of upcoming talent within Asia. He was also featured in Bijux.com, a website advancing Filipino designers’ efforts abroad. In 2006, rarely seen in Philippine art setting, Paul came out with “Found Objets: A Collection of Concept Jewels,” an art jewelry exhibit featuring experimentation with metals in organic textures at the One Workshop Gallery. From then on, the 35-year-old jeweler has joined various exhibits that showed Philippine artistry at its best.

His Orbita necklace was featured by Unicef alongside works of other award-winning Filipino designers in its Auction for Action campaign.

Paul Syjuco’s current and ongoing venture is Aum Jewels, a concept jewelry store. Located in TriNoma, this venue is where he plans to introduce his (and a select few local fine jewelers’) designs to a broader market. He makes beautifully crafted jewelry with various stones that he sources from Asia and Europe in 14 to 18-karat gold as well as bespoke pieces for those who want something truly special.

When asked why he makes jewelry with such passion, Paul explained, “ I’ve always loved design, music and visual arts and I suppose designing jewelry just came naturally. It’s an outlet as well as a craft for me. And while my focus has always been to produce well-thought-out pieces, I also make sure they’re all wearable. I think about how they would move when worn, colors, textural contrasts and ergonomics. Most importantly, each piece reflects the personality of the wearer, ultimately making it an extension of the owner. I aim to make every piece their favorite.”