With the gift-giving season descending rapidly on us, it is time to think of those near and dear to us in our Christmas slate. Philippine-made products are tops in our list because we not only keep the pesos intact but help the designers and manufacturers in our country get going economically. We certainly do not have a dearth of creative talents since we keep winning international design awards and often outsell the competition when it comes to artistry and innovation.
Going around the city, I found a few of my favorite things that start with Paul Syjuco’s jewelry for the lady love of your life (or you can opt to buy it for yourself if you cannot wait) as well as a variety of handicrafts with a modern twist that are found at Tesoro’s.
GIA-trained Paul Syjuco is the chief designer of his store Aum Jewels at TriNoma in Quezon City. With exhibits all over Asia, his forte is especially made jewelry with an emphasis on unique pieces to celebrate life’s happy events. The shop highlights its bespoke pieces that are handcrafted but offers a range of ready pieces available for in-store purchase. This soft-spoken jeweler enjoys the process of creating one-of-a-kind pieces and does not charge extra fees for his artistic ideas.
For inquiries, e-mail aum@paulsyjuco.com or visit www. paulsyjuco.com.
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Tesoro’s has been around ever since I can remember and has been specializing in quality Philippine handicrafts since 1945. Even as a child, I would enjoy visiting the store whenever our foreign friends needed local gifts to bring back with them that included mother-of-pearl dishes, sterling flatware and hardwood platters. Many of these ended as heirlooms that were passed on to the next generation.
Today, Tesoro’s has added many more modernized items that the Tesoro family members specially handpicks to add to the variety that is sold in their stores.
For information, e-mail tesoros@tesoros.ph or visit www.tesoros.ph.
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For comments and ideas, please e-mail: jacinto.fa@gmail.com.