Tim Tam Ong and the dark and light of the sea
Tim Tam Ong’s boutique of curiosities — gems, stones, intricately twisted precious metals — welcome a fresh batch inspired by the sea. The process of appreciation goes like this: you walk in and take in all the muted silver and gold. You come closer, maybe an arm’s length, and you marvel at stones. Some are cut brilliantly, facets gathering and reflecting light. Some are raw, as if plucked fresh from under the earth. Then you come even closer, inches from a particular piece, and you see the little details that make it unique. None of them are accidents — they were either carved by nature or put there by the designer.
Ong studied intergrated marketing communications and interior design. Her encyclopedic knowledge of stones and their properties, both physical and mystical, are come from books and talking to experts. “I like working with unusual stones. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, they all have different qualities. Jade is for health and stability of mind. You would know as a person which stone you need, because it’s the first stone that will attract you, like it’s calling you. I feel like each piece is fated for a particular individual,” Ong says. Her philosophy adds to the mystery of each piece.
Her latest collection is inspired by her love for the sea and nature. “Right now, I’m in the phase of being organic, loving nature more, so I also feel like I have to share this with others and be more natural. These days in the jewelry business, most of them are run in conveyor belts, everything’s replicated. I’m not into that. Each piece should really be special and that’s what makes them organic — they’re not machine-made and they are one-of-a-kind,” she says. “The pleasant sea has a special rhythm. If you noticed, the different hues of the jewelry are based on the different qualities of light. I matched the stone and how it reacts under light to the design. The iridescent colors of the sea are reflected in the glimmer of the exceptional stones in this collection.”
For the Prism collection, she uses sapphire, topaz, tourmaline, rubies, quartz, peridot, amethyst — stones in vivid hues that are found in nature — against the framework of silver and gold. Ong also integrates light in each piece through the cut of the gems.
The designer’s passion for jewelry started when her husband gave her an intricately sculpted stone and excavated bead from Burma. She believes there is an interesting story behind every piece. “I create my pieces so they are as unique as a fingerprint. I treat each of my pieces like my children. I feel like I gave birth to them, each piece is an individual and each one is meant for someone in particular, like they are fated to have it.”
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Tim Tam Ong is located at Unit 122, LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air II, Makati City. Email ongtimtam@yahoo.com.ph or call (0917) 814-1898/(02) 519-6358.
