We’re still months away from Independence Day, but that doesn’t mean being proud to be Filipino should be a rare feeling. Thanks to Jul B. Dizon Jewellery and Simbolo, the brand’s newest collection of golden pieces, we can now wear our Filipino pride all year-round with any outfit we please.
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Simbolo is inspired by a deep love for the nation, and traces back to the patriotism of the Dizon matriarch, after whom the brand has been named. It also echoes the family’s storied work ethic and their long tradition of topnotch artistry. “[My mom] was very vocal about her love for country. She devoted much of her time as an active member of the People’s Patriotic Movement, a foundation focused on educating the people on how to make the country prosper,” shares good friend and jeweler Candy Dizon.
The collection consists of six different lines. Despite the difference in gemstones, each one is similar in its objective to pay homage to the long history of our people and land. “Luzviminda,” a series of pendants, carries portraits of eight ladies dressed in either native or period garb. Every piece is woven in sapphires and tsavorites, diamonds and golds.
“Mananayaw” pays tribute to folk dances through 18K gold. While motion is a recurring theme, stills of dancers mimicking the sagayan—the sword dance from Maranaw and Maguindanao—and the Dalagang Filipina—the fan dance—are the focal point here.
There’s also “Kubo,” a line of pins and pendants that sends you back to pre-modern life with their interpretation of the nipa hut. Imagined and actualized in gemstones, gold, and pearls, “Kubo” is an ode to bayanihan, community, and simple living.
“Sandata” caught my eye due to its genius mix of the rugged and romantic. Tourmalines, diamonds, rubies, and spinels translate ancient weaponry into wearable swords and daggers that fit fashion rather than battle. “Perdible,” on the other hand, is a fun throwback to an otherwise mundane item. These extra large decorative safety pins are adorned with white and yellow diamonds, and may be worn alone or with monograms, beads, and other danglers.
“Icono” immortalizes the tangible. Signs and symbols in our culture take the form of pins, rings, pendants, cufflinks, and bracelet clips. Famous figures such as the vinta, agila, sampaguita, and the sun on our flag are rendered in beautiful black and white diamonds, lapis lazuli, pearls, wood, and carabao horn.
Finally, there’s “Bandila,” the ultimate bejeweled reference to our national flag. This line is available in six colors of stainless stretch bracelets that reinterpret the flag’s elements in stunning diamonds, sapphires, and rubies in gold or silver.
Celebrities and other public figures like Lucy Gomez-Torres, Julianna T. Gomez, Iza Calzado, Ben Wintle, Nix Alañon, and Pauline Juan are among the ambassadors for Simbolo. The rest of us may not be representing the line, but wearing a piece off the collection makes us ambassadors of our pride.
