In the Philippines, jewellery making is a craft passed on from generation to generation. But as costs for gold and diamonds continue to rise, craftsmen struggle to keep up with the pricing competition and the waning demand for locally made goods. Filipino artisans now dissuade their children from jewellery making as a career and turn to other jobs as they grow less confident in the industry as a source of livelihood.
With the looming danger of losing Filipino craftsmanship altogether, Limnia brings the work of these goldsmiths into a global light and restores their faith in the future of their craft. “I believe the Philippines has so much talent, and it becomes more apparent when you leave,” says founder Annette Lasala Spillane – born and raised in the Philippines – who is now based in New York. She collaborates with TSKI, a Philippine non-profit focused on eradicating poverty through entrepreneurship, to work with the craftsmen as they cast, set, and polish jewellery.
Characterised by modularity and a sense of renewal, Limnia pieces are designed to always feel new. Describing her jewellery as “pliable”, Spillane says, “The idea is that one piece is actually never just one piece.” Each design invites the creativity of its wearer by being able to instantaneously bend into anything you want it to be. Pendants turn into earrings, necklaces turn into anklets and earrings turn into rings. The flexibility of the pieces speaks to the concept of renewability – it allows the wearer to make their jewellery new again. The endless transformability of Limnia not only withstands the wearer’s evolution in style but also reflects the changes weathered by the craftsmen in the Philippines. “It is,” enthuses Spillane, “a piece of wearable art, an extension of yourself, and an expression of the people who made it.”
Juli Suazo is a freelance lifestyle journalist for CNN and Eater, based in Manila and London
