Reviving an old tradition for a younger generation

TWO YOUNG women have sifted through space and time to bring back an age-old craft, and so far, everything’s coming up gold.

Danielle Tan and Christine Tiu, both of whom entered college in 2012, found a town in Ilocos that made tambourine jewelry as part of one of Ms. Tiu’s requirements for a sociology program. Unfortunately, according to Ms. Tiu’s research, the local artisans were leaving the town for greener pastures abroad. Thus, the pair set out to create opportunities for the workers through a business venture called Amami.Ph.

Tambourine jewelry ( sometimes spelled tamborin, or tambourin) melds Filipino preHispanic traditions in jewelry and imbues them with Spanish designs and intentions. Apparently, the colonizers, spotting the attractive granulated and filigree designs used by the locals, used these for rosary beads — not just for their aesthetic value, but also as tools of soft power to spread Christianity within the islands. The venture by Ms. Tan and Ms. Tiu takes its name from “Ama Namin” (Our Father), as one of their more elaborate beads were once intended to mark a new mystery in the rosary.

According to the pair, since tambourine jewelry fell out of fashion many years ago, rising up only to service a niche market or else the costuming industry, some of the craftsmen had lost hope of ever selling their work again. Some would go two years without orders, so they would take up jobs in other professions such as carpentry, or move on to making mainstream fine jewelry. As much as consumers are at the risk of forgetting a local fine jewelry tradition, so are the artisans behind it, leaving behind generations of heritage and tradition — Ms. Tiu notes that some of the artisans they work with come from families that have been doing it for five generations.

On the production side, the two women have worked on streamlining the process. While some tools which have been passed down for generations have been kept, they introduced new tools like weighing scales (Ms. Tiu noted that weighing the gold and silver the old-fashioned way took at least five minutes). They also say that they give fair wages, for the artisans apparently used to sell their wares at a loss — Misses Tiu and Tan sat down with them and worked on estimates and costing. Safety measures have also been introduced in the workshops.

The beads are made by pouring in the metal in molds, all done by hand, while more elaborate pieces are made by twisting the silver into wires, these are then cut and joined together to make shapes like flowers or leaves. Pieces from Amami.ph are made in silver dipped in 24-karat gold. Ms. Tan noted that due to the intricacy of and detailing that goes into the beads, softer metals ( like silver) have to be used.

On the consumer side, the women have made smaller pieces in order to make them more accessible to younger buyers. Vintage tambourine pieces can go up to the hundred of thousand pesos, barring most except serious collectors from buying them. The partners decided to make smaller pieces like stud earrings which sell for about P2,000, and rings for P5,000. Bigger pieces like chokers can cost up to P40,000. The designs are also modified to fit with the younger crowd, who might be turned off by wearing something that matches pieces worn by their ancestors.

“The reality is, we have a very impressive jewelry tradition that we just don’t know about,” said Ms. Tiu, noting that the artisans they work with themselves didn’t know the history of their own product, until the partners told them about it. Since then, the artisans have used this as a selling point for other customers. “We just want people to be more aware of what our Filipino craftsmen are capable of.”

“A lot of Filipinos have been migrating; it’s because they think there are no opportunities here. We want to try to make opportunities for them, and help them continue to do what they love doing,” said Ms. Tiu.

This also reflects a trend seen in marketing to younger crowds: the importance of storytelling, and an attachment to heritage. Some analysts are still baffled over the increase in sales of vinyl records and record players, despite music- streaming services being readily available. “We have an appreciation for the old, but it’s always, like, how do you improve it, how do you make it better?” said Ms. Tan.

“When you find out the story, how they make it, they’ll have a renewed appreciation for it.”

The pieces are available online through facebook.com/amami.ph/