KRISTINE DEE
Individual distinction seems to be a big influence on jeweller Kristine Dee, who founded her eponymous Kristine Dee Jewellery brand. “My clients inspire me the most with their own personalities and sense of style,” she says. “Each of them [is] unique and elegant in his or her own ways.”
Dee, who first took her master’s at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, says that industrial design and jewellery making were the biggest tools that helped shape her career. “[These] are what brought me here today,” she says.
Now with a store in BGC, Taguig, Dee has found herself eagerly experimenting in the design scene. “[The jewellery design scene] is just a matter of combining what we know: the techniques learnt, the different materials available and the inspirations as a jeweller,” she observes. One of her most delightful muses, Dee says, is the native orchid found in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. The warmth and elegance of the flower’s form is what inspired one of her favourite collections, the Vanda collection. “Filipinos have a good sense of taste in jewellery design,” she asserts. “We have been exposed to different styles from our colonial background and we follow the trends of today from Europe and Asia. We are able to match these pieces in a medley of expressions, each to our own personal preferences.”
Her only advice to new collectors: “The quality of the stones, materials and workmanship are very important to consider. Good quality and design will maintain its value over time. Aside from this, take time to research on the reputability of the name you are buying from.”