"Heirlooms" by Steph Lopez

Steph Lopez is a Philippine visual artist who specializes in sculpture, using wire-art as her primary medium. With nine solo exhibits already under her belt, she will be having her first ever “all-jewelry” installation at the Boston Gallery in Cubao, Quezon City.

As a child Steph grew up enthralled by her grandmother’s stories about her life. Being born under an era where the Philippines was transitioning from four hundred years of Spanish colonization, to being purchased by an emerging United States, to being thrown in the midst of World War II under Japanese occupation; you can say that their generation is truly the first of Filipino society as we know it today.

Entitled “Heirlooms”, Steph’s upcoming exhibit is a tribute to her grandmother’s life and legacy. Her pieces are an interpretation of her grandmother’s stories. Stories filled with love and life; and the journey of a woman in a time and place that is singular in Philippine history.

Keeping it real. - PJV

Wire Art Wonders: Weaving Women's Lives

It is wonderful to see a wire art turned into a masterpiece jewelry, but it is more admirable to know that they are made by the hands of women the Palamuti is helping.

For two years now, Palamuti by PJ Valenciano has been providing opportunities to women from urban poor communities. as a commitment to the business' social responsibilities. It is the business' fulfillment to see its craftswomen succeed by not just having to earn money for their families but also to cultivate skills that they can be proud of.

The photos above are handcrafted by Novi, the lead in-house beader of Palamuti by PJ Valenciano. Her talent in jewelry-making was honed by her two years experience in beading, wiring, and embellishing designs, as trained by PJ herself.

Novi, Palamuti's in-house beader

A collection of her work, the "Age of Innocence", is a tribute to her excellence as she inspires other women beaders to continually excel and aspire for success. Novi played with acrylic crystals, mother of pearl, faux pearls, semi precious stones to produce a number of impressive pieces, thus forming the said collection.

See more of these wonders on palamutishop.com.