Ever since I can remember, I have always had a fascination for Carolina's. From the first time I…read moreentered their branch in Megamall when I was in grade school, I have always been mesmerized by the variety of the buttons, thread, textile, ribbons, and accessories they have. Today, having several small businesses and jobs that require textile, ribbons and other accents, I always head to Carolina's for convenient sourcing. I have even compared the prices between buying materials from Divisoria (more specifically Ilaya and Tabora) and found that the price difference only ranges from PhP5 to PhP50, which would make it impractical to head all the way to Divisoria just to purchase a few rolls of ribbon, a few yards of cloth, or a few packs of accents.

Carolina's is the quintessential dress maker's place, with the added convenience of being in a…read moremall. It eliminates the need to go to Divisoria if you just need a few beads and buttons, or a bit of lace to finish that dress repair. While it can get a bit crowded, especially during Prom/Sagala/May seasons, it's still worth it as the selection is unparalleled - unless you feel adventurous, of course. Overall, every visit is always worth it.

Who knew that I'd ever be able to get my hands on a Tiffany? A girl can dream, right? That I did…read moreand a most generous person in my life found out about my dream and gave me a necklace from this specialty boutique on one of my more recent birthdays. The 24K gold is better than I had imagined and the design on the pendant is just flawless. It's slightly scratched from the years of usage but I think that this gives it character. The chain recently broke but the store was very professional and knowledgeable in helping me get it fixed. Now it's as good as new. If you have the budget, go get your engagement ring here and I shall live vicariously through you!!

Once a jewelry piece becomes a family heirloom, it carries tales worth telling to other people…read more Aside from being a diamond business, Denovo allows for wearing one's own stories. With the store taking its design inspiration from James Turrell's almost hallucinatory exhibit on the exploration of light, perception, color, and space at the Guggenheim Museum, entering the first Denovo Diamonds boutique in Century City Mall gives the impression that one walks into a house of art. The store design complements the course of the brand to champion Filipino arts through collaborating with Filipino artists to create their own jewelry lines. The pieces become wearable art through merging jewelry and artistic design instead of just being hung on walls or displayed at exhibits. For their first creative collaboration with artists, Denovo collarorated with writer Cheryl Tiu, sculptor and painter Jinggoy Buensuceso, fashion designer Maureen Disini, sculptor and installation artist Leeroy New, accessories designer Neil Felipp and sculptor Olivia d'Aboville. "Each of the artists represents something that is a part of me. Style-wise, Cheryl's line is classic, elegant and timeless. When I wear Olivia's collection which focuses on nature, it becomes part of my persona. It's a statement piece without being overly loud. With Neil's collection being whimsical, it represents the kid in me. With Leeroy, though his pieces are more expressive of what his beliefs are, I wear his pin pendant because it's simple but still a statement piece. With Jinggoy's, it's a unisex line that has a good play on textures that really reflects equilibrium," Caryll Martinez of Denovo says. With Denovo offering state-of-the-art fast find jewelry, one may wear their stories through their diamonds in a more relaxed manner, without feeling extensive pressure, because their pieces are made of genuine diamonds, as certified by Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graduate Caryll. "You can wear actual diamonds without looking over dressed. There's no room in life to be fake. Denovo allows you to be real for any occasion every day. All the designs are original, because here in the Philippines, where everyone can have pakopya (imitation) of jewelry, the integrity of design is more important."

Goldenhills Jewelry has a good selection of designs on display from earrings to necklaces and, of…read morecourse, engagement and wedding rings. If you are not content with their display items, you can choose designs from brochures. They also do custom made designs if you want a particular finish, thickness or gem to make your jewelry truly your own. We were quite late in buying our wedding rings (late as usual, LOL). It was good we ended up going to their shop in February though. All their jewelry was on sale! Discounts were from 20% to 60%! The moment we sat down, the ladies were there to walk us through the different rings they have. We tried every ring that fit our price range but nothing really "wow-ed" us. That's when the ladies offered that we have custom rings made because, with the discount, we would get it at a good price. Awesome! So, our rings will be made of white gold ring in a matte finish with yellow gold edging; my ring will have a gem because I didn't get an engagement ring (because Carlo gave me an "engagement house"). Super simple the design is very me and Carlo. :) From the discounted price, we paid for the reservation fee. Part of the service is also engraving for the rings. Just make sure the message will fit inside the ring. Also, Goldenhills gives you the option to pay for your rings in installment basis up to 6 months. That is very convenient! Lastly, the adjustment of the ring size and cleaning is free plus a Lifetime warranty! I have to say, I was very happy with the service of Goldenhills Jewelry. I really recommend this shop if you plan to buy your own " special occasion" ring or jewelries :D

My mom lives in the province and she doesn't want to go on several trips to and from Manila just to…read morehave the long dress she's going to wear for my wedding made. And since I'm not really very good at finding designers, I just relied on the quality dress shops in Greenbelt and Glorietta to find the perfect attire for her. Although there are many good stores in Greenbelt, I felt that their styles and designs do not fit my mom's preferences. They are either too modern or too ostentatious. I was almost on the brink of despair when I chanced upon Infini in Glorietta. The shop has beautiful long dresses that are conservative and more agreeable to my mom's liking. I brought my mom to the shop and she absolutely loved this green dress. The only problem was it did not fit her. She's tall, so the lengths of the sleeves and bottom of the dress were too short for her. Thankfully, the staff heard our dilemma and said that it wouldn't be a problem for them to make a new dress for my mom patterned in the design that she picked. What's more, they can do the new dress in two weeks or less. Of course, I paid additional fee for the service. But I'm truly pleased with the end result. The dress was a perfect fit for my mom. She looked beautiful, confident, and radiant on my wedding day.

Charriol is a classic jewelry brand that was popular especially when I was in high school. This…read morepiece of jewelry was such a hit among my friends and I back then. Originally called Phillipe Charriol until they shortened it to just Charriol. They sell quite a range of stuff like bangles, bracelets, watches, necklaces, earrings and rings. They have a unique design that is composed of cables intertwined. These cables come in all shapes and colors. You can choose from Gold, Silver, Bronze or even Black. I love that it stands out when worn since they are famous for their cable jewelry. My personal favorite is the Barrel cable jewelry bracelet in Black. I think this piece just matches with everything that I wear. It isn't also too heavy on the wrist and the materials used don't cause me any skin allergies. If you're looking at reasonably priced jewelry, do drop by Charriol.

Greenhills is the freshwater pearl mecca of Quezon City and there are great finds to be found there…read morebut not all vendors can be trusted. Berdori, at least, can be relied upon to be honest about the quality of pearls you are getting. They won't misrepresent imitation 'shell' pearls (essentially glass beads coated with mother of pearl) as the real thing or palm off a "Baby South Sea" (cultured pearls) as the more expensive South Sea pearls. Pearls at Berdori can range from just a few hundred pesos to a hundred thousand or more. The price varies according to the category (we won't go into that here) but you can find a decent string of pearls for about a thousand. I would suggest buying a sterling silver or 14K gold clasp (the added cost depends on the clasp you pick) instead of the free stainless steel they would offer you for free. They do allow some haggling just to make you feel like a savvy shopper but don't expect too much of a price cut. Your Berdori pearls come with free lifetime cleaning and restringing, and the packaging (a taffeta drawstring bag inside a hexagonal box) is gift-worthy.

Exciting Gifts + Goodies. Or EGG…read more What a fascinating name. The first time I was made aware of this store was years ago when a friend gave me a ring from the shop. I don't remember where I put the ring, but until now when I need a classy but relatively cheap gift for a friend, I go to EGG. The colors of their items are neutral and they go with almost any other color. The bags are sturdy enough to be used every day, but fashionable also. The jewelry, although not authentic, looks pretty and does not break easily. What I'm really into now are their pouches. They come in all colors and almost all shapes. The designs are minimalist but the colors they use make them stand out in a bag full of junk, but blend in with your outfit. The material used to make these pouches is pretty sturdy and they'll last a long time. Go. Get yourself an exciting gift or goodie today.