“I believe that we are an intuitive brand, as we truly value the ideas of our clients when it comes to the designs they want for themselves by transorming their design vision into jewelry pieces they’d truly like and adore,” Emily Loren Opida, chief visionary officer and designer of Emildific Customized Jewelries, shared with STYLISH Magazine in a sit-down interview.
“We cater our clients with jewelry pieces that are not commonly available in the market, as they usually come to us for customized jewelry designs they want for themselves– be it silver, gold, gemstones or diamonds.”
For Emily, catering to their loyal customers by way of creating a jewelry piece that truly feels right to their needs and desires is the core of their enterprise.
“The details of the personalized design should reflect how the customers feel about their special moment in their lives that they want to commemorate with a piece of jewelry. Like if it’s for a graduation of a child, or for an engagement of a couple, or for weddings, the jewelry design should really embody and capture the feeling our clients have for those dear milestones and moments. We really listen to their desire and create those pieces based on that. Plus, jewelry pieces are always about developing and nourishing human relationships, so I believe that jewelry pieces are meant to be personal.”
Emily took up a formal course in jewelry design at the Jewelry Design And Management International School in Singapore, wherein she learned the creation process thoroughly.
“I learned more about the ratio of stones, how to sketch jewelry designs, make designs with 3D printing, stone-setting, wax- carving, casting, supplier-sourcing, and other jewelry production phases,” she said.
“From that formal course, I’ve learned to embrace the concept of, I do not always have to sit around and wait for an inspiration before starting the designs. I’ve learned that everything can be an inspiration if you just truly look at the world and its beauty. You can really be inspired by a lot of things, and your intuition will lead you to where the inspiration is coming from.”
Currently, Emily is working on her new jewelry collection, as she’s gained more confidence in her own insights and intuition when it comes to design.
As ironic as it may seem, this jewelry curator took her time before she truly embraced her own passion.
“I discovered my love for jewelry when I realized as a kid that I wanted to be a fashion designer slash entrepreneur, ever since I was in fourth grade, I think. But in college, I took up Journalism because I had an interest in writing, too,” she narrated.
After finishing her college degree in Mass Communication, she learned that her love for fashion was still there, so she sent herself to a fashion school.
“After studying a four-month course in Basic Fasion Design at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, I also pursued an apprenticeship under a local fashion designer. I learned furthermore how to make womenswear from skirts, dresses to gowns. It was really fun as I offered assistance during the client fittings, or did errands like delivering the orders to the clients. But I learned early on that I did not see myself really running a clothing or fashion atelier as a business.”
Emily decided to explore other professions, so she worked at a full-time job for a government agency. She even finished her masters in public administration. But her heart would always lead her back to her passion for fashion.
“I did government work for like a year, and even finished my masters in public administration. While I was working for that government job, I created a beaded bib necklace for myself one day, and then my colleagues would compliment my accessory. The entrepreneur in me, of course, decided to offer it to my officemates. So that’s when I started designing and making bib necklaces for my co-workers because they would order various designs. Word of mouth made it known to people that I was creating accessories. That’s when I learned that I can actually have more traction when I stay true to myself and to my heart, do my passion in life, and follow what feels right for me.”
Her accessories design endeavour even took a better turn when she encountered a jeweler one day.
“I was walking home one day, and I got to encounter a jeweler in this one store I usually passed by. I found what she’s doing very interesting to me, that I asked her if she can make some hoop earrings with evil eye details made of gemstones for me. I really stayed there at her store and watched her process, like I really waited there for hours just watching her make the earrings. I realized right then and there that I wanted to also explore offering customized jewelry designs to people I know, since I had the market already.”
That’s how Emildific Customized Jewelry was born three years ago.
“My name is Emily, so I instantly I knew that I wanted my brand’s name to be close to mine, with a sound in it as if it is an adjective,” she said. “With my formal education in jewelry design and my wide database of reliable suppliers that I am really grateful for, we are more confident with what Emildific can furthermore offer to our clientele.”
“Emildific, like the way it sounds, should be uplifting. So I want our pieces to uplift someone’s mood, or make a person feel great about herself or himself. Of course, it’s a plus that inevitably, we can empower women with our pieces. And that feels great, too.”
“We have pieces below 1,000php pesos in price, because I want quality jewelry pieces to be more accessible. But we also have special creations from 30,000php to 50,000php price range which are I think are still very accessible.”
Feeling great should be attainable, according to Emily.
“The voice of our jewelry brand is to uplift women through our pieces, and I feel like our brand resonates with STYLISH in that way that you uplift women too with your stories. So I want our brand to be like that too, that it advocates for women feeling great about themselves, and other positive causes, too.”
From its sustainable packaging for eco-friendly purposes, to seasonal influencer campaign partnerships advocating for support for animal shelters, Emildific is already on that path of pushing positive advocacies.
“Our brand takes pride in our sincerity by providing jewelry pieces that can be part of the lives of our customers in a personal way, but we are also a playful brand in a way that we believe in colors and fun in jewelry. Our jewelry designs are meant to be expressions of happiness.”
“But I think more than anything, Emildific Customized Jewelries is all about following your heart’s desires when you share with us the customized designs you want, because intuitively you know you are celebrating that special feeling inside you with jewelry. It is also always about nourishing relationships and bonds. Like for example, when it is your mom’s birthday, wouldn’t you want to make a beautiful locket for her to follow your heart’s desire of making your mother happy? That’s Emildific,” she concluded.
To learn more about Emildific Customized Jewelries, you may follow the brand on Instagram @emildific and visit www.emildific.com.
Profile images photographed by Dominic Dimagmaliw
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