Jewelry a la Mod (Milano)

While women are naturally drawn to anything that sparkles, it is discernment and a penchant for class that lead the few to the vaults of true jewelry masters.

Discreetly located at the ground floor of Gateway Mall is Mod Milano, a jewelry shop popular among socialites and the well–heeled.

A visit to the store instantly puts clients on the front seat of jewelry trends straight from the jewelry capital of Vicenza in Italy such as … chokers woven from delicate gold mesh, colored rings and earrings that "blossom" with blue and yellow sapphires, Bohemian and layered necklaces, chains of blue polished gold aglitter with tiny diamonds.

The company itself is known in the international market for its modern styles and designs which they change every three months. Anything beyond that is shipped back to Italy, melted and re–modeled.

One might perceive this as an extravagance, but loyal patrons see it as a mark of exclusivity.

"Our company mainly specializes in settings for any kind of stones — diamonds, ruby, emerald, turquoise, etc. Since we are a manufacturer, we carry limitless designs (but) even if you pay a million dollar more for a particular design that’s already been sold, we won’t repeat it again," said owner Sinan Batur.

Batur hails from Turkey where his uncle was a jewelry retailer at the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world that houses thousands of shops and firms.

At 11, he worked as a jewelry cleaner at his uncle’s shop, an experience which opened his eyes to the rich opportunities in this thriving business.

He later studied gemology in Belgium while he worked as a salesman at the local jewelry shop. Soon, he established his own company that bridged ancient Turkish designs and techniques to modern trends and technological advancements.

According to the Turkish businessman, the vibrant culture of Italy offers a steady supply of inspiration for him and his team of artisans who conceive and execute thousands of designs at its headquarters in the northern city of Napoli.

All items under the Mod Milano banner are meticulously chosen from the best European gold and silversmiths by a team of experts armed with knowledge and proficiency in jewelry–making.

Although the Philippines is one of the biggest miners of gold in the world, Batur only purchases his gold from the Central Bank of Italy. His South Sea pearls, a special component in some of his collections, come from Tahiti and Australia.

It was only 10 years ago when Batur first entered the Asian market in 1996 with Singapore as his Asian business hub.

After carefully studying the market for a few years, Batur set up a store in the Philippines where he met his wife Liezel Ferrer–Batur who now manages the shop in Gateway.

Outside the Philippines, jewelry collectors may obtain a Mod Milano piece from its retail outlets and specialty shops in Japan, Singapore, U.S., Germany, Dubai, Belgium and Vietnam.

Given the huge and varied market of Mod Milano, the odds of purchasing the same jewelry from two different countries is very unlikely as no two designs are alike.

Couples looking for a pair of wedding rings at Mod Milano should look elsewhere — the store doesn’t carry any.

"We often come across clients who ask for a pair of (wedding) rings. How can you have a pair when one is male and the other one is female? I have never seen, in any other culture or country, a man who wants a wedding ring like his wife’s. It’s only here in the Philippines ," observed Batur.

However, would–be brides can order a custom–made tiara according to their specifications — that is, if they are willing to wait at least a month and dig deeper in their pockets.

"You can’t display a tiara in the store because brides don’t exactly have the same shape of the head. Those things are very personal. But if there’s a demand, we can have it made. It will depend on what they want and how much they want to spend — which can run from hundreds of thousands to a million," Batur said.

A finely crafted white gold ring studded with diamonds will set you back by P50,000 to P70,000 — the "cheapest" item in the store which carries unusual and colored gemstones, gem carvings, and fancy colored diamonds mounted on sensually shaped gold base.

The most expensive is a necklace with tourmaline, diamonds, sapphire, ruby and emeralds. The price tag? Two million pesos!

And in case you’re in doubt, each item with diamonds comes with a G.I.A. certificate and an International Guarantee Certificate which can be used for insurance and appraisal purposes… truly one-of-a-kind.
Source: mb