Natural Diamond Authority TESSERA Jewelry Welcomes CELESTE CORTESI

 

Beauty was all around when we arrived at the Molito branch of TESSERA Jewelry. Known for being the mecca of sourcing jewelry with natural diamonds, they've now got branches in 38 Rockwell, The Podium, Opus Mall and this one at Molito Lifestyle Center in Alabang. While it's a bit far from our place, we were here to witness something really special as they collaborated with one gorgeous woman, beauty queen, title holder, Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi.

She exudes confidence, talks quite eloquent, and sees this collaboration as an opportunity to make the pieces she dreams of to come true. One thing that's going to be evident with the collection they plan to do is the color BLUE. Celeste means heavenly, and that's exactly the shade of color that will be seen on the ones they plan to design and release for TESSERA Jewelry. There were a few displayed at the event, but this is just the tip of the iceberg of what they plan to do with their partnership. 

 

Celeste invests in jewelry, and she's known of Tessara even before they talked about doing this. She makes sure it goes with her personal taste and color. She also wants that lasts forever, so she could pass the pieces on to her kids, and generations after that. She's received some gifts from her boyfriend, and says it doesn't need to be all expensive. As long as it makes her confident and feel good, she's going to love it!

 

Celeste Cortesi with Tessera Jewelry CEO Carl Fider and his wife Sales Director Ms. Papat Aquino Fider

 Here's more of our interview with Celeste on video, please sub on our YouTube channel to see more entertainment and lifestyle content!

Tessera expressed how important Celeste is as they welcome her to the brand. They say she is the embodiment of grace, warmth, and they can't wait to shine with her. Congratulations Celeste! You are blessed, and remain so nice to this day! You may get in touch with TESSERA Jewelry on IG for more information about their brand.

Shining Bright: CHARO CORDIAL and MADDOX JEWELRY

Took a trip way east to Marikina City to visit the physical showroom of Maddox Jewelry. We got to talk to Madame Charo Cordial, the viral online seller, entrepreneur and businesswoman who made her small venture into a gold and diamond empire that it is today. 

She had very humble beginnings. Brought up in a small town where farming was the premier industry, her parents had her take up Agricultural Engineering in college. During the pandemic, she just had the the opportunity to delve into jewelry (among her other passions), and that's where Maddox Jewelry started. When we met her, her demeanor was very warm and welcoming. With her fascination for all things gold, she got so busy these past few years garnering not only a huge clientele but celebrities, some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. The difference between her and the other online sellers is that she's got a physical showroom in Marikina (AZDM Building) where she conducts appointments for those who want to see the jewelry before they purchase it. 

Here's what we saw there!

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We asked her about making investments on jewelry and what is the best time to do it and she said "There's really no BEST time to do it but NOW. As you may know, gold value is increasing over the years and if you don't get it early, you won't see the value grow. I've seen several of my clients who purchased gold and diamond pieces in the past and in a few years, the value is now 5 times of what it was then."

She adds "Jewelry is not only for women, but men too. We have several pieces that are unisex especially the classic designed ones that can be worn by men or women. Aside from that, we have celebrities like Mark Herras who got earrings with diamonds in it. (Tried to find it on display but they said it's all sold out!) We have them in different colors. We have blue diamonds, green diamonds, something that would fit your personality. We'd gladly accommodate you here as we have people who could assist you to choose the right sparkle you need for your jewelry."

Here's a bit of our talk with her that evening:

As you may have heard, her clients are mostly other jewelry sellers that source most of their wares from her. She also wished for a few A list celebrities to collaborate with her since she also does content on TikTok and Facebook. 

Her Facebook page is her only selling platform, and streams are regularly done live and deleted right after because most of the sales are done only during livestreams. If you're interested, go follow their page and watch out for schedules, it's mostly from 6pm to 12am and they're quite keen on helping entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. If you've been wanting to start your own collection, they have people to help you at their Marikina office. 

Their showroom is pretty full most of the time, it might be wise to ask for appointments through their contact numbers there. I'm off to buy a few very soon. Remember as she says, the time to invest in jewelry is now!

Super nice and very humble, she's shining bright indeed. Thank you and congratulations Ms. Charo! Here's wishing you could help more people and continued success in the business! 

Timmy Llana and Maxine Medina: Choosing Their Wedding Rings

It's surreal to see how LOVE happens at the most opportune time. Some may call it serendipity, some may call it fate, but in the case of Dive Master Timmy Llana and Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maxine Medina, it would have been a case of marrying "The One That Got Away".

They went to the same school and had the same circle of friends. He was smitten the first time he laid her eyes on her, but she was young, boyish, had that athletic mindset to think about relationships. Volleyball was the only thing she wanted to do that time. He drove her home a couple of times, and felt taken cared of. 

Nothing romantic came of it, but they remained friends, communicated and then didn't get to talk for a couple of years after that. Maxine then went to win the Miss Universe Philippines title to represent the country for Miss Universe pageant in 2016, right after Pia's reign and eventually, got to the Top 6. After that, she went on to became a celebrity, appearing different successful TV shows, movies, and hosting stints which she remains to do today.    

Got to talk to Timmy and Maxine at J's Diamond in Trinoma during the time they were choosing the designs for their wedding ring.

Timmy prefers the classic design (left), one that could be worn for years and doesn't go out of style. Maxine on the other hand plans to have her rings layered (right) when she wears it. She chose simple but elegant design which is currently is in yellow gold. All would be custom made by J's Diamond in white gold. The one on the far right is a diamond crusted band, she loves it and plans to pass it on for generations to come. These two rings will be paired with the existing marquise shaped diamond ring (her engagement ring), an heirloom piece she got from Timmy's family.

Here's how our conversation over lunch went:

 

Here's a short tour inside the store, and some moments with Timmy and Maxine that afternoon:

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Maxine's love for the sun, sand and the sea got her reconnected with Timmy. They felt it wasn't much of formalities and courtship that happened, the friendship just blossomed into this. She attributes it to her ability to go with the flow, they just kinda knew it was LOVE and embraced it. Timmy saw how they grew closer while doing the things they love (with so much passion), particularly diving. It just so happened that he was a Dive Master, and says they were just at the right place and the right time. 

From a friendship that spanned almost 20 years, and being in a relationship for 5 years, Timmy and Maxine plan to start a family after their wedding in October. They hope to have twins as he's had family who are too . Maxine wants to pursue A LOT of things still, and continue her showbiz career plus other businesses she plans to do in the future (quips she can multitask). She's currently doing "Magandang Dilag" with Herlene Budol and other GMA stars. She says it'll be shown next month, make sure you watch out for that!

Their story could have ended a long time ago, but you see, LOVE has its ways. This too proves how friends, old flames, the things you are passionate about can spark affection and relationships. Hope their story inspires you. I mean who knows?! That person who genuinely care for you might just be THE ONE.

 

Congratulations Timmy and Maxine! Again, thank you for the opportunity to interview and get to know you on a more personal level. I'll be cheering from the bleachers like I did during your Miss U stint!

P.S. If you want to know more about J's Diamond, just search the same on Facebook. You may also visit their official site jsdiamond.com.ph and book appointments there.