Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend probably forgot that other precious stones exist.

 

I’m fortunate to be in the company of my favorite gems, but even luckier to be friends with the jewelers who crafted them. Recently, two pals of mine, Kristine Dee and Paul Syjuco, aka two of Manila’s sharpest goldsmiths, launched their latest fine jewelry collection called Linia.

 

It’s a series of minimalist pieces that’s a virtual breath of fresh air. Just when everybody’s bringing all the excessive shine and sparkle—it’s the holidays, after all—Kristine and Paul chose to press reset and place newfound focus on simplicity in their latest work.

 

While the two have been known for their intricate designs inspired by elaborate themes like Orientalism, architecture and Mughal aesthetics, they’ve finally decided to go back to where they started.

 

Paul’s humble beginnings are rooted in his minimalist work on sterling. His current pieces are a throwback to those days.

 

“I do aim for simplicity, not only to eliminate unnecessary elements per se, but also to create more impact,” he says. “And that’s the challenge—to create something that seems like it wasn’t designed at all… And almost always it’s the simple, pure forms that are more difficult to make.”

 

Kristine’s first-ever collection is a display of utilized lines, angles, wires and solid geometric shapes. This time, her work leans toward modern and linear, classic and clean.

 

“I took inspiration from modern industrial design, architecture, engineering, and Bauhaus and German modernism,” she says. “Visual design flow, 3D proportion, eye movement, practicality, ease of use and functionality are important to me.”

 

Linia flaunts lines and sensual curves and forms. My top picks are Kristine’s Azalea cuff, a 14K rose gold and white gold cuff with amethyst, red spinel  and diamonds; and Paul’s open cube ring with round and emerald-cut diamonds.

 

To be honest, it’s hard to pick when everything just seems like my next favorite classic.