ChiEvs Stones and Crystals by Maria Sigrid Dugeno-Lo
In the business of anything that sparkles she pours out her creativity into creating the most unique jewellery pieces using sparkling crystals and gemstones.
Eva Pauline Lizares Si is a self-confessed lover of sparkly things. While we know that not everything that sparkles is gold, Eva has successfully made gold from anything that sparkles—figuratively, that is.
Eva recalls that she loves making and wearing fashion accessories. She started making her own line in Grade 3 with the use of fake pearls and plastic beads. She wore some and then sold the rest. The enterprise happened because she said that her mom wouldn’t buy her these trinkets and so she resolved to make her own. What a nice motivation to fuel the passion!
In college, Eva started to take the business side more seriously. She had the name Chievs Stones and Crystals registered with DTI so that she not only has a brand but also a business name as well. With P1,500 as her start-up capital, she started buying for her initial inventory. She was 20 years old then.
Fast forward eight years later, Eva started started importing Swarovski crystals and natural gemstones from the United States, India, and Hong Kong. She sourced out different gems in countries where there is rich concentration of the minerals.
She knows all about these through much research. And to further her enhance her knowledge, Eva enrolled with an online gemology course that she successfully finished.
Almost two years ago now, she opened a shop called the Bead Bugz, which is a beads store, at the Masinadyahon Bldg., Lizares St., Bacolod City. Here she sells raw materials for making accessories. She has pewter, silver, stainless, copper, natural gemstones, and crystals here, along with the tools and fillers needed to start a jewellery line. This is also where she makes her one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry.
Yes, Eva takes photos of her creations and makes sure that no two designs are the same. Sometimes, she makes a line, but made of different colored gems. That way, you are sure that if you own a piece of Chievs jewelry, you know that there is nothing like that anywhere.
How the ANP Matters
In the same year that Eva started importing materials, she also joined the Association of Negros Producers so that she can market her accessories through the Negros Showroom and its occasional bazaars.
While Eva’s materials are not sourced from Negros, her creativity and craftsmanship are 100% Negrense. And her membership paid off because a lot of her exposure in the local as well as in the international market stemmed from her participation in bazaars as well as the annual Negros Trade Fair held in Manila. Facebook has also helped her in terms of online presence. At present, she already exports her unique jewellery to Dubai, Ireland, and Chicago.
Chievs pieces are not regularly produced in the sense that Eva has to be inspired with something in order to create new pieces. Mood plays a role, too. But eventually, aside from Bead Bugz, she plans to open a store in a mall where she can have space for people to make their own jewelry. She is also developing her metal clay line and honing her glass firing skills in order to make glass beads for her lamp work. These are the things that kawaii fans and designs connoisseurs need to look out for.
31st Negros Trade Fair "One Sweet Spot"
September 14-16, 2016,
Glorietta Mall, Makati
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