Jewelmer

Jewelmer

Type	Private
Founded	1979; 45 years ago (1979)
Founder	Jacques Branellec Manuel Cojuangco
Headquarters	Philippines
Number of locations	16
Website	jewelmer.com

Jewelmer is a Philippines-based fully vertically-integrated luxury jewelry brand that cultivates, designs, manufactures, and distributes both loose pearls and fine jewelry. Founded in 1979 by Jacques Branellec and Manuel Cojuangco.^[1]

Jewelmer has a global reputation for producing golden South Sea pearls and fine jewelry.^[2] It has also been recognized internationally for incorporating sustainable practices, while manufacturing its wide variety of jewelry products. As of 2019, the brand holds a total of 17 shops in the Philippines. It also has a presence in 16 countries across different continents.

History[edit]

Jewelmer was established in 1979 by Jacques Branellec and Manuel Cojuangco. Branellec at that time was a commercial pilot for Air Tahiti who also ran a pearl farm venture in French Polynesia producing the black Tahitian pearl. Branellec traveled across the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1970s in search of a new pearl variety. He arrived in the Philippines and met Manuel Cojuangco, a Filipino entrepreneur who was conducting a coconut hybridization project in Palawan at the time.

Branellec and Cojuangco together curated an environmentally friendly approach to pearl farming. Instead of collecting oysters from the ocean, they cultured oysters that would help to preserve marine biodiversity. The Pinctada maxima, the world's largest pearl-bearing oyster, was cultured and grafted by Jewelmer. It took ten years to master this method, and another ten years to make gold-colored pearls.

In 1983, the company opened its first jewelry workshop grounded in the techniques and craftsmanship practiced in Place Vendôme. Two years later, Jewelmer opened its first retail showroom at The Peninsula Manila, Philippines.

In 1990, Jewelmer took part in its first pearl exhibition at the National Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. The brand has since then showcased at premium fashion and jewelry shows across the world, including the Baselworld Watch and Jewelry Show in Switzerland in 1994 and a fashion show in Hong Kong in 1997.

Jewelmer established its first retail presence in Australia and the United States of America in 2010. It continued its expansion in South America and China in 2012, as well as in Japan in 2014. Around that same time, the company launched its book, “Miracle of the Golden Pearl” by holding a fashion show at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.

The Palawan Strand, Jewelmer's rarest strand of golden South Sea pearls, was unveiled in 2017. It brought together pearls measuring 16 to 18 mm in diameter, completely round in shape, all of which were precisely matched in terms of shape, size, color, and luster. This strand took 37 years to finish due to the rarity of harvesting such large and high-quality pearls. Jewelmer debuted its South Sea pearl headpiece at the 65th Miss Universe competition the same year. It was worn by Miss Universe Philippines title holder Maxine Medina.^[3] The headpiece designed by the brand in conjunction with Filipino fashion designer Rhett Eala, is inspired by the colorful vintas sailing in the South of the Philippines, paying homage to the culture and history of Mindanao. The vinta is a traditional outrigger boat from the Philippine island of Mindanao.

Jewelmer launched its first store in the United States on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2018. In 2022, the company designed the winning-crown for the Miss Universe Philippines Organization (MUPH).^[4] The 2022 Miss Universe crown was known as the La Mer en Majesté Crown.^[5][6]

Craftsmanship[edit]

Jewelmer's design history is rooted in French Haute jewelry tradition. Its works combine French and Asian sensibilities, exhibiting the golden South Sea pearl in pieces that represent the workmanship learned from Place Vendôme, a famous plaza in France that is home to some of the world's most prestigious fine watch and jewelry firms.

Sustainability[edit]

Jewelmer’s pearl farms act as bio-generators, increasing the diversity of marine life without depleting the natural resources in the area. The area where the farms are located has been designated as a marine protected area and a no-take zone, protecting the ecosystem from external risks posed by unmanaged human activity. Furthermore, Jewelmer's farms in Palawan use environmentally friendly practices such as solar electricity and adequate waste separation.

Non-profit endeavors[edit]

The Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF), founded by Branellec and Cojuangco in 2006, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to give sustainable revenue to recipient communities while also protecting the ecosystem. SPSF teaches organic vegetable growing, seaweed farming, cashew processing, handicraft creation, and free-range poultry farming, among other sustainable activities. In the same way, the SPSF assists in the development of long-term conservation and management strategies for the province's maritime resources.

Awards and recognition[edit]

• Branellec and Cojuangco, the company's founders, were honored for their achievements in the jewelry business and environmental conservation.
• Branellec was conferred the title of Officier de L'Ordre National du Mérite by the President of the French Republic.
• Branellec and Cojuangco were also given the title Chevalier Dans L'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur by the French government. (The Legion of Honor is France's highest award for outstanding military and civil achievements).^[7][8]
• The President of the Republic of France awarded Jewelmer Group chairman Manuel Cojuangco the Knight of the Legion of Honor on July 27, 2017.^[9]
• In 2018, Jewelmer was featured in Ahbra Cale Perry and R.T. Higgins’ documentary Power of Pearl: The Farm beneath the Sea.
• In 2018, Jewelmer won two JNA Awards under the category - Brand of the Year - Retail and Sustainability Initiative of the Year.^[10]

In the media[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official Website
• Jewelmer on Facebook
• Jewelmer on Instagram
• Jewelmer's channel on YouTube