By Georg, We've got it

Georg Jensen Flagship Store, located at  2^nd floor, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City

(Left) Michael Viberg Pedersen - Head of International Sales & Travel Retail & (Right) Ferdinand Ong - General Manager.

Together with the Master: (Left to Right) Jean Ong, Julia Goh - Senior Brand Manager Georg Jensen Singapore, Arch. Ramon Antonio, Ferdinand Ong - General Manager & Debbie Ong

When is a bracelet not just a bracelet?  When it is a symbol, a summation, a stylish badge of philosophy and that’s exactly what the Torun bracelet of Georg Jensen is. Its creator, Viviana Torun was a philosopher who didn’t write but instead expressed her wisdom and wit in her designs.  “A piece of jewelry should be a symbol of love.  It should enhance and move with the body so it blends with you.  It must not overwhelm but enhance you.  This is why it should be timeless.  It shouldn’t matter if you 17 or 87 years old.”

Lyza Sia, Brand Manager Georg Jensen Philippines

At the recent launch of the first Georg Jensen shop at the East Wing in Shangri-La, a lucky few guests were given the chance to form their own Torun bracelets, a single sliver of silver that starts off as a sleek slim flat slice and gets sculpted and seduced into a bangle with a single loop to unite itself. 

Ana Sideco

Lou Munoz

As Michael Pedersen says of Georg Jensen, “It can be loved by women ranging from Lady Gaga to Crown Princess Mary (of Denmark)  and why wouldn’t they?  It may look simple but only we can make the things we make, in our craft shops.”  Julia Goh adds, “I think of Georg Jensen as a brand for an intelligent, thinking woman.  Because it’s not just about being flashy, it’s all about the design.”

In full support: (Left To Right) Victoria Puyat, Luz Siguion-Reyna, Marissa Tambunting, Rissa Regala, Rocio Pantaleon, Leah Puyat, Weng Chang, Michelle Tiangco & Mikaela Puyat

Fashion forces forge: (Left To Right) Joey Samson, Jo Ann Bitagcol, Rhett Eala & JC Buendia

When I sat down to begin the process of choosing the silver piece that I would shape into my bangle, and I began to get acquainted with the exquisite tools that I needed to complete the task, I seriously got goosebumps, because the nobility and magnificence of the heritage that came before me became so magically real.  Georg Jensen wanted to be a sculptor originally, but like many struggling artists, he couldn’t make a living from his works.  So he learned the craft of silversmithing and in silver, he found his metier.  After creating phenomenal success with his own works, he sought to collaborate with the artists of his time.  And the same can be said of Viviana Torun, who began making jewelry as a teenager and in the late 40s, when women rarely traveled alone, she ventured off to Cannes and met Picasso, Matisse and Braque. Katerina Duma of the design blog Only Deco Love, who got a chance to tour the legendary and state-protected Georg Jensen archives, wrote: “The Torun bangle folds around the wrist gracefully and it locks in a way that symbolizes the bond that two people have together.  Torun’s jewelry was inspired by natural shapes. . . so that metal flows like water.”  To be given a chance to recreate Viviana Torun’s masterpiece with my fumbling hands further impeded by my self-doubt was a moment equal parts daunting and exhilarating.  And sure enough my bangle wasn’t perfectly shaped but the master silversmiths of Georg Jensen who flew into Manila to instruct the guests that day patiently guided my clumsy efforts.  The final bangle was still ever so slightly skewed but I’m still happy with its perfect imperfection.  Another treat was that I was able to share this experience with my nieces, friends, and colleagues I first met in college, and even my fashion and magazine friends.  Everyone was so happy to be able to form their own bracelet.  Some were intrepid, some a little intense, and some were impressively focused, but in the end, all the new amateur silversmiths had a smile of quietly triumphant joy. The appeal and allure of Georg Jensen are not just timeless but they transcend interests so that whether you are a design nerd or just appreciate beautiful things, there will be a product that will speak to you.

A silver streak!: (Left To Right) Arsi Baltazar, Francis Libiran, Victor Harry Hartman & Nat Manilag

Fierce! Style is a unique common denominator: (Left To Right) Yaofa Dela Cruz, Anna Panthera , Lou Muñoz, Kathlyn Asuncion, Gabbie Abesamis, Shermaine De Ramos, Sky Yang, Ana Sideco, Cassandra Laforteza, Mauro Lumba, Ina Dominica & Philippe Magalona

FAMILY TREASURES

“Finally!” exclaimed architect Ramon Antonio when I spotted him at the launch.  “I’m a longtime collector of Georg Jensen, I used to go to their Hong Kong shop on Queens Road.”  Philippine Star columnist and style savant Donna Cuna Pita admitted, “I love everything!”  Model Lou Muñoz fell in love with the link necklace she was wearing, saying with a wide smile, “This is so ME!”  In addition to the mini workshop where we got to make our own bangles, everyone was eagerly handling the housewares and trying on the jewelry.  There was a consensus that thought Georg Jensen was heritage house, there was nothing old fashioned about the line.  “They’re really timeless, you’ll never get tired of them,” Antonio reiterated.

An assembly line of gift packaging was also set up, and Odette Pumaren proudly said, “These are gifts that you want to give, and receive!”  Each Georg Jensen comes in a lovely gray box made from thick paper and a matching gray shopping bag.  

To welcome guests, Ferdinand Ong said, “Many of you may know us from our furniture shops and now we are in jewelry and homewares. “  At a smaller gathering with press writers, he revealed, “Many homeowners now still want to live with nice things but not so fancy looking as their parents or grandparents had, so I think now is the perfect time for Georg Jensen to come to Manila.

Donna Cuna-Pita & Marissa Lopa

SILVER LINING

Georg Jensen’s decision to create works from silver wasn’t an accident.  He wanted his works to be used every day and not be a prohibitive price.  “What’s great about Georg Jensen is that its value for money,” said Ramon Antonio.  Though Georg Jensen may have abandoned his dreams of being a sculptor, the legacy of art still flows through all the lines and products of the house.  “When we start a collection, we always look through our archives,” admits Pedersen.  “There are more than 18,000 products in our archives.”  Some of the design stars who have collaborated with Georg Jensen are Marc Newson and Patricia Urquiola; and of course, fellow Dane, Arne Jacobsen was also part of the Jensen story.  Kelly Wearstler also created with the house her latest Frequency collection, inspired by her life in California and marked by waves of silver.

Myrza Sison

& Marina Benipayo

The Art of Silversmithing:

Philippe Magalona with Georg Jensen’s Craftsmen.

Pedersen told us, “Each silversmith makes their own hammer when they come to us and that’s what they use,  I'm our workshops, we have displayed the tools of some of our past masters.”  It was striking that the tools used to create the bangle are just as exquisite as the jewelry.  Scandinavian design is known to be simple, straightforward and low-key.  But this recent opening showed that good design can be news in and of itself.

Georg Jensen Flagship Store, located at 2^nd floor, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City.