GUARDING, OCEANS, PROTECTING HERITAGE

Jewelmer’s MARION BRANELLEC de Guzman talks about ethical pearl farming, carrying on a 40-year-old jewelry business, and preserving the national gem

- ANGELA CASCO

Living in Palawan and calling its pristine white sand beaches, marine life-rich clear waters, majestic rock formations, must-explore secret coves, beautiful lakes and subterranean rivers, and jungle filled mountains as home is a dream for many. Marion Branellec-De Guzman has lived this dream as a kid.

Marion is the daughter of Jacques Branellec, the French perliculture specialist who co-founded the international luxury jewelry brand Jewelmer with Manuel Cojuangco. She clearly remembers the breathtaking sights in and around the pearl farm her father worked at.

“As a child, I had the opportunity to experience the beauty of our islands and oceans, specifically Palawan,” she says. “[My siblings] and I occupied ourselves with simple pleasures such as playing among the trees and swimming in the sea. We didn’t need gadgets or the television for entertainment.”

The site is where the brand pioneered the production of the lustrous South Sea golden pearls.

THE ART OF PEARL FARMING

The process itself can be painstaking and the labor involved, intensive. It requires the participation of at least 1,000 creative and hardworking individuals to help bring every pearl to life. The brand’s approach is uniquely sustainable, too, which is why the gem’s journey from being cultured in an oyster in the ocean to the pearl farmer finally harvesting it takes quite a while.