ARAO, an emerging contemporary fine jewelry brand based in Hong Kong with deep Philippine roots, introduces its jewelry of South Sea pearls in the ongoing ArteFino Fair 2024 until Aug. 25, 2024 at the Fifth at Rockwell.
This four-year-old brand aims to give a global market a glimpse of Philippine culture through its natural material.
Founder Mirabel Rosar says, “This will be the main launch of ARAO in the Philippines. Hence, it was only appropriate to showcase the best golden South Sea pearl jewelry that we could source, inspired by Philippine marine life.”
The Coral Collection pays tribute to the birthplace of ARAO’s handpicked South Sea pearls, the ocean. “A healthy marine life is pivotal in the cultivation and farming of South Sea pearls,” says Rosar, a staunch advocate of marine life conservation. “At ARAO, we are constantly exploring ways to support marine conservation. The Philippines is the center of the Coral Triangle, which also makes it the center of marine biodiversity. It is made up of coral reefs. Unfortunately, climate change has caused deterioration and bleaching of these wonderful living creatures. After watching (the 2017 documentary) Chasing Coral, I made a personal vow to do what I can do to protect and restore our corals.”
Coral formations found in Philippine seas were models for ARAO’s newest fine jewelry collection. She says, “We used real-life images of Philippine corals during design development. Pieces from the collection also showcase the best-quality pearls we could get our hands on, some of which we have had for years now. We used round golden South Sea pearls, but combined really big ones with smaller ones. We also utilized a lot of diamonds to add some sparkle and set them in 18 carat gold.”
A flawless, 16mm South Sea Pearl with a rich golden hue, for instance, is in a stunning ring that follows the unique shape of corals. “Our design for this collection also tries to convey the nurturing role of our corals. They care for a quarter of all known marine species. The corals embracing the pearls show how it nurtures the rare gem from conception to birth.”
She aimed to expand the theme of marine life conservation to other lines of the brand: “The concept was too big. I wanted to expand it to other products as well.” Through the years, ARAO has collaborated with like-minded local designers and brands such as Jo Ann Bitagcol and Joanique by Malou Araneta. It has also been gradually gearing up to become a lifestyle style brand. For its ArteFino debut, the brand also collaborated with USWAG ARTESANO by integrating woven bags with marine animal details. The idea was to amplify the call to protect our seas through collaboration, partnership, and mutual support. “The bags are part of the Coral Collection,” Rosar says. “The vision is to grow and expand this collection into other product categories in the future.”
A portion of ARAO’s sales proceeds go to the Community-Centered Conservation (C3) Philippines through the Adopt-a-Bahura programs. “It protects and restores coral reels in Diapnay in Calawit, Palawan. Diapnay is a one-hectare reef that is envisioned to become a community-managed marine-protected area (MPA). Every sale of the woven basket bags from ARAO’s Coral Collection will benefit artisans of Leyte’s 3rd District, who live mostly in coastal towns.”
For more information about ARAO, visit https://thearaolife.com/ and follow us on Instagram @thearaolife
