Sofia Yulo carries on her family legacy—but with a twist
On a recent Saturday, the sophisticated Dominion Cellar on Jupiter St., Makati was transformed from a purely wine and dining destination to a garden of lush blooms and sparkling gems. It was an intimate gathering of stylish people who love jewelry, wine or both, and the perfect setting for a trunk show of Sofia Yulo Fine Jewelry.
Rich arrangements of hydrangeas towered over nibbles and whites, reds and rosés were poured out liberally while guests admired necklaces, pendants, bangles, bracelets and earrings made of the most delicate of gemstones. Nestled between orchids and greens, cross-shaped pendants and medallions with religious themes were layered with strands of beaded sapphire and ruby necklaces. Rings of green and blue tourmaline were presented in emerald, oval and pear cuts. Charm necklaces could be worn singly or layered, and lifeline rings of gold and diamonds sparkled on silver trays.
The jewelry is feminine, dainty, colorful and with a freshness that hints at the youthfulness of the designer. Twenty-five-year-old Sofia Yulo is carrying out the family legacy but with a twist.
“The business started with my great grandmother,” Sofia explains, “then passed on to my grandmother, then to my dad. But then my dad didn’t want to take part of the business so my mom decided to join. That’s why it’s a legacy, it’s four generations.”
Unlike her family before her, Sofia is a designer. “I am the first in the family to take up design so everything that I do is purely creative; in my family they were all business. I studied at GIA (Gemology Institute of America) in Bangkok, where I had several courses. One of them was jewelry design where they taught me how to sketch. I studied diamond grading and colored stone grading. I took up Applied Jewelry Professional which is the business side of how to sell jewelry, the proper terms and how the trade works. Our jewelry is made in Bulacan and our materials are sourced from all over the world, mainly from Hong Kong, but all our designs are proudly made in the Philippines."
“I really like to design feminine pieces, that’s what I gravitate towards, but at the same time I like very bold and big pieces so it balances it out,” she adds. “So, you’ll find very feminine, classic pieces but with a modern touch. I use a lot of colors, different stones with different textures and prints.”
Her favorite gemstone is opal because that happens to be her birthstone, her mom’s birthstone and her niece’s birthstones. “It’s like three generations where we are all born in October so it’s very special.”
Her favorite piece in the collection? “I really love the cross pendant,” says Sofia. “We’ve made several variations already with different colored stones. It was one of the first pieces I designed so it’s very special to me.”
Sofia’s jewelry is sold on the online website and they have a small showroom where you can book an appointment to see the pieces in real life, making a visit very personal.
“Our marketing is bold and fun, to make jewelry less intimidating and more approachable,” she explains. “It’s not something out of reach, you actually can touch it and have fun with it, so we do this through our imagery. There are a lot of brands that are marketing every day trying to sell their products, boosting ads online. We don’t do any of that.
“We want to grow our following organically and we have followers who genuinely follow the brand, not because we boosted a bunch of ads.”
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To see Sofia’s collection visit www.sofiayulo.com and her Instagram page @sofiayulo.
