Jeweler Tim Tam Ong: Inspired by Burma
Tim Tam Mendoza Ong started her business because she loved beautiful things. Blessed with a creative eye, she credits the women in her family for not only giving inspiration but honing her taste and aesthetic preferences as well. Her mother, interior and furniture designer Cezette Constantino Mendoza, started the young girl’s love affair of fabrics, textures, colors and craftsmanship. Grandmothers on both sides of the family were big influences with their tastefully decorated homes and fine taste.
But her biggest supporter is her husband Michael who is half Burmese. She recalls that he once brought home a gorgeous, intricately sculpted stone and excavated beads that she could immediately envision complete with bursts of swirls and colors. There were eventually transformed into a beautiful necklace that not only received numerous compliments from her friends, but orders to create more artistic jewelry pieces. As orders flocked in, her creative juices flowed as she realized that she wanted to do something long term.
The shift from merely loving and making beautiful things soon turned into a business. Despite the struggles and risks, but with her devoted family behind her, Tim Tam opened a shop several years ago that ignited her passion of creating and sharing her artistic talents with devoted clients. Together with a team of Filipino craftsmen, locally sourced materials are incorporated as much as possible. The stylish creations are mounted in high-quality 92.5 silver vermeil with prices starting at a very reasonable P5,000, catering to a variety of tastes — feminine, adventurous, classy, whimsical and avant garde.
Visiting this jewel of a shop where there is a mélange of fashion, furniture, personal ornaments and home accessories, one notes how this artisan loves what she does.
“When you enter my shop, it’s like you are entering my second home. It is like my secret haven or my visual diary. This is where you can get to know me before we even exchange words. Through my jewelry, I become an artist, a storyteller, a dreamweaver, a gift giver and in a way, a friend. I am grateful to all the dear clients who patronize my items and give me such heartfelt praises for my work. They have not only encouraged me to become the best at what I do, they have also ignited a passion to keep learning, discovering and creating,” Tim Tam enthuses.
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Tim Tam Ong Boutique is at LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air II, Makati City. For details, call 519-6358 or email ongtimtam@yahoo.com.ph.
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