Nida Danao’s horn jewelry goes from Benguet to the world

MANILA, Philippines - Who was it that said, “It’s not what you look at but what you see”?

Nida Danao looked at ordinary carabao horns and saw exquisite jewelry. Nida started creating jewelry made from carabao (Philippine water buffalo) horns in 2006. Today, her unique horn jewelry is sold in boutique and upscale stores abroad — in the US, Italy and Switzerland as well as in Japan, India and Hong Kong.

Enida P. Danao, a full-blooded Igorot, was born and raised in Benguet. Her parents were vegetable farmers. They were nine siblings, five girls and four boys. They all learned to work early in life. “In our culture, as soon as you learn to move your hands, you have to work,” Nida explains. “We are used to hard work.”

She studied to be a teacher. As a working student, she lived in a convent where she cleaned and cooked for the nuns. She received her degree in education from St. Mary’s University in Nueva Vizcaya. It was while she was working as a teacher in Nueva Vizcaya that she met her future husband, John Danao, an economics graduate from UST who had
a small business in his mother’s hometown at that time. They married in 2001. Later, they moved to Manila.

At first, she felt lost in the big city: “Nanibago ako.” She recalled her childhood, spent in the Cordilleras. She imagined herself as Maria in The Sound of Music, her favorite movie. “Like Maria, I liked going up the mountain, even just by myself,” Nida relates. “I loved to pick up fallen leaves, twigs and seeds. I’d string them together to make toy jewelry, which I gave to my siblings and friends.” This memory gave her the idea to make real jewelry out of natural materials.

“I express myself through my jewelry,” she says. Inspired by her lola, who wore the bones of snakes like a crown on her head, she thought of the horns from the carabao heads displayed in homes as a sign of wealth. “In our culture, your wealth was measured by the number of carabao that you owned. There comes a time when the family must share their blessings by holding a canao, where carabao are butchered and everyone in the village is invited to the feast.”

In 2006, they went to the US to attend the graduation of John’s sister. They brought with them Nida’s jewelry made from carabao horns. They exhibited at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York where they made their first sale. Back in the Philippines, they displayed the leftover pieces at a Sunday market where they sold organic vegetables from Benguet. Nida’s jewelry was a big hit. Thereafter, they joined local bazaars and trade fairs.

It was at one of the country’s premier trade shows, Manila Fame, that Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez of Rustan’s, the top luxe retailer with an eye for “our very own,” “discovered” Nida’s unique jewelry collection, and was instrumental in giving them space to sell at Rustan’s. “We’re so grateful to Rustan’s. While most of the products they carry are imported, they took a chance on us. They did not mind that we were from the province,” John says. “They focused on the craftsmanship and high quality of our product, and it did not matter whether the designer had a name or not. They gave us the branding and recognition.”

Nida’s Silnag Collection will be featured today, Aug. 16, in a one-day only trunk show at The Gallerie on the second level of Rustan’s Makati. It is part of Rustan’s 65th anniversary celebration.

“According to them, we are among the top brands in Rustan’s accessories department,” says John, who is in charge of marketing. From one store, Rustan’s Makati, they can now be found in four Rustan’s stores, including Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Alabang and Rustan’s Cebu.

The brand name is somewhat of a tongue twister. “Silnag” is Ilocano for sinag in Tagalog, which means “rays of the sun.” “It represents the hopes and aspirations of designers and artisans in the countryside,” John explains. Nida presents her latest collection of about 80 designs “inspired by my journey in the countryside,” she says. The show’s theme is “Retrospection.”

“Nowadays, we hear so much negative news. I am affected and I even cry over the news,” Nida says. “I am a very emotional person. I find solace in remembering my past experiences, especially in Benguet, where we had a peaceful life, very close to nature.”

Nida does detailed sketches of her original designs, complete with instructions. She captures images in nature, such as a random growth of wild mushrooms or a bird’s nest or dragonflies in flight. She extracts their basic geometry and design, and imbues it with her memories and emotional connection. “It’s my goal to help people feel their connection with Mother Nature,” she says. Her own life’s source of inspiration and real jewels are her children, Emerald (age four) and Dominic (age five).

At their workshop in Bulacan, Nida passes on her sketches to the cutters who make the components. “The cutting and the grinding is the most difficult, and requires highly skilled craftsmen,” Nida says. “They must be artists also, since they have to interpret and execute my sketches.” The components are then put together by the assemblers, based on her design. A prototype is made, which she inspects carefully, tries on, and if it’s okay, she proceeds to production. Only five to 10 pieces are made per design.

Every single piece is handmade. No two are exactly alike. As part of the natural characteristics of the materials used, there may be irregularity in color, shape, size, texture and appearance. Besides black carabao horns, they also use rare albino carabao horns as well as pure white carabao bones or bulalo and carabao nails. Even the links are made of horn and the leather strands are from sheepskin. Semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and pearls are used to add color and variety. No synthetic materials are used.

“It’s called green fashion,” John says. “I still try to inject a touch of ethnic, something of my being an Igorot, in my designs, but I also make it look classic and more refined. It is difficult to describe but my clients recognize it,” Nida says. She also believes that “we have to train our eyes to see beauty in simple things.” It was another designer, Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, who was once wrote, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

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Nida Danao’s ‘Silnag’ one-day trunk show will be held today, 6 p.m., at The Gallerie, 2nd Level, Rustan’s Makati.