Getting stoned

Every year, movie fans expect the Oscars to be a night of razzle-dazzle, where stars put on a fashion spectacle to outdazzle all fashion spectacles. Adding glitter to the affair is the razzmatazz of jewels the celebrities wear on the much-awaited, most-watched Oscar Night. Thanks to much-in-demand jeweler to the stars Harry Winston, who loan his precious jewelry to adorn the stars for a night. At the 1999 Academy Awards, Whoopi Goldberg wore Elizabethan jewels worth a whopping $41 million and a single diamond ring worth $15M from the House of Winston. In 2002, Whoopi wore a multi-million-dollar yellow diamond necklace, also by Winston, to the Oscars. Whoopi almost lost the heavily-guarded necklace (a battalion of bodyguards was discreetly posted all over the place) when it slid down her bosom. You can just imagine Whoopi beating her breast and saying, "Mea culpa!"

Certainly, you, too, are bound to get stoned by simply looking at the gemstones that celebrities wear to the Oscars or wherever. Or even by looking at the gemstones by Rocks from the racks of Firma, the lifestyle store of the moment, at Greenbelt 3, Makati.

They’re real, class A gems in a modern gold setting. And they’re quite affordable, too, compared to the prices in most other stores (Rocks’ owners promise that you won’t end up stone-broke). They’re designed by Ana Rocha-Castillo, an architect-engineer who has been designing her own jewelry long before Rocks. She teams up with Bangkok-based Janelle Barretto who studied jewelry design. You can say that these two ladies are the real gems behind Rocks.

Rocks’ main thrust is to upgrade the appreciation for gemstones. Because like diamonds, they could be a girl’s best friend. Stones possess the four Cs – clarity, carat, cut and color.

The women behind Rocks believe that it’s time to add color to women’s drab working wardrobe. The new Stone Age has arrived! And Rocks has got a whole jewelry line that can take the career girl from the boardroom to the ballroom. There are earrings and neck pieces that go just as well with T-shirt-cum-denims as they do with formal wear. Rocks recently came out with its chandelier line, combining pearls and gemstones for a really chic look. Then there’s its initial line which can be made-to-order. Just give the people at Rocks the letter of your first name (or your initials) and in what size you want it, and they’ll fashion out an initial pendant for you.

Women can buy just the pendant at Rocks and pair it with a chain they already have in their jewelry collection. Or they can always wear it with a nice organza ribbon. That way, they don’t have to spend for a whole necklace.

Having started with really big stones (hence the name Rocks), Rocks now carries smaller stones – all possessing that trademark exquisite craftsmanship and design. There are different designs to suit different tastes and budgets.

The stones are sourced from all over Asia, mostly Thailand, Burma and India. There are different techniques in cutting stones to let the beauty of the stone shine. Ana had a tourmaline (a multi-faceted gemstone designed to match all moods) cut according to her specifications. Every purchase at Rocks carries a certificate of authenticity.

But how does one distinguish a real stone from a fake?

"A real stone has that brillo that’s so alive; it’s got depth," says a gem lover. "And when you touch it, it feels cold."

Now, you know. But did you know that gemstones have healing properties too?

For instance, they say that rose quartz, a pink or peach-colored stone, promotes love energy in relationships, clears stored anger and replaces negativity with harmony. The mellow yellow (to gold and orange brown) citrine, one of the most affordable gemstones, is likewise said to dissipate negative energy. In ancient times, people wore it to protect themselves against snake venom and evil thoughts.

While its beauty could be intoxicating, amethyst (pale lilac to deep purple) is said to be an antidote vs drunkenness. It promotes sobriety. It’s not called amethystos (Greek for "not drunken") by the Greeks for nothing. On the other hand, topaz (from amber gold and sherry red to pale pink) is believed to improve the eyesight, cure insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages.

A certified gem lover, Lorraine Venner has a whole web page to share her burning passion for stones. She swears that "gemstone therapies have energized me, healed illness, helped me break bad habits and changed my life. This is true energy medicine."

Lorraine recommends aquamarine or rose quartz "for those who are experiencing a lot of grief." She says that green fluorite has helped her with hormonal changes such as PMS and menopause. That black opal seems to strengthen her bones. That she feels less burdened and more energetic when she wears sugilite. That sunstone helps her think more clearly. And the list goes on.

True or not, it would be fun unearthing the many wonders of gemstones. And if you know your birthstone (the gemstone associated symbolically with the month of your birth), you can have one set by Rocks.

Good rocks, good health to all!