Talismans

‘Talismans’ is an upcoming collection that explores the origins of the anting-anting, peeling back the layer of colonialism that typically defines these traditional folk-Catholic amulets, and instead returns the focus to our ancestors’ precolonial beliefs.

My designs are inspired by motifs found in precolonial objects such as jewelry, tattoos, and weaves. These include the heavenly bodies: the sun, moon, and stars, which were worshipped by the ancient Filipinos as deities, and animal and nature totems that represented the anito (ancestor spirits).

I started work on this collection in 2021, while the pandemic was in full force in the Philippines. Not having access to jeweler’s wax, I decided to experiment with beeswax, a material that had been used in precolonial jewelry casting. Additionally I only used basic carving tools and a candle to create the pieces to get a better understanding of how our ancient artisans may have created their jewelry.

Each piece in this collection was carved from locally sourced beeswax and cast in brass. This collection launches in October 2024.