Narcisa Pheres creates stunning $75K crown for Miss Filipina International 2023

It took only one year for Narcisa Pheres to decide that law school was not for her but jewelry designing.

Now, the Romanian-born and raised Pheres is the owner of the Pheres brand and Creative Director of Narcisa Pheres Fine Jewelry, which she started in 2006 in Japan. She has expanded her line of one-of-a-kind bespoke jewelry pieces and launched evening gowns and menswear.

Asked how she manages to juggle being a jewelry designer and entrepreneur, the calm and confident Pheres replied, "It's not really difficult. I never complain about what I do in life because I love what I do. I don't see it as a job. I do exactly what I love in life. Being an entrepreneur is not my main job. I did not open a business to be successful. I just followed my heart, so I guess, it came naturally."

Appointed in 2018 by Her Royal Highness Princess Olga Romanoff as her official jewelry supplier, the lovely and charming Pheres named Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and the former First Lady Michelle Obama as her clients.

On August 5, at the coronation night of the Miss Filipina International Pageant (MFI) at the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton, one lucky girl will be wearing the stunning $75,000-worth crown that Pheres especially made. Geoffrey Jimenez, chairman of the board of directors, Worldwide Media Entertainment Corp., the new owner of MFI, made that recent announcement.

Forty-one candidates are vying for the crown. Three top winners will get to compete in next year's Miss Universe Philippines while two others are eligible to join The Miss Philippines.

Photo: Phillip Ner

Pheres described her inspiration in making the crown. "I live in Hong Kong and so I travel to the Philippines a lot. When I go to the Philippines, I pay a lot of attention to the nature around me. So, to complement the country, there are elements of sea pearls, the beautiful blue ocean, and ideas of pineapple as well. If you pay attention more, you will see many of these elements that will bring you back to the Philippines."

Describing the crown, she said, "The crown has 38 pieces of Swiss blue topaz, 175.73 carats, 15 Japanese pearls, a total of 43.7 carats and 1,555 pieces of cubic zirconia, 124.773 carats total set in 234.72 grams of silver. The value of the crown is around $75,000. It is entirely handset, and it took about three months of work."

Pheres, who studied fashion design at the Instituto de Moda Burgo in Milan, fashion marketing studies at Central St Martins, London and got her GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Jewelry Design and Diamond Certification in Carlsbad, California, revealed that it took her about three months just to handset the crown and four to five months to finish the whole piece.

The biggest challenge for her, she added, was making the design. "I wanted a royal influence but for the modern queen."

Now based in Hong Kong, Pheres has been recognized for her accomplishments as a designer. Her jewelry has been worn by A-listers on many of the red carpet of awards shows like the Golden Globes, Oscars, Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Met Gala.

"This is the first time that I have designed a crown for a beauty pageant," she said. "Most of the time, I do royal crowns and tiaras as well. I have done four or five (royalty) crowns and specialize in royal jewelry."

"I wanted this crown to really have a very vivid blue so that when the new MFI queen is onstage and away from the crowd, you can still see the colors clearly and that is why I chose blue topaz," she added.

Pheres said that as a child, she always was curious and had an eye for beauty.

"I have loved art and design since I was a little girl. I find inspiration everywhere – in a museum, nature, people. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder so you can really find beauty everywhere and in everyone," she said.

"But I was not good at sketching. I always had something in my mind, but I could not put it down on paper. Later, I learned how to bring to life all those ideas. Today, I work with a bigger team who supports me. We grew over the years exponentially but organically."

And what does she wish for the Miss Filipina International 2023 winner when she is wearing the Pheres-made crown?

"I just want the winner to feel like a real queen. I want her to feel empowered and that she has so much to give because she got this far, and she has all these powers. I want her to feel wonderful because she has wonderful values herself and I want her to feel on top of the world," she said.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News