This Pearl Jewelry Brand You Used To Just Buy In-Flight Is Now In Manila!

Philip Cu-Unjieng

May 27, 2019, 11:15 PM

Most of us who have travelled abroad have flipped through the In-Flight magazines of the carrier we’ve taken, and must have stopped at the pages devoted to gift jewelry; noting the prevalence of Misaki Monaco as a brand the different airlines all trust and are happy to carry. Known for crafting a more contemporary, innovative interpretation of classic pearl jewelry, Misaki Monaco is affordable luxury that now has a store here in Manila. Located at the Shangri-la EDSA Plaza Mall, it’s great to know that this sophisticated, yet attractively priced, jewelry line has found a Manila ‘home’, with a new store at Gateway Mall in the works.

Founded in 1987, and headquartered in the Principality of Monaco, Misaki Monaco may have started as a travel retail brand, initially distributed solely in airlines and airports; but it has since blossomed to a brand represented in over 40 countries across 70 shops, and now carried by more than 30 airlines—including Air France, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and our own Philippine Airlines.

And yes, there is a love story between a French photographer and a Japanese illustrator at the heart of the brand. Misaki translates to ‘beautiful flower’, and it was the long distance relationship between the two that brought about the birth of the pearl jewelry brand. In 2014, Misaki became part of the Alteal Group, and President Stephane Alech, along with his wife Axelle, set about modernizing the brand’s image, and forging a new artistic direction.

Most of the pearls used by Misaki Monaco still come from Japan, from their Akoya pearl production. But the line has now diversified, utilizing both cultured pearls and crafted glass pearl beads into collections that are modern and bold. The handmade glass pearl beads go into Misaki’s Fashion Jewelry Collection. And you’ll find rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and even very unique watches.

The Spring-Summer 2019 Collection is inspired by the jazz standard Dream A Little Dream of Me; and it evokes love,passion, romance and dreamlike days. More than just an accessory, the Misaki piece is also a gift from the sea, and one that’s giving pearls a whole ‘new wave’. Often classified as stodgy or old-fashioned and conservative, Misaki is giving pearls a new dynamism.

Siena Senga is the sole distributor of Misaki in the Philippines, and it was fun talking to her, Stephane and Axelle, on the evening of their formal launch of the 2019 collection at Flame, Discovery Primea. For Siena, who opened the Shang store a scant six months ago, these have been exciting times; making Misaki more than something you dream about while in flight, but a store you can now visit, right here in Manila.