Maniolas

Giampaolo Della Croce, Bulgari’s high jewelry senior director, at the Greenbelt 4 boutique Photos by JUN MENDOZA   Ask Bulgari’s resident gem expert Giampaolo Della Croce what precious stone would suit a Filipino woman best, and, without hesitation, he prescribes: “Diamonds.” “Filipinas are just the right height, not too tall and not too petite, so dangling earrings would suit you, and diamonds bring out the color of your skin,” Della Croce says. Bulgari’s elegant senior director of high jewelry notes that, as it happens, Pinays are indeed fond of buying diamonds. We view it as the ultimate status symbol, and haven’t been fully converted yet to the Bulgari gospel of colored stones. That could change, however, with Bulgari’s latest collection Musa, which is possibly the most stunning collection of colored jewels I’ve ever seen. To mark its 130-year anniversary, the Italian jewelry house has released two high-jewelry collections: “Musa” and “Diva,” the latter of which is sure to appeal to Filipinas because it focuses on diamonds. “Both these jewelry collections are a tribute to feminine beauty; as Mr. Bulgari used to say, ‘Women cannot live without aesthetics,’” Della Croce says. Diva pieces feature an iconic fan shape, which he says was inspired by the design of the ancient Roman mosaics that line the walls, floor and ceiling of the Baths of Caracalla. “From a single pendant, embellished by the sparkle of a lot of diamonds, to a garland of precious elements set with diamonds and colored gems, to clusters of Read More …

FOR tourism establishments in the country, college undergraduates and those that have completed their high school education make up the most of entry-level job applicants, a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics found. The survey, released by the Philippine Statistics Authority, was conducted in 2011 and 2012. It consisted of 4,815 establishments with at least 20 workers engaged in tourism and other related industries. About 70 percent of these were in the hotel and restaurant business. According to the study, 60 percent of the entry-level vacancies were for young workers, 58 percent for those between 15 and 24 years old and 24 percent for those aged 25 to 30 years old. About a third of these vacancies required college experience while 30.9 percent require secondary education. As for those with a college degree,28.2 percent of the vacancies sought these candidates. During the survey period, accommodation and food service activities made up 73.4 percent of the entry-level vacancies in the industry. A little over half of the establishments had entry-level jobs available, 55.9 percent of these, however, werenon-regular positions. Majority of the entry-level positions did not have gender preferences in their applicants. However, depending on the nature of the work, some gender preferences were reported, with 62.9 percent preferring male applicants and 31.1 percent statingpreference for females. Hard to fill posts Of the vacancies reported during the survey period, 86.8 percent were considered easy to fill positions while the hard to fill positions were at 13.2 percent. Read More …