Jewelmer is a Philippine pearl farming and jewellery design house, founded in 1979 by the Filipino entrepreneur Jacques Branellec and the French pearl specialist Manuel Cojuangco, that has been principally responsible for establishing the Philippines' standing in the global golden South Sea pearl market. The house combines pearl-farming operations on remote islands in Palawan and the Sulu Sea with a vertically integrated design and retail operation, with flagship stores in Manila, Hong Kong, and Paris.

Pearl Farming Operations

The host oyster of the Philippine golden South Sea pearl is Pinctada maxima, the gold-lipped variety, distinct from the silver-lipped Pinctada maxima that produces the white South Sea pearls of Australia and Indonesia. The species occurs naturally in the Coral Triangle, and the warm waters of the Sulu and Palawan archipelagos provide an environment that produces the deep golden colour for which the Filipino product is known. Jewelmer operates farms across multiple sites in the region, with hatcheries, juvenile-rearing facilities, grafting operations, and harvest infrastructure organised under the supervision of the company's pearl culture specialists.

The grafting operation, by which a small mantle tissue and a shell-bead nucleus are inserted into the gonad of the host oyster, is the technical heart of the cultivation. The grafted oysters are returned to the water for a culture period of two to three years before harvest. Yields per oyster are low, with only a fraction producing pearls of jewellery-grade size, shape, lustre, and surface, and within those a smaller fraction reach the deep saturated gold colour that commands the premium price.

Trade Position

The house has been credited with the substantial expansion of the Philippine pearl industry from a regional curiosity to a globally recognised producer of premium golden South Sea material. In 1996 the Philippines passed Republic Act 8188, designating the South Sea Pearl as the national gem; the Act, drafted in part with industry consultation, recognised the cultural and economic importance of the cultured-pearl sector and the role of Jewelmer and similar operators in its development.

Design and Retail

Beyond pearl production, Jewelmer maintains a design studio that produces both classic strands and contemporary collections incorporating its own pearl supply. Recent collections including L'Heritage and Twilight feature single-pearl pendant and earring pieces alongside traditional graduated strands. The house participates regularly in the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair and the Tucson Gem Show, and its flagship stores serve a primarily Asian clientele with a growing European and American secondary market.