Miladay Jewels

Heritage of excellence
By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

“Every Filipino must own a Miladay jewelry however small.”
Mila Salgado-Dayrit


After close to half a century, Miladay Jewels embarks on a new chapter in the company’s history with an exciting campaign dubbed “Miladay Today: Celebrate the new love of your life – you!” This philosophy is the brand’s bold yet authentic step to bring their legacy unto the future, and in the process give sublime empowerment to every individual.
“My mom’s passion for local culture, love for her loyal workforce and gifted artisans gave birth to Miladay’s myriad collections, a showcase of Filipino creativity through beautifully handcrafted jewelry. The legacy left by our parents continues to be our inspiration to make the brand bigger and much more trusted,” enthused Christine Martine Dayrit, one of the Dayrit brood that runs the company’s operations. Aside from Christine, her siblings Michelle Dayrit-Soliven, Yvonne Dayrit-Romualdez, Jaqui Dayrit-Boncan and their lone brother Mark helm the reins of the family’s diversified business interests.
“Undeniably, this is a family affair that we would like to extend to every Filipino and their families. Over the years, we have worked hard to present to everyone what ‘Miladay Today’ is all about,” intoned Mark.
The business has been crafting both timeless and timely designs of fine jewelry since 1966. The jewelry business started in the garage of their home in Makati City before opening their very first outlet in Mayfair. Back then, Vicente ‘Ting’ Dayrit would take time from his work at the Bangko Sentral to procure Mikimoto pearls and other gemstones from Japan so his wife Mila could set them into exquisite pieces. Mila, who was a full-time piano instructress and mentor, would show the jewelry pieces to the parents of her protégées. Word went around fast about the jewels and the rest is history.
Ting Dayrit supported his wife’s vision to achieve her dream. That’s how the brand name came about, because aside from it being a contraction of his wife’s married name, Miladay primarily meant “Araw ni Mila,” signifying his great love for his spouse. Now, with that vision in mind, the second-generation Dayrit jewelers work doubly hard to bring the famed jewelry brand closer to the public.
According to Christine, Miladay has kept their family working on the vision and legacy of their parents. “Our parents both passed away 14 years ago, 21 days apart. All of us their children continue the legacy and for our mom’s dream to materialize and reach more and more Pinoys,” shared the Boston University alumna, who currently sits as chairman to the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB). She added that her parents have imparted to them important business principles that they strictly uphold: trustworthiness, honesty, integrity and reliability.
Carrying the voice of the Miladay Today campaign is singer-actress-TV host Karylle. “Just like the history of Miladay, Karylle’s life is composed of inspiring tales of love. This makes her the perfect choice to be the face behind Miladay Today. After all these years, we finally have a brand ambassador for the first time. She possesses all the values espoused by Miladay. This initiative tells people to aspire for anything; that they be empowered and believe in themselves,” explained Christine, who is no stranger to show-business as she has had played the role of film producer many times over, especially during the golden era of Viva’s glossy movies in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
As brand spokesperson, Karylle jumpstarts the 46-year-old company’s empowering campaign. She appears in a video clip entitled “Sacred Vows” that’s directed by Mark Meilly and lensed by ace cinematographer Carlo Mendoza (Asiong Salonga), a former classmate of Karylle at the Ateneo de Manila University. “It makes you feel good to be wearing all these precious stones; it makes you feel special and loved. There’s a point in a woman’s life that you learn a lot from the past and then just commit to yourself from then on.
“It is like being engaged to oneself. It is a brilliant concept that aims to inspire and remind people that loving yourself is the ultimate key to one’s happiness. At this day and age, one does not need someone else to give one an engagement ring or a dream diamond or any other precious jewel for that matter. It’s the best gift of love you can give yourself. I am so happy to be part of this campaign and of this trusted brand,” confessed Karylle.
Miladay Today is a big part of the Dayrit’s efforts to fulfill founder Mila Salgado-Dayrit’s longtime dream of each Filipino having a Miladay piece they can call their own. “This is such a big honor to have been chosen by Miladay. The brand stands for so many good and beautiful things like trust, love, integrity and I am so excited to be its first-ever endorser,” gushed Karylle, while showing us the jewels adorning her svelte frame.
Karylle has just received international acclaim for her work in the TV series The Kitchen Musical. She is likewise honored with a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Montecarlo Film Festival in the US. She is currently a part of the noon-time talent search Showtime and the Sunday variety show ASAP 2012. Her latest album Roadtrip, which she personally produced, has just turned Gold.
Miladay was named one of the country’s “Trusted Brands” in 2006 and 2007 by the nationwide survey of Reader’s Digest. It also garnered the prestigious “Retailers Award” in 2007 given by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Retailers Association.
The success of Miladay, more than just being an entrepreneurial victory, is a beautiful tale of love – Agape (for God), paternal (of parents to children), filial (of children to parents and amongst siblings), fraternal (employers to employees) and fiscal (brand to consumers).
Aside from the House of Miladay on Jupiter Street in Makati, Miladay has branches in Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia, Glorietta 4, The Podium, The Block in SM North EDSA, Trinoma North Triangle and SM City Taytay. For more information, simply call 890-6303 and 890-7738 or log-on to www.miladayjewels.com.