With Valentine’s Day, jewelry stores expect brisk sales. Men are finally getting it into their heads that yes, we women love the roses, the chocolates and the romantic dinners, but jewelry, especially diamonds, will make us do anything they want. (Okay, maybe let them have have their way for just a few days, but after that, we know who’s really the boss, right?)

But why wait for your man to give you jewelry when you can also buy them yourself? After all, you’re an independent career woman with a head for making the right financial investments for your family. If you have extra cash, instead of gambling it on say, the stock market, then buy good pieces of gold jewelry or diamonds.

At a jewelry store where customers can buy jewelry per gram, for example, you can purchase beautiful pieces. What’s more, lay-away plans are now fairly common among established jewelry stores, and clients can make monthly installment payments for a fixed period before bringing home their new babies.

Make no mistake though, investing in jewelry is a long-term process. You can only get your returns after a few years or so. So you shouldn’t invest your entire savings in them. If you’re fairly liquid and you have extra cash you don’t know where to put it in aside from the bank, then you can invest it in jewelry. Most mothers invest in jewelry not just for themselves, but also for their children. It is just a nice idea to turn over beautiful pieces to your grownup daughter when she turns 18 or keep the pieces as part of their inheritance.

So if you think you can hock your gold jewelry or diamond pendant in a pawnshop for a fair price when you’re a little short on cash, you are sadly mistaken. When you’re in a rush to sell your jewelry, you will hardly get their full value. If you have to pawn them, you will only get 2/3 of the price. But if you sell it at the market place, you will get its full value. Jewelry is a worthwhile investment because it will never go out of style. It will never get old. Just clean it, take care of it, and of course, don’t lose it.

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It’s one of the oldest crafts known to civilization — seashells, tusks, antlers, feathers, animal skin and bones were carved elaborately to serve as ornamentation. Today, jewelry takes on a plethora of forms, utilizing an endless array of materials and taking inspiration from just about anything.

I’ve been fascinated not only by precious stones but also the rare geological finds. They are like candies, only expensive. My first-ever collection of jewelry or “Rocks” reflected my love for symmetry and extraordinary cuts. I have my stones cut in unusual yet very architectural shapes. I’m very particular about that because I think these shapes give me funk and character. There’s a lot of bright colors.

My jewelry pieces are for truly modern women — independent, goal-oriented and confident. Gone are the days when a girl wants a man to buy her a ring. There is a feel to my piece that says, “I like this new piece and I will buy it for myself.” Of my newer pieces, the power rings stands out as it utilizes eight round brilliant quality diamonds — among them are the rare and most-coveted black diamond that totals to 20 karats.

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