Sarimanok Necklace

2025

Brass, Bronze, Cubic Zirconium, Lapis Lazuli, Wood Beads: Fabricated, Chasing and Repousse

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This Necklace features the Sarimanok, a mythological Filipino Bird from the Maranao people often depicted with vibrant and highly ornate plumage and a fish held delicately in its beak. This necklace is hand-fabricated in Bronze with an okir-design Brass backing using the Chasing and Repousse technique. The bird head features a bezel set Lapis Lazuli cabochon at its center and a teardrop Cubic Zirconium as the fish.

In Maranao epics and artistic traditions, the Sarimanok functions as a messenger of good fortune and the bridge between the real and spiritual realm, bridging the seen and unseen. As an adopted Filipino-American and growing up in a predominantly white family, this piece was not merely an aesthetic inspiration but self-directed cultural reclamation.