JEWELS sometimes reflect a fantasy world beyond our reach, and their combined beauty and durability show us perfection that we sometimes can’t find in our own lives. But sometimes the imperfect is more beautiful than the perfect.
The couple behind Borealis Crystals, an online jewelry store, has to deal with a layer of imperfection in their lives: Jared Formalejo, according to their website, suffers from hemophilia (the rare blood-clotting disease that stalked European royalty in the beginning of the 20th century), while his wife, Czarielle, suffers from depression and anxiety. The pair, with the help of jewel suppliers from Pakistan and local metalsmiths, help everyone else live a little with their beautiful pieces. Emerald rings set in vermeil, or else moonstones, opals, or aquamarines with dainty, almost girlish designs speak of another era.
“J always had a fondness for his brother’s accessories which were gemstone bracelets since they looked appealing to him,” said Ms. Formalejo in an e-mail, addressing her husband as “J.” “We were able to scout out stores that sold them. One of the vendors suggested that we start out with reselling their healing crystals. We spent many hours hanging around their store and learning about the geological and metaphysical properties of crystals — and taking in business advice. From there, we started to collect pieces that we eventually sold as well. Then eventually we got into fine jewelry after we purchased an ‘alternative’ engagement ring made of pink sapphire and silver from another local seller. That’s what got us thinking we could do this as well and apply our crystal knowledge,”
Their first post at their store @borealiscrystals, was in 2017, when they first began to sell opaque gemstone bracelets. They later evolved to the aforementioned dainty rings, and started taking in custom orders.
“It started with learning about the crystal’s meanings. Whether or not you believe in the metaphysical properties of the gemstones, they still serve as reminders that can ground you, your mental health and general wellbeing. It gives us comfort that we are protected, blessed and supported by the very things we sell. The name Borealis actually came from a stone that appealed to J’s interest, labradorite. Labradorites reflect various colors under various lights and it reminded us of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights.”
The belief in the magic of gemstones began in ancient times: aquamarines were supposed to protect one at sea, emeralds were supposed to restore love, while rubies gave passion, and sapphires imparted wisdom. Whether or not one believes that, gemstones have a power of their own: they transfix us with their glimmer, we exchange money for them, and sometimes base our perceptions of a person based on how many, or how large, or how bright their stones are (or if they have any). Still, Ms. Formalejo says, “they give us comfort that there may be energies we may not be able to grasp or understand that give us their healing properties. There’s no reason for us to believe that they don’t have meanings/power, so why not? It’s always nice to keep an open mind.”
While some pieces of theirs do prove to be flawless, one might sometimes see stones with some imperfections (these are priced lower). An older woman told me before that stones with flaws were more lucky, while this writer finds they have more personality. It’s still hard to see them in the market though, especially in mainstream jewelry stores.
Mr. Formalejo said, “It’s more due to an emotional attachment to the gem than it is us ‘settling’ for substandard gemstones. We believe that these pieces deserve love and acceptance, similar to individuals who are chronically or mentally ill. Being patients ourselves, we felt drawn to their ‘perfectly imperfect’ state. It’s always a way of coping for C since she has obsessive and perfectionistic tendencies and seeing the beauty of imperfect gemstone helps her feel that it’s okay to have imperfections.”
The pair talked about the differences in handling a business when you’re a person with disability (PWD). “We don’t think the way we run our business is far from how others do it. We simply do tasks we are more competent in. J graduated from business school and C has a broadcast communications degree. We both specialize in advertising and marketing. Logistics and manufacturer relations can be a challenge so it’s something we try to improve on,” they said. “Being PWDs, we’re fairly introverted and awkward so client interactions, honestly, also affects us deeply. Every Sunday we take time off and recharge and bond with our daughter. When C suffers from her anxiety attacks, she needs to pull back from interacting with clients; and when J suffers from internal bleeding episodes, which can leave him debilitated for two weeks or more, we struggle to complete many business and home responsibilities such as product shoots or even making breakfast in the morning — he usually cooks. In these times, we both focus on behind the scene tasks such as planning, marketing, content making and accounting work.”
An added layer to their challenges, of course, is the pandemic. Ms. Formalejo said, “It’s been a huge struggle, honestly. Logistics have been drastically affected since we’re reliant so much on courier services. Many craftsmen are crippled by not being able to go to their workshops due to quarantine. Dealing with local and international gem suppliers is also a struggle because importing can take an exceptionally long time while it’s very difficult to select and curate gemstones from home with local gem vendors.”
When one thinks of a business run by PWDs, one usually thinks of some weepy story on the local news, which then frames PWD-owned businesses as being a labor of love; creating the perception that maybe, labor from a disability might mean more. We asked the Formalejos about their thoughts on this, and they said, “We’re not sure if our passion is more intense compared to other business owners. Although being PWDs, we might think that we’ll have a harder road to tread since we might have to work harder to compete with others. But it’s okay, that’s part of the experience of having an illness.”
Like many businesses in the pandemic, they have supported causes, though they admit it is not a regular thing. “Recently, we’ve donated funds to help a fellow PWD-run business to give free PPEs to hospitals. We’d like to mention Mr. Federico Sevilla, an epileptic businessman who owns The Leather Collection. He is one of our inspirations in running our business. We also strive to have more time and energy to help the Hemophilia Association of the Philippines for Love and Services (HAPLOS), of which J is a member.”
One doesn’t usually see persons with disabilities in prominent positions in society and business. Although there have been reforms that are allowing more people with disabilities to enter the workforce, there are still a lot of hurdles for them. Asked how important visibility is for PWDs in business, they answered, “PWDs having limited capabilities might suffer in the common workforce. Benefits, time and your salary are highly dependent with your company. Owning a business gives PWDs the privilege of having their own time to themselves, which gives them more opportunities for self-care. Although the challenge for PWDs is keeping the business profitable since they lack the presence of benefits and financial security. In a perfect world, governments ought to truly support MSMEs but even acquiring these benefits, especially for PWDs is difficult.” — JL Garcia
