Stunning $75K Miss Filipina Int’l ‘23 crown revealed

The crown has 38 pieces of Swiss blue topaz, 175.73 carats, 15 Japanese pearls, a total of 43.7 carats and 1,555 pieces of cubic zirconia and 124.773 carats total set in 234.72 grams of silver. CONTRIBUTED

LOS ANGELES – A stunning $75,000 crown for Miss Filipina International (MFI) 2023, custom-designed by royalty and red carpet designer Narcisa Pheres, was recently revealed by Geoffrey Jimenez, chairman of the board of directors, Worldwide Media Entertainment Corp., the new owner of MFI.

Jimenez told Entertainment News Portal that the beautiful crown, made of Swiss blue topaz, Japanese pearls and other gems, will be worn by one woman on Aug. 5 at the black-tie MFI coronation night at the prestigious International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“The crown has 38 pieces of Swiss blue topaz, 175.73 carats, 15 Japanese pearls, a total of 43.7 carats and 1,555 pieces of cubic zirconia and 124.773 carats total set in 234.72 grams of silver,” Pheres said.

“The crown’s value is around $75,000 and it is entirely made by hand. It took about three months of work just to handset it, but the entire thing took me about four to five months to finish.”

The most challenging, she added, was coming up with the design. “I wanted a royal influence but for the modern queen.”

The Romania-born and raised Pheres, who was appointed in 2018 by Her Royal Highness, Princess Olga Romanoff, as the official jewelry supplier, described her inspiration in making the crown.

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“I live in Hong Kong, and so I travel to the Philippines a lot. I pay a lot of attention to the nature around me. So, to compliment the country, there are elements of sea pearls, the beautiful blue ocean and ideas of pineapple as well. If you pay attention more, you will see many of these elements that will bring you back to the Philippines.”

Pheres studied fashion design at the Instituto de Moda Burgo in Milan, fashion marketing studies at Central St Martins, London, and got her GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Jewelry Design and Diamond Certification in Carlsbad, California.

Crown designer Narcisa Pheres. CONTRIBUTED

Owner of the Pheres brand and creative director of Narcisa Pheres Fine Jewelry which she started in 2006 in Japan, she expanded her line of one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and launched her line of evening gowns and menswear as well.

Based in Hong Kong, Pheres has been recognized for her accomplishments as a designer. Her jewelry has been worn by A-listers on most of the red carpet of awards shows like the Golden Globes, Oscars, Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Award and Met Gala. Her clients include the former First Lady Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna and Taylor Swift.

“This is the first time that I have designed a crown for a beauty pageant,” Pheres said. “Most of the time, I do royal crowns and tiaras as well. I specialize in royal jewelry and have done four or five crowns.”

“I wanted this crown to really have a very vivid blue so that when the new MFI queen is onstage and away from the crowd, you can still see the colors clearly and that is why I chose blue topaz.”

The 41 MFI candidates represent various states across America and several countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the Philippines. They will vie for these titles: Miss Filipina International; Miss Tourism; First Runner-up; Second Runner-up; and Third Runner-up.

Geoffrey Jimenez, chairman of the board of directors, Worldwide Media Entertainment Corp., the new owner of MFI. CONTRIBUTED

Jimenez also announced that in partnership with Jonas Gaffud’s Empire Philippines, three winners will be eligible to compete next year in Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) while two winners will vie in The Miss Philippines pageant.

The following are the MFI official candidates, listed by their numbers (randomly drawn by the contestants in a raffle) in the pageant:

1. Hannah Pearcey
2. Matea Mahal Smith
3. Alexia Reign Hernandez
4. Jesse Grace Felix Soriano
5. Ella Del Rosario
6. Rylen Faith Steinbuch
7. Brooke Barredo
8. Claudia Vidanes
9. Denisse Nicole Samaniego
10. Patricia Bianca Tapia
11. Janessa Gwen Rubio
12. Amanda Russo
13. Keilin Danao Tankiamco
14. Alyanna Joelle Santos
15. Katie Sophia McIlroy
16. Sandra Irene Goff
17. Aira Lei Maigue
18. Angelique De la Cruz
19. Princess Caventa Reyes
20. Katie Wadman
21. Mia Valdes
22. Alexandria Bollier
23. Heather Casigna
24. Lauren Skeoch
25. Hope Corpus
26. Hannah Angelica Marte
27. Samantha Gavin
28. Sarah Lizaso Obal
29. Beatriz Mclelland
30. Jessica Zemanek
31. Bryanna Vasquez
32. Aliza Orjalo
33. Ronniedith Dimapasoc
34. Skylar Vasquez
35. Dakota Swart
36. Kelly McIlroy
37. Kawena Janessa Kanhai
38. Sabrina Pajarillo
39. Mary Ann Monda
40. Issha Rose Mata
41. Tia Mailani Bustamante

In addition to the previously announced top prize of a BMW 3 Series car, the winner will also receive a $10,000 gift certificate from iSkin Beverly Hills. Other prizes include $5,000 cash and a $10,000 gift certificate from iSkin for Miss Tourism; a $2,500 cash prize and a $5,000 gift certificate from iSkin for each of the First, Second and Third Runners-up.

MFI’s sponsors include Philippine Airlines, BMW, Jojo Bragais Shoes, Narcisa Pheres, iSkin Beverly Hills, Biaggi Luggage, Bell Beachwear, The Beverly Hilton, See’s Candies Manila, FlexPro Meals and Celsius Beverages. For sponsorship inquiries, email: [email protected]