Regal and heavy, Elvira sits in the middle of a cluster of fellow skull rings, like a dowager queen surveying the lay of her land.

As the first creation of 13 Lucky Monkey, she has set the tone for the aesthetic that the design brand is known for: bespoke gentlemen’s jewelry that looks raw, dirty, and unpolished, mixing toughness with intricacy through historical, cultural, and rock ’n’ roll references.

As with most things, 13 Lucky Monkey was born out of necessity. The brand’s creators, Dante Dizon and Noli Coronado, got into the jewelry design business because they couldn’t find pieces on the market that match what they were looking for. “It’s either the design or shape isn’t quite right or they’re too expensive,” Dizon, who also works in advertising, says.

Coronado adds, “Of course, with my background in toy-making, I’m familiar with proportions.” Coronado used to sculpt toys for Marvel and DC, and the 13 Lucky Monkey studio is decorated with some of his creations, some of which are completely original characters. “Disproportion could be okay,” he continues. “But the aesthetic should always be good. Like with anime, for example: Their body measurements are far from realistic but they still look good to the eyes. It’s the same with jewelry. So we thought, if we can’t find what we like, why not make our own?”

Both avid bikers, the two are inspired by the Kustom Kulture, a lifestyle movement that came out of the SoCal hot rod culture of the ’60s. In fact, it is through biking that 13 Lucky Monkey got its start as a business. “We were in some gas station with our bikes when this Japanese guy approached us,” Dizon recalls. “He could speak Filipino. He was admiring our motorbikes and the custom pieces on it, and then it grew into talking about selling custom-made jewelry in Japan.”

With neither designer having had any experience in silversmithing, the two set out to Baguio to find someone who could teach them the ropes. Says Coronado. “Initially, the first few silversmiths we met weren’t really a perfect fit with us; we could tell early on that what they do and what we wanted to do won’t match. Then near the time we were going back to Manila, we got a referral for this guy who turned out to get our idea.”

The silversmith ended up not working with the team for the business, though, and the plans for releasing pieces to the Japanese market didn’t materialize. “13 Lucky Monkey really started through lucky chances,” Coronado says. “Even though the Japanese guy just disappeared after we’d laid out our plans, at least we had started the business already. We learned about jewelry design on our own and through chance meetings with the right people. The name fits the brand.”

13 Lucky Monkey has since amassed a growing following that spans the Asian and the US markets. The Godiva, a geometrically cut skull ring inlaid with sakura (cherry blossoms) on both sides, is a favorite among photographers such as Mark Nicdao and Randall and Ryan Dagooc of MangoRED. Limited edition designs (13 Lucky Monkey releases only 26 pieces maximum per design) are popular consignment items at lifestyle/design boutiques Cura V in Power Plant Mall and AC+362 in Greenbelt 5, and are carried at Singaporean store Blackmarket. In the US, San Francisco-based design brand Mister has tapped 13 Lucky Monkey for a collaboration collection that was released in November 2012. Named Dead Serious, it featured pins and bracelets made with gemstones adorned with skulls and skull rings sporting pompadours and oversized glasses. 

13 Lucky Monkey has also entered the fashion sphere. “[Designer] Gian Romano collaborated with us for one-off pieces for one of his runway shows,” Dizon says. “He liked a particular ring we made so we gave it to him. Too bad it got pilfered from his home.” A Surface Asia magazine feature on Romano included the jewelry brand’s textured devil’s horn barbel. For this year, a collaboration with designer Bea Valdez is underway. “We can’t show our sketches yet, but the designs we’ve come up feature hearts.

“It’s actually a pleasant surprise that the local market has been as receptive to us as the US market is,” Dizon continues. “Initially, we thought that a lot of Filipino buyers won’t be interested. In the US, they like anything bespoke. Given that for a custom piece, the price starts at US$400, they think nothing of getting one. But we’re happy that the reception here is as good as overseas.” For local buyers, a custom item from 13 Lucky Monkey costs Php13,000 and up, depending on the design.

Dizon and Coronado initially set out to design jewelry for the “rock ’n’ roll types.” What they didn’t expect was that there’s a little bit of rock ’n’ roll in everybody. “It’s not just bikers like use: We’ve had older men buy our pieces, really girly clients...I mean, Bea Valdez likes our work.”

This summer, the brand will be participating in an exhibit at Black Universe, which will be curated by artist and tattooist Sarah Gaugler. Dizon and Coronado are also looking into expanding the customized culture beyond bikes into home furniture: skull knobs, cabinet handles, and more.

“If we could customize not just our jewelry but even our motorbikes, we would,” says Dizon. “We really envision 13 Lucky Monkey not just as a jewelry brand but as a lifestyle.”

A version of this story was published in the February 2013 issue of Garage Magazine. All images are by Hub Pacheco.