Jessy Mendiola is “saddened” that news of her being engaged to Luis Manzano was met with controversy over the engagement ring.
On Sunday, a day after the couple announced they’re going to wed after four years of being together, a local jeweler cried foul for not being credited as the “original creators” of the stunning diamond sparkler.
“It is unfortunate that a company would insinuate a work for something that they did not do. We feel the need to inform the public that this is our work,” Radiant Lux Jewelry said in a statement on Instagram.
“In our opinion, taking credit for something they did not do is detrimental to the industry that have ring makers who put their heart and soul to their pieces,” they added.
In a YouTube video on Tuesday, an emotional Jessy set the record straight “once and for all” on the rumors about her engagement ring.
Confirming an earlier statement by Luis, Jessy said that her TV host fiancé had an engagement ring made by Radiant Jewelry back in September 2019.
“First of all, Luis bought the ring or had the ring made last year, September 2019. He bought the diamond from Radiant Lux Jewelry, and nabayaran niya ng buo yung diamond na yun, na andito sa ring na ito,” began Jessy, dispelling speculation that the ring was “sponsored”.
Jessy had the original engagement ring reset due to an “unfortunate” incident after she and Luis went through a rough patch that even led to a brief break-up in May.
READ: Luis Manzano breaks silence on engagement ring issue
During this time, a certain person from the company allegedly did something that eventually made Jessy ask another jeweler, Manila Diamond Studio, to change the ring’s setting into the final design she’s proudly wearing now.
Meanwhile, she didn’t name who this person was, only saying she was a friend.
“Unfortunately, maraming bagay ang nangyari. May 2020, Luis and I went through something to the point na naghiwalay kami. This person from Radiant Lux Jewelry was a good friend of mine. I trusted her, we both trusted her, Luis and I. We had good faith in her, that’s why siguro si Luis chose her to make my ring kasi friend ko siya. Well, she was my friend.”
She continued, “Unfortunately, nung naghiwalay kami ni Luis, when we were trying to… kumbaga nung time na nahihirapan ako, yung taong ito, nandun siya for me. Hindi ko alam ano ang intention niya nung time na yun, yung purpose niya nung na time yun, but she was there as a friend.
“But there came a time na she just kept — I just found out about this after nagkaayos na kami ni Lu — during the time na di pala kami OK, siempre yung ring na fully paid nasa kanya na. She kept badgering Luis to get the ring even nung hindi pa kami ayos ni Luis.
“Siempre, ako naman, I’m not trying to defend Luis, I’m not trying to get your sympathy, but naiintindihan ko na kung ako ang lalake at hindi kami OK nung girlfriend ko, hindi ko kukunin yung ring because I have to respect my emotions, too, kasi nandun kami sa time na di kami sure kung magkakabalikan kami or hindi.
“So ang nangyari, she was there for me, I was always with her and dumating sa point na, for whatever reason, I don’t know kung ano yun, she showed me the ring. And she opened the box in front of me, knowing hindi kami ayos ni Luis and she let me wear the ring.”
Jessy hinted at being so bothered by the incident, thinking about “what could have been. Kung okay kaya kami ni Luis, magpo-propose kaya siya? Kailangan bang umabot sa ganitong point na ibang tao ang magsasabi sa akin about the ring?
“So I was so shocked! Nakita ko yung ring, nasuot ko yung ring, binalik ko sa box, binigay ko sa kanya ang ring box and sinabi ko sa kanya na I don’t want to have anything to do with the ring. Kumbaga tapos na, ayoko nang pahabain pa. Kung di man kami magkabalikan ni Luis, okay na. But hindi ko alam ang intention kung bakit sabihin pa sa akin na meron palang ring,” she recalled.
When Jessy reconciled with Luis, the latter still got the Radiant-made ring.
But since she already knew about it even before Luis got the chance to ask her hand in marriage, she said they were deprived of the excitement of a proposal experience.
“Nawala sa amin yung feeling na yun, yung feeling na excitement na luluhod yung lalake sa harap mo, kinakabahan, hindi niya alam kung ano sasabihin sa ‘yo, tapos tatanungin ka niya ng, ‘Will you marry me?’ Nawala sa amin yun. But Luis and I chose to move on from it, we chose to close that chapter and to move on positively.”
Jessy continued, “Finally, when nakuha na ni Luis yung ring, don’t get me wrong ha, kaya ko pang patawarin tung taong ito eh because she was my friend nga. But after a few weeks, after a few days, she started messaging all of my friends, all of my family, saying na I treated her like a doormat, na dapat patawarin ko siya kasi ako ang may kasalanan. Di ko alam kung ano naging kasalanan ko, but if meron man, OK. But do you really have to go this far? Do you really have to do this?
“Kasi kami ni Lu, sa simula, hindi na kami nagsalita eh. Gusto lang namin matapos na lahat. Gusto lang namin ng fresh start, gusto lang namin positive lahat.”
Still, it took Luis months to propose after the reconciliation because she had to “heal” from what happened earlier.
“I had to heal from finding out about the ring even before my love ever got to propose to me. Ano nga ba dapat reaction mo sa ganun di ba? Di ba masakit yung moment bilang isang babae? Pinangarap mo yung milestone sa buhay mo na may isang lalake na magpopropose sayo? Na smooth lahat dapat, everything light dapat, parang yun yung traditional na dapat mangyari sa buhay ng isang babae at siempre para sa isang lalake na maka-propose siya.
“Now, we will never ever get the chance to finally feel how an engagement or proposal would feel like. Wala na kaming ganun,” she lamented.
Luis finally popped the question in October, a moment Jessy described as private, simple, heartfelt and genuine. Despite knowing beforehand about the plan and the ring, she readily said yes because the “purpose behind it is more important.”
“Yun yung mas tiningnan ko na meant to be kami ni Luis na kahit pa malaman ko about the ring, kahit iba pa yung nagsabi sa akin, nangyari pa rin yun.”
They later on decided to “reenact” their engagement via a prenup photoshoot in the island-paradise in Amanpulo, Palawan because “that’s the closest thing we could ever get to the real thing.”
It was while they planned their prenup shoot that she thought of having the ring reset.
“I had this idea that I wanted the ring na magkaroon ng bagong settings kasi gusto ko mabura kung ano man ang sakit nung naranasan ko a few months ago. Siempre naman hindi naman ako balahura or selfish na pipilitin ko pa si Luis na bumili ng bagong diamond.”
She then sought the help of Manila Diamond Studio whom she said was “kind enough” to rework the ring in her effort to “erase negative vibes” of the first design.
Jessy also maintained that the first ring was co-designed by her. “Since friend ko siya, yung first jeweler, yung taong ito from Radiant Jewelry, alam niya ano yung dream ring ko. Napag-usapan namin yun,” she said.
“Please do not just take the credit on your own. We both designed the ring. Hindi kami nagsalita before kasi ayaw namin manira ng business ng ibang tao. Kahit masakit yung ginawa mo sa amin, we would never, ever want anyone to suffer because of such a little thing, because of a diamond.”
She also showed during the video the differences between the first and final rings.
Jessy then responded to the hate comments they received over the controversy.
“Sa lahat ng nagpopost ng nasty comments at nag-dyu-judge kay Luis, samin, because of a tiny thing like a diamond, I will pray for you because I would never want someone to suffer, I would never wish ill on someone.”
She admitted to being affected by the issue. “Nalulungkot ako because an engagement is supposed to be a happy feeling, an engagement is supposed to be something light, full of love and no hate, but now that someone has put out a statement to put us and Manila Diamond in a bad light, I feel I had to clear everything out.”
Jessy hoped her video would put the issue to rest as she and Luis begin their journey to marriage.
“Gusto lang namin mag-move on from this and gusto lang namin i-iwan to sa 2020, at ikasal sa 2021 na masaya kami na wala kaming taong iniisip, wala na kaming singsing na iniisip,” she said.
“Sana hayaan niyo nalang kami maging masaya. Hayaan niyo kami i-enjoy ang feeling na engaged kami kasi di namin na-enjoy yung feeling ng proposal. Sana ibigay niyo nalang sa amin to na walang ridicule, without saying bad things about us, without bashing us, without spreading so much hate.”
Radiant Jewelry has yet to react on Jessy’s video statement.
Watch the full video here:
