When it comes to fashioning masterpieces out of fine gold, few can compete with veteran jeweler Antonio Atienza Jr.

A product of Meycauayan, Bulacan?the jewelry capital of the Philippines?Atienza, 49, owns a 70-man jewelry group that operates the award-winning Goldenhills Jewelry chain with six branches in leading malls; and Goldenas Jewelry, which executes designs that are sold in other jewelry shops here and abroad.

To think that he initially resented having to work in his father?s pawnshop at 14 years old because while his classmates were having fun on weekends, he was busy helping his father man the shop.

But he realizes now that his early work experience contributed a lot to his considerable accomplishments as he learned early on to be an expert at detecting real gems and to appreciate the beauty and value of fine jewelry.

At first, the second of eight children was expected by his father, Antonio Sr., to follow in his footsteps and take over the pawnshop business. But plans went awry when his father was swindled in 1976 and the family had to sell everything they owned to scrape enough capital together to start from scratch.

For Atienza, that misfortune meant working in his uncle?s jewelry shop in exchange for supporting him through his Bachelor of Science in Commerce studies at the University of Santo Tomas.

While with his relatives, he learned other parts of the business, such as how artisans work with gold and silver as well as precious stones to bring life to intricate designs, and the risks involved in running a capital-intensive jewelry shop.

He put all of that experience to work when he decided to get out of his uncle?s shadow and put up his own jewelry shop?Boy Atienza Jewel Art?in 1982 with an initial manpower complement of three goldsmiths and one polisher.

Atienza?s capital was the P15,000 he earned from the sale of a ring with a horseshoe design that he executed himself and his innate creative genius.

?My first shop was a really dilapidated space, just three meters by six meters big. It was really rundown,? Atienza recalls.

But from that small space came beautiful pieces of jewelry that he managed to sell through dealers. Since his family was known in the trade, it was not hard for him to introduce himself but he made sure of the quality to keep them coming back for more.

Atienza made a bad bet on gold and silver in 1985. He borrowed money to buy the metals with the plan of selling them when prices spike. That increase did not happen like he wanted and he was left saddled with more debt than assets.

Panicked and not knowing what else to do, Atienza went to a fortune teller to check out what fate had in store for him. Unfortunately, the fortune teller told him that he did not have a chance of turning around his bad luck.

But stubborn as he is, Atienza did not accept the prediction and went on with even more determination to prove the fortune teller wrong and be the master of his own fate.

?I worked harder, got more and better customers and I was on my way up again. I also learned from that experience to never use debt to buy assets and not to gamble that much money,? he says.

Good old fashioned hard work and diligence became his fallback as well his high standards for quality.

?I really try to put my best in every piece that we produce. If there is even a small blemish, I have it redone. I want everything to be free from any defect,? he explains. ?Sometimes, I will redo a piece three, four or five times before I become happy with it.?

That penchant for quality, coupled with his brand of customer service, helped build his reputation. Soon, Atienza and his company began bringing home design and entrepreneurship awards.

In 1993, he was named The Most Promising Businessman of Meycauayan by the Meycauayan Ladies Club. And in 2004, he was recognized as the Most Outstanding Alumni in the field of entrepreneurship by the UST College of Commerce. The Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry named him Most Outstanding Bulacan Businessman in the Jewelry Industry and just last September, he was honored with a Diamond Anniversary award by the UST College of Commerce and Business Administration for his professional excellence in his chosen field.

He also got his fair share of design awards.

In 1993, one of his firm?s designs was named Best of the Best in Ethnic Category in the Diamond Today Design Competition and in 2006, a capiz shell necklace named ?Sensuality? won in the Chic Category of the Philippine Design Competition sponsored by the Meycauayan Jewelry Association.

Also in 2006, his ?Pakpak,? a half-necklace representing the wings of an eagle, won the top prize under the All Precious Metals Category of the Guild of Philippine Jewellers? Jewelry Design Competition. This was followed in 2007 by another award from the Guild for his ?A Flower Brimming with Tears of Joy,? a neckpiece in 18-carat white and yellow gold with mother of pearl and ?tinalak? native fabric.

Atienza says he may be an old hand in the jewelry business but seeing customers appreciate his creations?especially his popular line of wedding and engagement rings?still gives him a high.

This is why he is still the main designer of his growing network of Goldenhills Jewelry and he is still involved when he joins wedding fairs and expos such as those mounted every year by Themes and Motifs.

?For me, this business is not just about making money. It is also about making people happy with my pieces,? he says.