AMINIATURE bottle of banana ketchup, a piece of lumpia and even a rice cooker may seem like unlikely jewelry.
But these are among the familiar Filipino food and kitchen staples being turned into charms by food creator Abi Marquez and local jewelry brand Gabbie Jewelry.
The 12-piece collection, launching on October 28, features miniature versions of lumpia, calamansi, banana ketchup, siomai, garlic, spiced vinegar, salt, pepper, a knife, a drinking glass, a chef’s hat and a rice cooker.
For Abi, widely known online as the Lumpia Queen, the idea draws on the memories people associate with food, from meals prepared by loved ones to places they miss and gatherings around the table.
‘What we wear, especially jewelry, is a way to express who we are and what we love,’ Abi said. ‘Turning Filipino food into jewelry is a way to give those memories something tangible, something you can carry with you wherever you go.’
The collaboration comes as bag charms have become a way to personalize everyday accessories, with miniature toys, plush characters and other trinkets hanging from bags and keychains. Food, too, has become part of the mix.
Anik-anik’s growing appeal
THE trend is visible in the Philippines’ own retail releases.
In 2025, Chowking introduced plush charms modeled after its Siomai Chao Fan, Wonton Mami, siopao and Halo-Halo Supreme. Dunkin’ Philippines has offered donut-inspired charms, while Conti’s has turned its Mango Bravo cake into a miniature plush accessory.
These products give customers another way to engage with familiar brands and food items, even outside the restaurant or bakery. But while the releases point to growing interest, they do not establish how much Filipinos collectively spend on bag charms.
International figures suggest the trend has commercial momentum. Wholesale fashion platform JOOR reported that bag-charm sales volume among comparable brands on its platform was 12 times higher in the first half of 2025 than in the same period a year earlier. Units sold increased 17-fold.
Part of the appeal is simple: charms let people make mass-produced belongings feel more personal.
A trinket might signal a favorite character, commemorate a trip or reflect a particular interest. A food-shaped charm can do the same, whether it reminds its owner of home or is simply amusing to look at.
Abi hopes the designs will inspire both delight and recognition.
‘When people wear the charms, I hope their first reaction is, ‘How cute!’ I want them to feel happy and a little giddy, the way I do. Then I hope they see a little of themselves and think, ‘That’s so me!” she said.
The same charm, she added, could mean different things to different people. One person might connect lumpia with family gatherings; another might choose it because the miniature looks appealing.
The price of a personal touch
THE cost of collecting charms varies depending on the material, design and brand.
Gabbie Jewelry’s existing catalog lists individual charms at roughly P135 to more than P400, while its personalized clip-on charms start at P249.
These prices are reference points for its current offerings, not confirmed prices for the Abi Marquez collection, which were not provided in the launch materials.
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The collection also includes a Lumpia Bag Charm offered as an exclusive gift with purchase. Such deals add another incentive to buy, tying an extra collectible to a transaction.
A single charm may be an occasional purchase, but collecting multiple designs can become more expensive over time. Branded collaborations also attach a retail price to objects that, outside the collection, are part of everyday life.
That is not to say the meaning buyers find in them is manufactured. Nostalgia, humor and personal attachment can be genuine.
Still, the bag-charm craze shows how easily those feelings can be folded into a product-and how an ordinary object can gain new value when packaged as something to collect.
Everyday Filipino, made wearable
GABBIE Jewelry has previously drawn on Filipino references for its designs, including the sampaguita, taho and jeepney.
Co-founder Camille Jimenez-Sandico said Abi’s food videos offer a fresh perspective on dishes that people might otherwise take for granted.
‘For a long time, these things felt so ordinary, not something we’d necessarily celebrate,’ Jimenez-Sandico said. ‘It’s exciting to see that changing, and to see more of us recognize just how special Filipino culture is.’
The Abi Marquez Collection by Gabbie Jewelry will be available from October 28 through the brand’s website, Shopee and TikTok Shop, as well as its stores at Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 1 and SM North EDSA.