Chosen in 2018 by the Philippine Cancer Society as one of the Philippines’ Best Dressed Women and Style Icons, this Ilongga beauty had been a cover girl of many magazines and had also graced the glossy page of society photographer Rupert Jacinto’s coffee table book, Faabvoulous 2.
Darlene Ardena-Go is happily married to a successful businessman from Cebu with whom she has raised three grown-up children, two of whom are helping run the family businesses, while the other is based now in Sweden. Darl, as she is fondly called by friends, comes from a family of doctors and musicians. Her late dad was a highly respected surgeon in Iloilo while her mother was an accomplished pianist.
Darlene started her “jewelry business in 2011 when I was on vacation abroad and met a patient at the clinic of my doctor friend who saw the accessories I was wearing that day. She was so awed by my designs and asked me if I could supply her with my other items. She turned out to be an owner of a chain of retail stores in the United States. From then on, there was no stopping. I had been exhibiting my collections in New Jersey, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.”
The Cebu-based businesswoman recently showcased her jewelry collections to the delight of her Ilonggo friends and clients at the Tamarind Room of Richmonde Hotel in Iloilo City. The exhibition featured her one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces made of various gemstones, exotic beads and pearls. In attendance were some of the city’s jewelry collectors and aficionados. Her sought-after Filipiniana collection took centerstage, among others, this season.