Charo P. Cordial’s success story is nothing short of extraordinary.
What began as a pursuit to beat boredom turned into a thriving business.
A stroke of luck led her to the world of jewelry.
And from there, passion fueled the rise of her empire, D Maddox Jewelry.
From the simple table where she once held live-selling sessions, she now owns a multi-story building with a grand showroom in Marikina.
The one-woman operation has grown into a team of 100 dedicated employees.
All of this—achieved in just five years—because Charo dared to take the risk.
CHARO CORDIAL'S BUSINESS JOURNEY
The licensed agricultural engineer spent 15 years working for Kubota Philippines, a Japanese international company.
Her life now is a far cry from what it was back then.
"Ako po yung tao na iyong hindi talaga into luxury. Ako po yung babae na one of the boys. Nasa gitna po ako ng patag. Drive po ako ng farm tractors and harvesters."
Then, in 2020, the pandemic arrived.
“Nag-shutdown po yung buong mundo, di ba?
"Wala akong ginagawa sa araw-araw… So, nakikita ko kasi yung mga nagla-live selling noong time na iyon. Yun yung start ng mga live sellers, e.
"Tapos sabi ko, ‘Subukan ko kaya para may kausap lang ako.’
"Noong time na iyon, nagbenta ako ng mga bags ko kasi I have my old bags. Yun ang nakikita ko kasi na puwedeng ibenta, wala namang iba.
"Tapos noong nagbebenta ako, sabi ko, ‘Wow. May kausap ako. May bumili.'
"Yung mga viewers ko nun, one, two, three lang."
Her main dilemma with selling bags was the high cost of shipping, so she decided to look for other products to sell.
Call it providential, but one of her followers opened a new window of opportunity for her.
Some people, she said, might find it hard to believe her story, but a “supplier” reached out to her.
“Sabi niya, ‘I will send you one box ng jewelry. Ibenta mo.’
“Tapos sabi ko, ‘Sino ba naman ito? E, di naman kami magkakilala.’
“So nag-yes lang ako. Sabi ko, ‘Sige, it's okay.’ Di ko alam ang problema kung totoo ba ito o hindi, e. Binigay ko naman yung address ko.
“Sabi ng asawa ko, ‘Bakit ka nagbibigay ng address?’ There are many scammers outside.
“Tapos after one week, may dumating sa akin, isang box. Tapos nung binuksan ko siya, siguro yung halaga nun, noong time na iyon, worth five million pesos.”
At that time, she had no knowledge about jewelry.
“Hindi naman ako alahera. Wala rin akong hilig."
But the offer seemed harmless, so she went for it: “Give me two weeks. Babayaran ko siya. Pag nabayaran ko siya, saka ka magpadala.
“So after two weeks, sabi ko, ‘Antayin mo mag-chat ako sa iyo.’ So, nag-chat ako sa kanya, ‘Sold-out. I will pay you.’
“Tapos, saka siya nagpadala ulit. So, parang doon siya nag-umpisa, itong company namin. It is just because of trust.”
GrOWING Maddox Jewelry
That person who first paved the way for her in the diamond business remains one of her trusted suppliers to this day.
With her background in sales, live selling has become a walk in the park.
Still, it pays to have a natural knack for it.
Though she describes herself as “mahiyain,” she exudes confidence the moment she goes live.
Her collaborations with celebrity clients—“yung mga pumapayag”—have also contributed to her growing success.
“Nakakatulong talaga. Kasi sa business, we need to adapt sa changes, e. Hindi po puwede… ano yung gusto mo lang gawin, kung ano yung komportable ka lang gawin, doon ka lang. Wala, hindi, maiiwan ka talaga, e.”
At press time, her Facebook page has nearly a million followers, while her TikTok account has around 150,000.
Beyond her live selling and showroom sales, she also works with a network of resellers.
“So I have my sales, I have my sales support… We have our assigned staff who are assisting those resellers.
“And then sa showroom naman, we have our staff there na nag-a-assist.”
Being able to source diamonds from the most affordable suppliers has allowed her to offer some of the lowest prices in the market.
In August 2025, she sold a tennis necklace with a total of 3 carats of natural diamonds for just over PHP30,000 during one of her live-selling sessions.
On Facebook Marketplace, the cheapest comparable piece costs around PHP45,000.
In malls, such necklaces can fetch six-digit price tags.
And if customers have specific requests—whether for price, design, cut, or the type of stone from a particular country—she can find it for them.
“Pero give me time. Kasi may mga stones kasi talagang hirap din. Pero may mga mabilis lang, yung mga stones na normal... And then you have so many choices also here if you want GIA, IGI certified, kahit anong klase pa iyan.”
GIA or Gemological Institute of America, according to its website, is "the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls."
Just like IGI or International Gemological Institute, it certifies diamond, colored stones, and jewelry.
But if she has one advice to give as a businesswoman, she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), "Do not be afraid to take the risk.
"Turn all the negative things into positive things.
"Ano lang, tiyaga saka focus."
VALUE OF DIAMONDS
Are diamonds considered a good investment?
While gold tends to appreciate steadily, diamonds—according to some owners—have a lower resale value.
Charo replied: "Sa akin po kasi na nandito ako sa business na ito, hindi po siya mahirap i-resell.
"Siguro po yung mga tao na nagsasabi noon, talagang hindi talaga sila nasa business na ito.
"Okay, sinasabi po kasi ngayon, the gold is the best investment.
"Totoo naman po yun. No question doon kasi every now and then, tumataas.
"Sa amin po, we are selling natural diamonds. At the same time, ang setting po kasi namin, ninety percent, 18 karats. So andun pa rin po yung gold.
"At the same time, we are also satisfying yung, yung gusto ng mga babae that diamond is forever.
"And ito po kasi, yung mga diamonds na ito, ito yung di ba sa family, ito yung sinasabi natin na mapapasa mo from one generation to the next generation."
Besides, you can always approach her if you want to sell your diamonds.
And if you’re planning to buy, just to give you an idea, her cheapest stud costs around PHP7,000, backed by her personal guarantee. “It’s real. We have a certificate.”
Lastly, she said: "Sabihan niyo lang po kami, and let's talk business. And malaking bagay po if nakukuha niyo ang diamond sa mababang halaga talaga. Yun po ang mission namin."