Work of Heart

CEBU, Philippines - Gladys Young is one classy and fabulous femme and you don’t necessarily need to meet her face to face to know that. It’s written all over the pieces of jewellery that she has whipped up from scratch under the Vero brand name—a relatively newcomer in fashion that was conceived by Gladys roughly eight years ago when she was asked by her mom’s friends to design pieces of jewellery for them after they saw the pieces she has crafted for herself. Since then, she had already won a loyal client base who revelled in jewellery that was not only finely created but pieces that they could call uniquely their own.

“Everything started with my love for gems,” said Gladys, an avid collector of gems. Although she graduated with a degree in Interior Design from the University of San Carlos, Gladys chose to go full time on designing and handcrafting jewellery instead of sprucing up empty spaces.

Nonetheless, Gladys has been thankful for her degree in Interior Design which has laid out her foundation in art, color schematics, symmetry, form, and balance—all of which are likewise crucial in creating the pieces of wearable art that she has dedicated most of her life to.

Gladys’ signature style has been her knack for easing out of what has long been considered contemporary and acceptable within the realms of jewellery design. Her pieces are bold and chunky without bordering on what would be considered gaudy. Her statement pieces reflect a highly contemporary flavor which are nonetheless still contain subdued undertones of being classic and elegant at best.

Gladys’ key pieces reflect her fascination for the extraordinary and free-spirited as many of her pieces are an interplay of twisting lines and intricate patterns neatly varying in intensity and form. 

Although she has already been adept at working with both gems and gold, Gladys is currently exploring how she can transform other materials like bronze and other unconventional materials into works of art suited for the woman who simply wants to stand out from the rest of the alpha females poised to run the world in style and élan.

With the presence of so many jewellery and fashion brands in the market today, the struggle to stand out from the rest of the stylista pack remains the biggest challenge of Vero to date, although this is not one that Gladys would balk on. Instead, the need to stand out in a rapidly evolving artistic industry has moved her to push the goal post in jewellery making even farther.

“Passion spells the difference,” said Gladys in the official site of Vero, www.veroconcept.com. “When you love what you do, it speaks that language. And while some call it talent, I call it drive.”

And while some call her pieces a work of art. I call it a work of the heart. (FREEMAN)