MANILA, Philippines - Jewelry designer Mel Cuevas’ latest collection for Cova is linear and minimal as the last. She calls it Sacred Geometry and it is reminiscent of celestial bodies — when worn, they look like they’re orbiting around your earlobe, or wrist, or finger.
“I like clean lines, my designs are almost architectural,” she says. This latest collection has a lot of clean lines, but none of them are symmetrical. Cuevas wears one design on one ear, a different one on the other. It’s meant to be that way. “I made a lot of earrings because they’ve become very popular,” she shares. At first glance they don’t even look like earrings. “If you need instructions on how to wear them, just tell me,” she jokes.
It is this unconventional approach to jewelry making that made Cova a favorite among the stylish. This includes designer Joey Samson, who asked the designer to recreate a particular piece for his show, and model-photographer Jo Ann Bitagcol who modeled them for the Cova lookbook. Cuevas goes for the abstract and simple, and the pieces are not complicated to wear at all. One earring twists around the ear, another anchors around it. They’re all sensible and stylish enough for everyday wear.
“My pieces are easy and can be worn alone or layered with other pieces from the line. In a way, there is a sense of fun and playfulness because you can pile them on with jewelry you already own,” she explains, showing us her rings stacked with other pieces.
She takes inspiration from the work of architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Oscar Niemeyer. Although her pieces look industrial and sculptural, there are others that feature curvature found in nature, like the Hive cuff from Cova’s debut Elements collection, which is inspired by the shape of a beehive.
In Sacred Geometry, she showcases beauty in asymmetry. “You don’t really see straight, even lines in nature, so I followed that principle in creating these new pieces, which for me are more natural and beautiful,” says Cuevas.
Currently, Cuevas is in the process of creating a new collection of pieces highlighting semi-precious stones with healing and restorative properties. “Most semi-precious stones we see now are beads strung together with garter,” she says. We’re looking forward to more elevated and elegant versions of those.
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Cova is available at Firma in Greenbelt 3, Cura V in Power Plant Mall and cova.com.ph. For private commissions, email covaph@gmail.com.