Cool Hunting

Since the age 11 when her work was worn on-screen by actresses in a popular soap opera in her native Brazil, 25-year-old Mana Bernardes' jewelry has been in the limelight. Since then, Mana's playful objects have been exhibited in galleries and are stocked in stores like Colette in Paris and Zona D in São Paulo. Her pendants, earrings, and bracelets range from minimalist chrome to brightly-colored plastics and translucent pieces that seem to take on a glow of their own, hinting at the young designer's fascination with light. The materials are varied: toothpicks, hair clips, pearl, silver and gold, and even coffee spoons. But Mana's inventiveness—often pairing common objects, like plastic mesh, with traditional jewels (pictured here)—renders the recycled elements unrecognizable in the final piece.