Philosophy

Humans made jewelry before they made history.*

The oldest jewelry: A string of perforated shells, discovered in modern-day Morocco over 150,000 years ago **. Simple, functional, and a bit playful. We want to revive that spirit, 150,000 years later. Welcome to the world of Deova!

We celebrate the dimensionality of being human – whimsy, wonder, playfulness, but also intentionality, practicality, purpose – by blending it with an art practice that predates written human history: jewelry. Our 'design philosophy' is simple (though, calling it such sounds admittedly pretentious): pieces that are wearable, fun, and work together.

* History meaning written history, which only takes us back ~5000 years! Fun fact: Our ‘cousins’, Neanderthals, also made and wore jewelry!

** Source publication  (in case you want additional fun reading)

Materials

We're intentional about our metals. Our pieces are solid gold or sterling silver, chosen and constructed to hold up to everyday wear and play. We never do plated, vermeil, or gold-filled: what you get is solid metal, through and through, not coated on top.

10K SOLID GOLD

Our core designs are built in 10k, which lets us use sturdier construction and give small pieces real weight and presence that punch above their size. It wears comfortably and lasts for years. Not all gold alloys are equal — some run too yellow, others too washed out — so we chose our 10k alloy for its balanced, champagne hue. It's an "in-betweener," a workhorse that pairs easily with silver or other gold alloys already in your jewelry box.

14K SOLID GOLD (COMING SOON)

Our chains are made in 14k. They cover a lot more length than our core pieces, and we didn't want that extra length to add up to something heavy or clunky to wear. So instead of scaling up thickness, we scaled up gold content — keeping richness and quality on par with the rest of the collection, without the added bulk.

STERLING SILVER (COMING SOON)

We also offer sterling silver across every piece, for anyone who wants a cool white metal look (or to experiment with mixed metals!). It's also well suited for daily wear and last for years with proper care. If left unworn for a while, give it a quick swipe with a polishing cloth to remove tarnishing.

Our product breakdown:

  • Charms, rings, and bracelets: available in 10k solid gold and (coming soon) sterling silver.
  • Chains (coming soon): available in 14k solid gold or sterling silver.

AAPI - Founded

A note from the founder, Brittany Lai

I am sincerely grateful you’ve chosen to enter the world of Deova. I am a Vietnamese American, and my culture (as well as many other Asian cultures) carries the indoctrination that gold jewelry is valuable. When currency is weak and confidence in institutions is low, you turn to gold as an investment haven. This is historically correct - I’m not arguing against it. But, jewelry is too old an art form to be reduced to just an investment vehicle. Also - it’s simply beautiful to look at and adorn yourself with. I created the world of Deova to 'stress test' this mold: not break it per se (because material weight, feel, and value do matter), but bring more playfulness and functionality into the mix.

‘Deova’ comes from the Vietnamese words ‘đeo và’, meaning ‘wear and.’ Which, is an accurate distillation of the brand’s identity: this is more than just “wearing jewelry.”