Flipping Out with Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes is feeling green

The actor, entrepreneur and mom chose vibrant emeralds to be the star of her new Cast piece, the Havana Flip Ring.

Mendes’ love of the rich gemstone is the real deal—so much so that she even named her oldest daughter Esmerelda, emerald in Spanish. But her affinity for bold color is just one of the many reasons we were excited to partner with her. 

Not only is Eva a longtime fine-jewelry girl, she’s authentic, stylish, successful and a true lover of the arts. In other words, the perfect human to collab with on our debut Flip for Good ring, a new program which gives a portion of proceeds to creative causes.

Playing with stones

Like everything she does, Eva was all in when it came to designing (and naming) her artful piece with mid-century-modern vibes. “The chance to play and pick my favorite combination of colors for the amazing Flip Ring was a delight,” she says.

Cast's Rachel Skelly + Eva Mendes collaborate on the Havana Flip rings

Inspired by her Cuban roots, the Havana Flip Ring features sparkling emeralds, fresh white agate and diamonds, and comes in two sizes: The classic Flip, set in 18k reclaimed gold, and the smaller Signet, set in sterling silver with matte gold. (Also worthy of note: emeralds are exclusive to this ring.)

Flip for Good

As for the ring’s beneficiary, Eva chose The Art of Elysium. She’s a longtime supporter of the LA nonprofit that provides community arts programs and artist services to those facing challenges. “To be able to partner to support The Art for Elysium was the icing on the cake for me,” she adds.

For all of 2024, 10% of net proceeds from the Havana Flip Ring will go to The Art of Elysium. And the same holds true for purchases of any Flip Ring now through April. Time to do a little do-good shopping, don’t you think?

Partnering with Eva was a dream, as was our recent conversation about her experience working with Cast.

Eva Says

Dressing with heart: I would describe my personal style as random but with meaning. Every day, even if I’m in sweats, I must have at least one thing on that's meaningful to me in some way. It could be the pair of boots that got me through a tough winter the prior year or my grandmother’s earrings from Cuba. 

As much as I love a matching print top and bottom, I never feel it’s important to match. I think if you wear what you love and feel good in it then it’ll all come together somehow. That’s also how I adorn my home.

Team Emerald: I love emeralds! Emerald is also the name of my oldest daughter—in Spanish, Esmeralda. Having named my daughter after this stone, I obviously have an emotional connection to it that inspires all things precious.

Along with the emeralds, I chose white agate for the ring because of its mid-century-modern vibe. I love architecture from that time, and I feel like the white agate gives a nod to that classic, modern era. The white stone plays beautifully with the precious emerald.

Flipping for the Flip: The Cast Flip Ring is such a clever design. I’m always changing—literally and figuratively—and my style always reflects my mood. This genius design is ideal for me because of all the different rings it can become. Each style reflects my mood at the moment.

Hello, Havana: I chose the name Havana because my mother was born in Havana, and I’m extremely close to her and my Cuban roots. When I picture Havana, I picture the old Havana that she grew up in and all the stories she’s passed down to me that I am now passing down to my daughters. Havana means so much more to me than a beautiful city.

The Art of the matter: I’ve worked with Art of Elysium for years. It’s a nonprofit charity that uses art to help those in need, in all sorts of ways. I’ve gone room to room in a hospital— drawing and singing with children with extreme health challenges to performing Christmas plays in the hospitals. 

Other artists offer different things. We all get together and bring our artistic strengths to help people in need through challenging times. 

Mom hat trumps all: Honestly, I’m not sure I balance my many roles in life well. I feel like the only role I’m one hundred percent present for is being a mother. I love to work—I’ve always got a side hustle going on. But nothing has my full attention other than my kids. Not until they’re older anyway.

// Shop the Havana Flip Ring online and at any of our three Bay Area boutiques.