AGTA Member Profile - Victor Velyan
Throughout 2017, I have been covering many of AGTA's events - from AGTA GemFair™ Tucson to AGTA Gemfair™ Vegas, the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Gala to the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Press day. What is overwhelmingly apparent from my time attending AGTA events is that the community of AGTA Members is what give AGTA its unique flavor and diversity in the jewelry industry.
I have begun partnering with AGTA on a series of member profiles. It is my hope that exploring the culture and philosophies of the diverse AGTA members will provide new insight into the world of colored gemstones. While not all of my interview questions are hard-hitting, I do tailor my line of questioning to each AGTA Member in a hope to better understand their personal connection to color, gemstones, and the global jewelry community.
To kick off this traveling member profile series, I visited designer Victor Velyan in his Los Angeles studio.
Situated in one of the DTLA jewelry district buildings is Victor's jungle retreat-cum-jewelry workshop.
Typically, when I'm buzzed into a jeweler's workshop or dealer's office my first sight is not an albino python slithering around a large tank. No surprise, Victor isn't typical. The snake's name is Jasmine and according to the bench jeweler who sits 5 feet from her, she's a friend and not a scare tactic for motivating speedy production.
Just past Jasmine's tank is Velyan's office. His space is decorated to nestle him amongst mementos (his wallpaper is collaged photos of his travels), trophies (the bookcase opposite his desk holds Spectrum awards and photos of hunting trophies alike), and treasures (his personal gemstone collection is in a safe next to his desk). The sound of his European Goldfinch chirping from his bamboo cage on the wall punctuates our conversation.
I first met Victor at the Couture show in 2015. Seeing Vic now in his natural environment gave me insight into the visual texture that manifests in his jewelry.
Victor's entrance into the jewelry industry was the coincidence of an unfulfilled music career and a side-gig running errands for a jewelry company. This job evolved into an apprenticeship under a tough-love Russian master jeweler. Sort of like the Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi, but with gravers, saws and torches. Solder on, polish off. When he created his first piece of jewelry - a classic platinum 3-stone mounting with a ruby at the center - Velyan's teacher cried. This traditional apprenticeship experience shaped how Victor approaches jewelry and manufacturing; traditional hand fabrication techniques are all he allows in his shop.
In 1995 Victor opened his own workshop and began creating jewelry for other designers. By 2000, he had begun manufacturing his own designs.
When I asked him how he developed his signature style, Velyan declared that he always had it, but the mental preparation of creating jewelry for market took about a year; he feared how the industry would react to his creations. This moment of hesitance in Vic's story is a refreshing insight into a younger man whose name wasn't yet synonymous with opulent colored stone jewelry.
Asking Victor "What does AGTA means to you?" Was an even more loaded question than I imagined. I know that Victor is an AGTA Member, I know he shops AGTA GemFair™ as a designer, I know that he has won Spectrum awards for pieces he has designed and pieces he has helped fabricate, and I know he was one of the judges of the 2016 Summer AGTA Spectrum Awards™. Even with all this knowledge of his affiliation with AGTA, I was surprised when he responded to "Why shop AGTA?" by expressing that shopping AGTA for him is to support the future generations in the gemstone and jewelry industry. He continued that the trust and cooperation between dealers and designers that has been facilitated by AGTA is what makes choosing to shop at AGTA simple. For Victor, the community, trust, and cooperation that AGTA has nurtured in it's 36 years is what will sustain AGTA for the next 100 years. Simply put, "If you are gonna be a part of a gang, AGTA is a good one [to join]".
To kick off this traveling member profile series, I visited designer Victor Velyan in his Los Angeles studio.
The topic of "inspiration" received an "oh this again" reaction. I don't blame him; I loathe being asked this question about my own work. After a quick anecdote about his answer last time a reporter asked him this question, I retooled and asked about creative process instead.
Even with a shop of skilled model makers, jewelers and a team of setters, Victor still sits at the jeweler's bench to work out his ideas. He went on to say that beauty is what motivates his designs. " I look at a woman and go 'My god! She needs these earrings!" His brain then becomes possessed to design. Victor puts it simply, "I love beautiful people." This love of beauty is also what keeps him in LA. Victor was born and raised in Los Angeles. He views the city as a mecca for designers, and after living in Africa and traveling the world, it's LA's stylish population that keeps Victor captivated.
