B
efore the pandemic upended everyone’s lives, we had every intention of recording each of our COUTURE podcasts in person. When we heard that Victor Velyan was in New York City for a personal appearance at Bergdorf Goodman, we jumped at the chance to secure an in-person interview. Victor’s was the last, pre-pandemic interview we released. Here are 5 fun facts we discovered about Victor in the course of our interview:

• Victor originally took a job as an “errand boy” in LA’s Downtown Jewelry District in order to support his career as the front man of a heavy metal rock band. (We have the pictures of Victor in spandex, sporting a “garage band” hair cut, to prove it.)
• It was the fabrication process of making jewelry that initially appealed to Victor and he initially dove into the craft of jewelry making—the design part came later.
• Victor began to apprentice for a master jeweler who told him he wasn’t allowed to speak, that he hadn’t yet earned the right. After spending 6 months drilling holes in pennies and other menial tasks, Victor made his first piece of jewelry, which is a cross that he still wears around his neck. The second piece he made was for a client; a classic three-stone mounting with a ruby center. The day he finished it, Victor’s “mean master” actually cried.
• Victor first branched out on his own in 1995, when he opened a shop that designed and manufactured jewelry for other designers.
• Victor’s signature patina process came about through trial and error. He continues to make his own patinas, aging various metals in acid for months at a time until he achieves the outcome he desires. He then paints these proprietary patinas over pure silver, which gives his jewelry its distinctive look.