Look Book

Spring 2025 | 37 Fire Opal and Diamond Cocktail Ring featuring a Mexican Fire Opal (6.95cts) and Diamonds (1.01tcw), set in 24K Gold with "crocodile" texture. Keshi Pearl Cherry Blossom Pendant featuring a unique Keshi Pearl with Cherry Blossom motif and Enamel "flowers" set in 18K Gold and Silver, with proprietary Brown Patina. Garden of Eden Earrings featuring carved "snakes" of Carved Green Turkmenistani Turquoise (180.00tcw), suspended from "trees" wrapped around Black Tourmaline beads, with a Burmese Ruby "apple" (1.14cts), set in 24K, 22K, and 18K Gold High Jewelry Modular Glacier Earrings featuring four Free Form Clear Mexican Fire Opals (45.00tcw) and Diamonds (5.90tcw), set in 18K White Gold. These modular earrings can be worn as studs or as two-tiered drops. Two-Tiered Carved Watermelon Tourmaline Leaves Earrings featuring four carved Free Form Watermelon Tourmaline "leaves" (76.78tcw), set in 24K Gold and Silver, with proprietary Green Patina. importance to Velyan than a particular stone's lack of inclusions, for instance, is the story that stone is telling, its hues and saturation of color(s), how it reflects and/or refracts light, and simply how it looks against the skin. Says Velyan, "I really have to live with stones for a while and let them tell me what they want to become." "Cayen Collection hosted Victor Velyan's first jewelry showing, and the moment I saw his Patina collection—rich textures, gold accents, and vibrant gems—I knew such a esh and exciting concept was something extraordinary. I immediately started wearing his pieces and now I personally own 10 of his cuffs (along with a number of rings and earrings). Beyond their artistry, his cuffs are incredibly comfortable, molding to the wrist like a second skin, and effortlessly complement both bold and classic styles, making them truly collectable." —Soraya Cayen (Proprietor, Cayen Collection) And then there are the finishes. A highly-skilled metalsmith, Velyan's proprietary patinas in brown, green, and white, lend an almost organic, skin-like quality to the gold and silver of his settings. Similarly, a number of his settings are finished with reptilian textures, whether crocodile, lizard, or snake. And more recently, Velyan has taken a deep dive into enamels (my favorite example being a deep navy blue which, when set with a smattering of twinkling diamonds evokes the night skies). As someone who spends a significant amount of his time in Africa each year, it's no wonder that the animal kingdom is a great source of inspiration to Velyan; as are world cultures, travel, history (Kings! Queens! Crowns! Weaponry!), fine art, and yes, nature in all its magnificent splendor. All of this exemplifies why Velyan's designs are excellent examples of jewelry as both talisman and armor. Take the Glacier Earrings, for example. ese two-tiered modular earrings (they can be worn as either drops or studs) feature a quartet of Mexican Fire Opals that due to being pure silica, are devoid of color. While to most people the words "Mexican Fire Opal" might conjure visions of a blazing inferno, those stones reminded Vic of majestic icy glaciers, and he set them as such.

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