Victor Velyan is Our October Man of the Moment

Here’s how Victor Velyan has cemented himself as the jeweler to Atlanta’s elite.

Victor Velyan smiles for the camera inside his Los Angeles abode.

Victor Velyan likes to take things to the extreme. Perhaps it’s his Hollywood, Calif., upbringing, where he was a heavy metal rock singer in the ’80s, alongside the likes of Guns N’ Roses. Maybe it was the 12 years he spent leading elite safaris in Africa. Or it could be the time he spent watching the migration of hammerhead sharks off the coast of Baja, Mexico—and where he was eventually bitten by one of said sharks. “That was very cool actually,” says Velyan, casually. “One of the most incredible experiences since my kids were born.”

That energy is palpable in Velyan’s jewelry collections, which have been seen on the necks, arms and hands of A-listers like Carrie Underwood, Bette Midler and Mila Kunis, to name a very select few. But to call Velyan’s work merely jewelry does it a disservice. These are true pieces of art, each crafted by Velyan’s own hands using techniques that date back to ancient Egypt and beyond. Velyan travels the far reaches of the globe to source his stones, not knowing yet what a rare gemstone will turn out to be. Then it’s back to Los Angeles, where he works with his small team to handcraft a new collection or personal piece. “There is no technology involved in my jewelry, none whatsoever,” Velyan says. “We even handmake most of our tools. That adds an authenticity, that true handmade feel, that organic look. When you look at one of my pieces, when you actually hold it, you can feel how primal it is”—a primal force that guides Velyan, whether in work or play.