(PRESS RELEASE) LOS ANGELES — Celebrated artist, Victor Velyan, is incorporating rubies from Greenland into his prolific collection of fine jewelry. Greenlandic rubies and pink sapphires are thought to be nearly 3 billion years old, which is at least twice as old as other deposits, and for Velyan, this was part of their appeal, “Whenever I’m designing with gemstones, I’m mindful of the source of the stone,” explains Velyan about his design process. “The fact that these are the oldest corundum available was very exciting to me. And the visual contrast of these deep, blood-red stones and the stark white glaciers under which they’re created filled me with inspiration; I knew I wanted to develop collections that feature these unique gems.”
When European scientists embarked on Greenland over 200 years ago, they found that the native population was intimately familiar with these pink and red stones. It wasn’t until 1966 that the first official geological survey was conducted, and gem quality ruby was recorded on a small island in a lake, now known as Ruby Island. Greenland Ruby A/S officially opened its mining operation in May of 2017, and quickly sought preferred partners with whom to work, including an exclusive list of world-recognized designers.
“When we first began discussing our strategy for bringing these incredible gems to market, we were immediately intrigued by the possibility of working with some hand-selected designers who we were confident could do the stones justice,” said Hayley Henning, V.P. of Sales and Marketing for Greenland Ruby. “With Victor’s bold and edgy designs, coupled with his proprietary metallurgical techniques, we knew he’d come up with designs that really highlight the unique beauty specific to the Greenlandic rubies; the designs he’s created with our gems have exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited to see what else is on the horizon!”
To date, Velyan has created an earring, ring and cuff suite with Greenland rubies. These deeply red stones are all cabochon cut, set in 18k gold and accented with white diamonds, an homage to the visual contrast that initially attracted Velyan to the stones. The artists plans to continue to utilize these rare gems in several future designs but, as with all of his work, it is difficult for Velyan to put a timeline on his creations. “I really have to live with stones for a while and let them tell me what they want to become,” he elaborates. “Finding inspiration within these particular stones is not difficult however, every time I touch them, my mind immediately travels to the utter beauty of extreme arctic conditions and my creativity just flows!”
For more information about Victor Velyan’s work with Greenland Rubies, or to obtain high-resolution images, please contact Michelle Orman at (646) 302-5521 or via email at Michelle@LastWordComm.com.