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THE SPLASH INTERVIEW : Our monthly blog featuring amazing women doing some incredible things. We hope you enjoy reading about them!
— Anjanette
Victoria Gomelsky is the award-winning editor in chief of JCK, a 150-year-old jewelry trade publication based in New York City. Prior to joining JCK, she was the editor of Couture International Jeweler and a senior editor at National Jeweler. Her freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, AFAR Magazine, Robb Report, the Hollywood Reporter, and Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally, an anthology published by Seal Press. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA with a BA in political science in 1995 and earned her MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University in 2002. She specializes in jewelry and watch writing but her greatest love has always been travel—60 countries and counting. Victoria divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles.
with
Company
Title
Website
Hometown
St. Petersburg, Russia
(though it was known as Leningrad when I was born there!)
Current residence
Los Angeles, CA
Type of business
Media/Publishing
Years in the business
20
Favorite crystal/gem
Spinel
Favorite piece of jewelry
“Codi,” a silver, rose gold, and diamond snail ring by designer Alex Soldier
Best vacation spot
A toss-up between Rio de Janeiro, Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
Favorite fitness activity
Swimming
Drink by day/night
Ice tea / Manhattan, up
5 things you can’t live without:
Q-tips, passport, coconut oil, McConnell’s Ice Cream Dark Chocolate Chips & Nibs, my sleep mask
What keeps you grounded?
My twin sister and my 5-month-old son, Niko
What are you binge watching right now?
The final season of Game of Thrones(obviously!)
What’s your favorite Gem-Water blend?
Vitality!
Hometown
St. Petersburg, Russia
(though it was known as Leningrad when I was born there!)
Current residence
Los Angeles, CA
Type of business
Media/Publishing
Years in the business
20
Favorite crystal/gem
Spinel
Favorite piece of jewelry
“Codi,” a silver, rose gold, and diamond snail ring by designer Alex Soldier
Best vacation spot
A toss-up between Rio de Janeiro, Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
Favorite fitness activity
Swimming
Drink by day/night
Ice tea / Manhattan, up
5 things you can’t live without:
Q-tips, passport, coconut oil, McConnell’s Ice Cream Dark Chocolate Chips & Nibs, my sleep mask
What keeps you grounded?
My twin sister and my 5-month-old son, Niko
What are you binge watching right now?
The final season of Game of Thrones(obviously!)
What’s your favorite Gem-Water blend?
Vitality!
What do you love most about your career as an editor?
The travel! I’m answering this questionnaire on a flight to Copenhagen, where I’m attending an event with the Danish silver brand Georg Jensen. I’ve circled the globe numerous times thanks to my job as a jewelry and watch editor; seeing the world through this unique lens has been awe-inspiring, humbling, and so much fun.
Tell us about the journey of how you built your business. How many years did it take you to get to where you are today?
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I began my undergraduate studies at UCLA, I got a job as an editor at The Daily Bruin, where I learned the basics of reporting and news writing. I parlayed that job into internships at local newspapers and TV stations. Eventually, I realized that the daily grind of newspaper journalism was not for me. So when I was 25, I decided to pursue a MFA degree in nonfiction writing at Columbia University. That brought me to New York, where my writing career took off. I snagged my first jewelry-writing gig in 2000, shortly after completing my MFA coursework, and have been writing about the trade ever since!
What words of advice can you give other women entrepreneurs?
Persist! Don’t let the first, second, or tenth rejection deter you from pursuing your dreams.
Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I try to adhere to a motto that I came across many years ago in a novel about Frank Lloyd Wright: Memento vivere (“Remember to live”). I love the "say yes” way of life implicit in them so much that my boyfriend and twin sister conspired to make a custom Memento vivere neon sign for my birthday a couple years ago. It hangs directly above my bed.
