By: Amanda Gram
Can you imagine a person whose heart wouldn’t skip a beat when faced with the beauty of gemstone jewelry? Quartz, lying deep within the Earth for millions of years, shimmers with a mysterious glow as if revealing a secret only known to the chosen few. Crafting jewelry from these precious stones is an art in itself, one that not only requires the jeweler’s talent but also a profound understanding of gemology, mineralogy, and petrology.
Our story’s heroine, Svetlana Vodolazhskaya, is a renowned jeweler based in California, with a reputation that spans both the U.S. and Europe. A former medical doctor, she is now the founder of Cosmogem, a jewelry house where you can find and purchase handcrafted pieces made from natural gemstones.
Among the frequent visitors to Cosmogem are members of the Estée Lauder family, wellness industry investor Taylor Stein, singer-songwriter Kira Kushnerova, and other notable personalities. They all consider Svetlana Vodolazhskaya’s creations to be truly unique. Intrigued by her work, we decided to take a closer look at what makes her designs so captivating.
The Art Behind Svetlana Vodolazhskaya’s Creations
In her quest for the perfect gemstones, Svetlana travels across the globe. She has an intimate knowledge of natural mineral deposits on every continent and personally selects the finest gems from countless options. According to the jeweler, these journeys are time-consuming, but every moment is priceless because they bring her closer to the beauty and mystery of nature.
“Science today allows us to grow gemstones in a lab. They’re more accessible, and some are even more beautiful than natural ones, as they are free of any imperfections. But I’m drawn to the natural stones. They’re like people – nature’s finest creations – perfect in their imperfections”, Svetlana Vodolazhskaya explains.
The process behind the pieces you see in Cosmogem’s online boutique is equally fascinating. Like any true artist, Svetlana has her own unique traditions. For example, she polishes her gemstones while listening to authentic music from the countries where the stones originated. She says this helps her connect with the essence of each region, giving her a deeper understanding of how the final piece should look. In many of her designs, she combines multiple gemstones, considering not only aesthetics but also cultural significance.
“Despite having the same physical and chemical properties, gemstones of the same group can vary depending on where they’re mined. Many factors – temperature, climate, seismic activity – play a role. Indian emeralds, for example, are quite different from those found in Colombia or Egypt, even if their carat weight and inclusions are nearly identical. This is one of the unique qualities of natural gemstones, something you can never replicate in a lab”, she says.
Choosing and Wearing Gemstone Jewelry
Svetlana believes that selecting gemstone jewelry is not about following pseudo-scientific theories but rather trusting your emotions and inner instincts. “If you’re drawn to pearls and sapphires so much that you want to wear them all the time, then those are your stones – even if a thousand astrologers insist they’re not right for you,” she laughs.
Gemstones, according to the California jeweler, are a deeply personal, almost intimate matter. There has to be a connection between the stone and its future owner. Often, people find that the gems they’re drawn to don’t fit any traditional theories about selection – whether by birthdate or planetary alignments. But when they wear the jewelry, they look more attractive, feel happier, and, most importantly, become more confident.
Published By: Aize Perez
