Interview with Valeria Guzema, a jewelry designer from Ukraine, whose jewelry is worn by Оlena Zelenska and Milla Jovovich.

In the second half of July, the attention of the whole world was riveted to Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine - for the first time the first lady of another country was honored to speak in the US Congress. The strong and emotional speech made an impression on the audience, who gave her a standing ovation at the end. No less "speaking" was her image, an integral part of which was the jewelry of the Ukrainian jewelry brand Guzema Fine Jewelry. The same situation was repeated during her last trip to London in November - jewelry from this brand accompanied almost all her looks.
The first lady has long been the unspoken ambassador of this Ukrainian brand, founded by designer Valeria Guzema in 2016. For the first time, she appeared in the jewelry of the brand at the inauguration of President Volodimir Zelensky. Then the choice of the first lady fell on laconic earrings from the Space collection, ideally illustrating the aesthetics of this brand - laconic, restrained, but at the same time non-trivial. "We made these earrings according to a sketch specially designed for the first lady. They are handmade from yellow gold. We are honored that Guzema Fine Jewelry complements the image of the first lady on such an important day for the country," said Valeria Guzema at the time. Nothing has changed in three years - the brand continues to be among the first lady's favorites today.

This brand is also loved by thousands of Ukrainian women who do not forget the importance of pleasing themselves despite the hostilities in their native country. "For me, it was a real shock when, on one of the first days of the war, we received a message from a client asking her to book one particular piece of jewelry and send her payment details as soon as possible. We did not understand such a rush and then received another message. It turns out that she was in the basement of her own house under fire, she had bad internet, but saw a discount on a necklace that she had been dreaming of for a long time (usually we don&rsquo;t have sales) and decided to buy it no matter what despite the shelling around. We were impressed, " the designer recalls.
Valeria Guzema herself is also impressive, who manages to develop the brand, raise her one-year-old son and do charity work although all the difficulties around. So, on one of the first days of the war, Russian troops bombed her parents' house, but the designer continued to evacuate employees and provide assistance to those who needed her more than herself. "Even before the war, we had the Guzema Foundation, which helped children. However, after February 24, we shifted the focus of work - now the foundation team is focused on helping hospitals affected by the hostilities, as well as Ukrainian defenders."
Like many other volunteers, Valeria Guzema notes that it is becoming more and more difficult to collect humanitarian aid every day - people are tired of someone else's war, focusing on their own concerns. However, she found a way out - she released a FREEDOM charity collection dedicated to Ukraine, and all the profits from its sale go to charity. Jewelry from the collection has already been seen on Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich and Roberta Metsola, head of the European Parliament. &ldquo;Today, yellow and blue are the colors associated with freedom, truth, and the willingness to fight for your independence,&rdquo; the designer continues. &ldquo;And in the international community, they clearly reflect your position. I am happy that our accessories have resonated around the world, and we can continue to help. Interestingly, Guzema and her team are now actively using Instagram to raise charitable funds. With constant frequency, they arrange drawings of valuable prizes for donations. So, by sending only 15-20 dollars to the fund's accounts, you can become the owner of a unique piece of jewelry. Other brands willingly participate in such giveaways, providing their lots. In this way, the brand continues to regularly help, reporting for every cent received and spent. &ldquo;The war has been going on for more than nine months now and more and more people are in need of help,&rdquo; says the designer. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m glad that such a fun way of donations resonates with people. For me, this is an example of the concrete help that social networks can bring.&rdquo;

Today the brand Guzema Fine Jewelry is actively opening new markets for itself but does not forget about local customers. Even the chamber showroom in the city center resumed its work. &ldquo;Jewelry gives emotions, and today they are more important to us than ever,&rdquo; says the designer. &ndash; Sometimes even with the smallest accessory there can be the strongest emotional connection. Jewelry is often associated with important memories for us, which is why we store and collect them so carefully.&rdquo;
So, one of the first bestsellers of the brand back in 2016 were rings for several fingers, as well as models that are worn on the upper phalanges. Then the brand got a variety of laconic pendants, emphasizing the fragility and elegance of their owners. Valeria Guzema does not betray corporate minimalism even when working with national motifs. The latest collection of the brand SPADOK is just about that. &ldquo;Creating SPADOK collection, we were inspired by the heritage that our ancestors left us - embroidery, natural jewelry materials and the symbol of our native land and home - viburnum. The pixel shape of products refers us to the pixel pattern of the military uniform of Ukrainian fighters and reminds us that there is a war going on in Ukraine and the struggle for independence continues, - designer explains. - Today, it is impossible to imagine Ukrainian national heritage without embroidery - this technique of creating clothes and household items has been handed down from past generations, and today is the time to demonstrate it in new forms and materials&rdquo;.

&ldquo;When I came up with the brand, I wanted to show that jewelry can and should be worn every day, that they can be easily mixed and express your own personality. We are all different and why to limit ourselves when we have only one life, every day is priceless. Today I understand this especially strongly.&rdquo;

“Jewelry gives emotions, and today they are more important to us than ever”

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