Victoria Gomelsky was born in St Petersburg, Russia, back when it was still known as Leningrad, and emigrated to the US with her family in 1978 as part of the Soviet-Jewish exodus.
Settling in Los Angeles, Victoria studied political science at UCLA before moving to New York City to undertake an MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia University.
It was here she got her first break in journalism, winning a job with business-to-business luxury goods marketplace GemKey.com as its pearl and watch editor.
Despite initially having “zero knowledge” in either category, Victoria knuckled down and quickly became a widely respected editor in the sector. She now balances a freelance writing career with her duties as editor-in-chief of JCK magazine.
Victoria has won a reputation for breaking stories that are much talked about in the watch industry, such as her 2021 article for The New York Times announcing the Tiffany Blue edition of the Patek Philippe Nautilus.
Despite thousands of column inches under her belt, Victoria is yet to lose the thrill of seeing her work published.
“I’m constantly pushing my limits when I write stories — every piece I do feels like its own tiny victory,” she says.
“My stories cover the wider world through the lens of watches and jewelry. I cover topics as diverse as sustainability, technologies such as AI and holograms, business and design trends across markets; all with the intention of helping readers who may not have any interest in jewelry or watches recognize the cool things going on in our world.”
For those hoping to get their foot in the door in journalism, Victoria has a recommendation: “Read. A Lot. Stay abreast of what people inside your industry are saying, but also read about things with seemingly no connection to your world, and incorporate their fresh ideas into your coverage.”
