Five years ago, the brand SOLO for Diamonds began by introducing the Ukrainian audience to jewelry made from lab-grown diamonds, and today its pieces are worn by world celebrities and have entered the international market. The company's founder, Yuliya Kusher, lives between Ukraine and the USA and develops her business on several markets simultaneously: according to her, the workday sometimes starts at six in the morning with messages from Kyiv and ends when partners in other time zones wake up. In an interview with Wave RBC.UA, she talked about how Ukrainian jewelry reaches the stylists of Hollywood stars, why celebrities sometimes buy out almost the entire set selected for them, and how diamonds can be grown from hair or wool.
Slogan "Create, not destroy" and a bet on a technological product
Kusher calls the slogan "Create, not destroy" central to the brand's philosophy; it is currently displayed on SOLO for Diamonds billboards. According to her, the company strives to add value rather than simply extracting what already exists. According to the founder, it is lab-grown diamonds that offer the opportunity to create: this is a technological product, a mineral whose characteristics are identical to a natural diamond, but which is created by humans. "You do not harm nature, but create something similar to what it has already created," explains Kusher, adding that in a broader sense, it is important for humanity to come into the world to create something new, not to destroy.
Two different markets: Ukraine and the USA
Interestingly, the brand's international expansion did not follow the usual order: first, the company began to develop in the USA, and only then actively entered the Ukrainian market. At the time of entering Ukraine, there was virtually no competition in the field of lab-grown diamonds, so a significant part of the work involved education — explaining to the audience what this product is, what its characteristics are, and how it differs from cubic zirconia or moissanite. In America, the product was known much earlier, so it was easier to explain. Today, Kusher characterizes Ukraine and the USA as two completely different markets: in Ukraine, she observes higher demand specifically for rings, while in the USA, clients are more interested in fantasy pieces, non-standard stone colors, and unusual materials. According to the founder, the brand's strategy is not based on competing where "everything is already there," but on finding a direction with potential and gradually developing in it.
Diamond from biomaterial: hair and wool as raw material
One of the key areas of SOLO for Diamonds' uniqueness, according to Kusher, is the ability to create diamonds from biomaterial. If a person wants to preserve a family heirloom, the raw material can be the hair of a loved one or the wool of a beloved pet. Carbon is extracted from such biomaterial, a diamond is grown, and then jewelry is made from it. According to the founder, in this case, the item ceases to be just a jewelry piece and turns into an object with a very personal story.
How a Ukrainian brand gets into the wardrobe of Hollywood stars
According to the press service, SOLO for Diamonds jewelry has appeared on Scarlett Johansson, Milla Jovovich, Jack Harlow, Shaylyn Woodley, Katy Perry, Jenna Ortega, and other world celebrities. The mechanism of getting into their wardrobes, as Kusher explains, revolves around stylists: celebrities have professionals who select looks, and the main thing is to establish contact with the star's stylist. The brand communicates directly with the stylist, shows the available jewelry, the stylist shows them to the celebrity, and she decides what to wear. "You need to be friends with the stylists of world stars," formulates Kusher's learned rule. At the same time, the celebrity herself does not always know the brand of the jewelry she is wearing, but if the item is non-standard, stars do ask about the origin and brand. According to the founder, the most pleasant thing is that stars have repeatedly returned to the brand and purchased jewelry after receiving them for public appearances.
Reaction to shelling and personal work rhythm
In the interview, Kusher also touched on the topic of how she reacts to shelling when she arrives in Kyiv — a question that reflects the duality of her position between Ukraine and the USA and the constant crossing of two contexts. She describes the rhythm in which the day starts at six in the morning with Kyiv messages and ends when partners in other parts of the world wake up, highlighting the distributed, multi-market nature of the business she is building.
