CLUEV jewelry is created in a single copy. They embody the essence and ideals of their owner, his originality and uniqueness. And clients are given an exclusive opportunity to bring their ideas and creative ambitions to life. The founder of the jewelry house, Ilya Klyuev, an international expert gemologist and member of the ICA (International Association of Colored Gemstones) association, told us about his clients, jewelry traditions and jewelry suitable for a wedding look.
Childhood and youth
Ilya Klyuev was born on March 9, 1977 in the Russian capital. The boy was brought up in a family of geologists and already in the early years of his biography he was interested in precious stones. But until he was 20, Ilya was in search of himself. After graduating from an English school, he studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute and took his first steps in the entrepreneurial field. In 1996, a young man opened a store located in a shopping mall.
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Jeweler Ilya Klyuev
In the late 90s, Klyuev realized that he wanted to devote himself to the jewelry business. In subsequent years, he studied gemology and adopted the experience of the best masters in Switzerland, Thailand and Hong Kong. All this led to the creation of the CLUEV brand.
Where does jewelry begin?
— Tell us how jewelry is created most often? Do they begin, relatively speaking, with a stone, with an idea from one of your artists, or with a client’s dream?
- Always different. If the creation of jewelry begins with a stone, our task is to reflect its character. It is equally important to pay tribute to the culture of our country and today’s trends. Jewelry reflects a lifestyle, and this applies to stones too. For example, dark sapphires of rich, royal blue color are less popular now: they are a classic evening stone, and modern girls want to wear jewelry not only in the evening, when going out, but also during the day. Therefore, lighter sapphires are in fashion. Tourmaline and spinels are also popular now. We take a stone that reflects contemporary realities and reveal its character by imagining the client who might wear it.
And sometimes decoration begins with an idea - both ours and the client’s idea. Here the starting conditions can be completely different. One client wanted earrings that were called “Dancing” and would reflect her passion for this art form. Moreover, she wears clip-on clips, which means the decoration should not be too heavy. The artist, fashion designer and jeweler worked on them for several months.
— Do grooms often come to you looking for an engagement ring? On what occasions, besides engagement, wedding and anniversary, do clients contact you?
— It’s good when there are several occasions during the year, not just anniversaries. We, of course, must give clients ideas, help them preserve and maintain this feeling of celebration. Most often, grooms come up with nothing but placing a diamond in the “paws” - and they get a classic engagement ring. Wedding rings are usually quite simple, and engagement rings, at best, are studded with smaller diamonds around the perimeter. Certain stereotypes are to blame: people think that voluminous jewelry is inconvenient to wear, that it is unfashionable, because now in general there is a simplification of life - not only in jewelry, but also in clothing, interior design, and so on.
Business
The entrepreneur opened his first workshops in Italy and Switzerland in 2001. It took him time to acquire a client base and make himself known. Ilya found himself in creating unique jewelry. Every year, the CLUEV jewelry house produces about 200-300 items, presented in a single copy.
The jeweler has found admirers among those who appreciate the “Russian style.” In 2011, he decided to move production to Russia, which allowed him to increase income. Subsequently, the brand released collections inspired by the history and culture of the state. Among them are Ballets Russes and The Romanovs.
The next step in Klyuev’s career was the creation of his own cutting production in Russia. After a trial purchase of diamonds worth $100 thousand, he received 200 diamonds. This took the business to a new level and expanded its reach to customers.
Story with a mistress
The jeweler later regretted the affair, having found the strength to admit it in the “Let Them Talk” program. The acquaintance with his mistress Natalya happened traditionally, as the man admits.
“Something happened that shouldn’t have happened, but it did,” says the jeweler.
In the marriage by this time, Klyuev began to feel lonely. Natalya, originally from Cheboksary, seemed polite and flexible, and an office romance began. The owner of the jewelry house had no intention of leaving his wife, having become completely entangled in a lie. Ilya Klyuev even went to Mount Athos, tormented by the search for answers to a way out of the current situation. At the monastery, the elder advised to save the family.
Personal life
Although the jeweler preferred not to advertise the details of his personal life, he did not hide the information about the presence of a wife and four children. In 2017, Ilya Valerievich shared the news with subscribers of his Instagram account that his eldest daughter had entered the conducting and choral department of Gnesinka. The father was proud and promised to give the heiress her first ring.
Ilya Klyuev and Natalya Vazina / VKontakte
From the outside, Klyuev seemed to be an exemplary family man, but during this period there was discord in his marriage. According to the man, he felt a lack of warmth from his wife, so he allowed himself to pay attention to the new employee Natalya Vazina, who got a job as an assistant in his store. The woman was polite, flexible and unobtrusive, so Klyuev could not resist.
The result of the secret relationship was the birth of an illegitimate child, whom the businessman recognized as his own. But when Klyuev’s wife found out about this, the relationship between them completely deteriorated. Ilya realized that he did not want to lose his chosen one, and promised to stop communicating with Natalya.
The jeweler did not keep his promise, and soon his mistress gave birth to his second child, a daughter. She quit her job and was supported by Klyuev, who felt remorse and was looking for ways to end their relationship.
During his next visit to Natalya’s apartment, the man noticed strangeness in her behavior. She complained of memory lapses and suspected her lover of putting something in her food. But Klyuev did not stay with her because he had to return home to his wife.
In the evening, Vazina took the children to the forest, where they undressed them in the cold and forced them to pray. In addition to Ilya’s heirs, she had a son with her from a previous relationship. All of them received varying degrees of frostbite, but got to the hospital on time thanks to caring passers-by. The woman had severe frostbite on her feet.
Details of the scandalous incident fell into the hands of journalists, who quickly found the father of the children and demanded comments from him. According to 360, during the conversation the entrepreneur refused to acknowledge the relationship, but later decided to explain himself.
Minimalism, creativity and uniqueness
— Yes, there is now a noticeable trend towards minimalism all over the world. And the style of your jewelry is the complete opposite.
— We are against minimalism. Starting with clothes and home, it eventually penetrates into all areas of life: relationships between people, feelings... Man is the same everywhere. If he begins to limit himself, he, in fact, simply finds lower-level activities for himself. Instead of reading poetry or going to the ballet, he watches TV.
By participating in the creation of unique jewelry, thinking through an idea, a person realizes his need to create something eternal. This is what our ancestors did - for example, Tsar Nicholas II had a jewelry diary, where he collected ideas for gifts for his loved ones. Jewelry is a complex matter; you need to be able to evaluate it and understand what it gives. This is a way to change your life. I had a client whose wife, having given birth to several children in a row, fell into apathy and stopped wanting anything from life. And we made sure that through her interest in jewelry, her interest in life in general returned.
— It turns out that jewelry can even change the relationship between two people?
— Of course: when a man gives his beloved woman a piece of jewelry, it qualitatively changes the relationship between them and connects them in a special way. Why did the tradition of giving your beloved a ring appear? This meant “everything that’s mine is now yours.” And in this sense, it is worth starting the unique story of a couple with a special decoration.
Ilya Klyuev now
In mid-February 2022, an episode of the “Let Them Talk” program was released, in which the jeweler openly spoke about his connection with Natalya. The businessman admitted that he felt relieved when details of his personal life were leaked to the press, because he no longer had to lie to his wife. The man promised to take care of the heirs, but these words aroused distrust among experts and viewers. They accused Ilya Valerievich of selfishness and of trying to benefit from a situation in which three innocent children suffered.
Ilya Klyuev with children (stills from the show “Let Them Talk”)
Despite the scandal, the businessman now continues to develop the CLUEV brand. He often posts photos of jewelry and gemstones on his personal blog and shares facts about them.
What stones are suitable for brides?
— What jewelry or specific stones are suitable for a wedding look? Maybe there are some traditions associated with this too?
— It all depends on the specific bride. Previously, pearls were worn at weddings - a symbol of motherhood. The second most popular stone is, of course, the diamond. Brides choose colored stones less often. Although we had a client who gave her daughter-in-law a set of alexandrite for her wedding. Rubies are suitable only for very brave brides; this stone makes its owner stand out from the rest. Well, if you look at the traditions of tsarist times, then during the wedding the brides had time to change several sets of jewelry with different stones.
— Nowadays, brides rarely choose colored gemstones for their look.
— Yes, the culture of wearing colored stones is undeveloped in our country. And only with us! Princess Diana, for example, was given a sapphire engagement ring by Prince Charles. Kate Middleton currently wears it. In Russia, people often neglect themselves and their desires; it is easier for them to use ready-made solutions.
