The series of interviews with women and men who have personalities, story to tell and their own GEM style. They make it happen for themselves all over the world and follow GEMOLOGUE by Liza Urla

Name: Xenia Tchoumitcheva

Alma Mater: University of Lugano, Switzerland

Occupation: Owner of  Chic Overdose, business woman

Xenia Tchoumitcheva is a swiss-italian entrepreneur with Russian origins. Based between London, Switzerland and the USA, she travels constantly the world while pursuing her own branding business, as well as her speeches at conferences and TV hosting.

HOMETOWN: Lugano, Switzerland

LOCATION AT TIME OF INTERVIEW: South Kensington secret location, in the very cultured area of the museums and the Royal Albert Hall, next to Hyde Park and in the middle of a cultural melting pot – I couldn’t love a place more

IN THE BEGINNING: Even though I never quit my studies, I started modelling at 12 – I saw a kids fashion show in a mall and dragged my parents to a modelling agency

SWITZERLAND DEBUT: I ended up first runner up at Miss Switzerland at only 18 years old, which catapulted me into the national press on a daily basis. Celebrity status brought me to be able to host TV in Switzerland, Italy and Ukraine, be the face of several brands such as Revlon, Nikon or Mercedes Benz. I was even elected “Most Beautiful Woman of the Year” by Maxim magazine, which brought me to work in Spain, France and the USA

LONDON DEBUT: Thanks to chic overdose, a webmag about fashion & travel, and my large social media following I get to collaborate with brands everywhere in the world. I was recently in London to shoot for an event with Versace and Disaronno and last year I walked on the catwalk at the London Fashion Week for the new brand Rohmir

ICONS & INFLUENCES: Sheryl Sandberg, Sophia Amorouso and even Tamara Mellon – strong women that aren’t afraid of standing in high heels and creating a legacy at the same time. And be respected for that

TOPSHOP OR CHANEL: To be fair a mix of the two, Topshop because it is easy and I can simply use it for a couple of times then buy a new piece, whereas my Chanel pieces tend to be more classic and long-lasting ones: a jacket, a pair of boots or the classic and timeless bags

ONLINE SHOPPING: Definitely – I’m a big believer in online shopping from Net-A-Porter to Farfetch. I am about to launch my own products exclusively on the internet, so please stay tuned and watch closely my social media (Instagram, Facebook) and chic overdose

FIRST JEWELLERY: My mom got my ears pierced at the age of 7 – those were my first gold earrings

MY EVERYDAY JEWELLERY: I never take off my Bvlgari ring, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier bracelets, mostly because I like to have something on my wrist – but maybe I somehow believe there’s a tiny bit of superstition in it too: they bring me luck

ROLEX OR CARTIER I am Swiss, I’m crazy about watches and always wear one. I love my Patek Philippe – I got a good deal on it and it was my guilty pleasure – a present I gave myself to celebrate a big contract

FINE JEWELLERY: Something timeless and full of meaning, when I can – I always try to gift jewellery – as I hope it will carry a long-lasting memory of that moment

VINTAGE JEWELLERY: I adore the vintage jewellery that my mother and my grand-mother gifted me – it carries my family heritage and acquires a deeper value

FASHION JEWELLERY: Chanel or crazy creative jewels that brands send me to talk about on my blog

THE FUTURE OF JEWELLERY: Flexible materials, and an all diamond ring like the one from Shawish

DREAM JEWELLERY/WATCH: A parure from Graff

POWER COMES FROM: Trust in life and believe in yourself

PERFECT GATEAWAY: I know I might be weird, but London is my perfect gateway – I love the energy of the city, the smiles and cordiality of the people and the incredible elegance on the streets. I need to cite Samuel Johnson here: “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

COACHELLA OR BURNING MAN: wow, maybe Coachella. But as my job brings me to travel way too much – in my free time I’m more of a couch-surfer

MY WEAPONS OF CHOICE: hard work and determination pays off

WILD WISH: spend a month latin dancing in the Dominican Republic

GEMOLOGUE by Liza Urla is featuring exquisite global discoveries, trendy urban street style, exclusive interviews and rare jewellery reviews – a celebration of fine jewellery, fashion jewellery and vintage jewellery.

I would love to hear what you think by leaving me a comment below. Thank you! Discover more GEM TALKS interviews with Liza Urla!

SHOP MY FAVOURITE JEWELRY ONLINE:

I am extremely happy to announce that my new jewelry book – GEMOLOGUE: Street Jewellery Styles & Styling Tips – is now on Amazon. I’m so excited. It’s the first book of its kind solely dedicated to jewellery. 

You can sign up for GEMOLOGUE newsletter below and I also share  jewellery on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  and Youtube if you’d like to connect, or feel free to say hello info@gemologue.com

GEMOLOGUE jewelry blog by Liza Urla is a celebration of fine, fashion and vintage jewellery featuring talented jewellery designers, trendy urban street style, exclusive interviews and rare jewellery reviews. This jewellery blog’s goal is to encourage and educate about jewellery online in a fresh and original fashion to inspire women and men across the globe in a fashion and travelling context.

Jewellery blogger, writer Liza Urla, the founder of GEMOLOGUE, is a London-based and NYC-educated gemologist, who has travelled to and lived in many countries. She is now one of the most influential digital jewellery tastemakers. Her jewellery influence has been acknowledged by Financial Times, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

*Photographed by Julia Flit. Styling and Art Direction by Liza Urla. All photos belong to GEM Kreatives for GEMOLOGUE.

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