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A long, rich history of jewelry making and a love of design shared by Max Bartashnik and his late father, Viktor, is at the heart of Midtown Manhattan-based firm M&V Vanguard Jewelry. Known for its exquisite custom-made diamond engagement rings, bands, pendant necklaces, bracelets and other accessories, M&V Vanguard continues a family legacy that began in Ukraine more than 50 years ago.

Following many years of training in design and jewelry making in his native Ukraine, Viktor established himself as a master craftsman of diamond jewelry. From an early age, Max displayed a keen interest in the art of jewelry design and apprenticed under his father until they moved to the United States.

After they arrived in New York City, Max continued to hone the skills he learned in his father’s workshop and secured a job with iconic American luxury house Tiffany & Co. He left a bit more than five years later, and his next move was to establish his own firm alongside his father, designing and creating jewelry from a booth on 47th Street in New York City’s Diamond District in 2002.

Later, Viktor and Max decided to grow their fledgling business. In 2015, M&V Vanguard Jewelry expanded — they opened a manufactory at Rockefeller Center. The duo enlisted the support of a team of jewelers and setters to design and produce modernist and Art Deco-inspired cocktail rings, three-stone rings, drop earrings and other pieces that feature colored diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in 18-karat gold and platinum.

When Viktor died in 2020, Max broadened operations at M&V so that the company’s areas of specialty now include design, manufacturing, retail, and importantly, the family-owned business has implemented an education program — a plan that Viktor and Max had put together when the company initially began to expand. Budding jewelers can now look to M&V for training in their field, just as Max learned the art of jewelry making from his father years ago. 

Find M&V Vanguard Jewelry rings, earrings and necklaces on 1stDibs.