Earning respect when entering the family business can be hard. Taking the business to a whole new level can feel impossible. But Oscar Stone did both of these things. By age 27, he has not only joined his father’s pawn shop business, but he’s a GIA Accredited Gemologist and operates the high-end jewelry retailer, Oscar Stone NYC.
When Oscar was a young man, his father asked him to join him at the family pawn shop. At the time, Oscar was very hesitant. He had plans to work a more secure job as a financial analyst. But curiosity took hold, and Oscar decided to join his father. “I took over the family business at the very young age of 20, and since then I have done everything to grow the business. After a short and very successful start to my career, I could not see myself doing anything else,” says Oscar Stone.
Oscar found a passion for jewelry, just as many before him in his family had. Because of his age, he had to earn clients’ and employees’ respect, since they didn’t take him seriously at first. Even though he grew up around jewelry and in the gold industry, he discovered that he didn’t possess the same skills as someone with more experience. Oscar saw the potential that came with diamonds, so he pursued diamond jewelry on his own. Now, he is an expert in all things hip-hop jewelry and works with many high-end clients.
The challenges of running a business keeps Oscar sharp. He believes that he can achieve anything he sets his mind to with persistence and controlled risk. Even when Oscar Stone NYC was looted over the summer of 2020, during the height of the George Floyd protests, he refused to let it end him. “Heart broken and close to closing my doors for good, I decided to rally my strength alongside my team and family and reopen in only two weeks,” says Oscar Stone.
Oscar believes success is the freedom to do anything you want without fear. Breaking free of tradition, he is helping people build expertly crafted pieces that showcase their success and style.
