STONED Fine Jewelry - A New Way To Shop Luxuriously
STONED Fine Jewelry, founded by entrepreneur Eve Gay, is a concierge service for fine jewelry. With the world evolving, STONED is your one-stop-shop for all your diamond, precious stone, and fine jewelry needs. STONED is a contactless way to shop luxuriously. Conceived and brought to life during COVID, Eve and STONED’s objective is to share with you the convenience, ease, and of course, the luxury of concierge jewelry.
Dominik Severino: So Eve, you started STONED Fine Jewelry (SFJ) during your senior year at Pepperdine, correct?
Eve Gay: Yes I did. We started STONED Fine Jewelry back in November. I was still in school taking on a full schedule, and was doing SFJ on the side. And during all of that, we kind of just blew up!
During your time at Pepperdine, what was it in the moments leading up to November that led you to that “Aha” moment and thus STONED Fine Jewelry?
It was a combination of things. My junior year I really thought I wanted to go into the fashion industry. I had a really great internship lined up with a designer in New York City, and once the pandemic hit it put my plans to a halt. I then had to shift my focus and I started to brainstorm what it is that I wanted to do post graduation. I’ve always had diamond dealers in my life, my family is full of jewelry buyers, and I’ve always loved Jewelry as well. So one day my mother and I decided to just go for it! I started doing research immediately as the pandemic hit. I was taking courses, learning the ins and outs of the industry, acquiring all of the legal documents that we needed, and STONED was born.
You say that SFJ is introducing a new generation to fine jewelry, and a new way to do luxury. What do you mean by that?
I think that having a diamond concierge on speed dial, someone that is going to come to your house is a huge luxury. What we are doing with SFJ is making that very accessible to everyone! As long as you have the internet, a computer, or a phone you can contact me personally. We can discuss what the customer wants, I can show diamonds via zoom and if you want me to come to your house I will. Most younger people put a lot of trust into making online purchases, whereas the older generations are more skeptical about buying online. We want to mix the old and the new ways of dealing diamonds, and bring the importance of investing in jewelry to younger and older generations alike. And now that I am out of school and can devote 100% of my time to SFJ. I’m currently located in Florida, but we are working on expanding all across the U.S. and hopefully we can operate even further.
In terms of being a luxury diamond concierge with an emphasis on accessibility, you’ve also created a line of jewelry made for the ultimate collector as well as the everyday person. What was it that made you want to do that?
Well as I have become quite the collector and my family, especially my grandmother, has always been big collectors, I wanted to make jewelry that can be loved by anyone. My grandmother actually had a stroke back in October, she’s okay now but it was definitely hard on us. She started to give away her jewelry to us, and sharing those memories with her is great. She loves to see me wear the jewelry she gave us and I think it’s really wonderful how you can pass on jewelry to your kids, and they can pass it on to theirs. It’s made to last, it’s not going to break or tarnish, and you have these great memories to pass on from generation to generation. It’s very intimate. Even the bonds you make with clients are intimate. And as you pass on your jewelry, you know that everyone is going to appreciate it.
Absolutely a wonderful and generational experience. One last question, Eve. When someone takes interest in your company and contacts you, then what happens?
I am constantly available for customers and whether it is a call, text, Direct Message on Instagram or email. I always reply as fast as possible and we start looking. They tell us exactly what they are looking for and we make it happen. We search for special pieces, special stones, and we create them together. It is so fun to work with the customers and make their visions come to life.
It really is times like these that some of the best ideas, inventions and businesses come to fruition, and it seems as if Stone Fine Jewelry is one of them.
Thank you! And yes the positive takeaway that I had from this pandemic was having all of the doors open at the right moment. During this pandemic people are not spending as loosely as they once did, and many people are investing into things such as gold, diamonds, and jewelry because they will always hold up to their value. And it’s because of this that once we gathered up some inventory, we sold out on the first night. The universe aligned for us to grow as a company.