Owners Gary and Cheryl Sanchez with daughters Lauren and Danielle Sanchez and longtime partner David Santos.
ABOUT US
Celebrating 40 years in business in 2024, Gary Sanchez began his career in jewelry while in the Coast Guard in 1984. One day, while returning to his base in St. Peters- burg, FL, he donned a gold necklace he had just purchased on shore. Gary sold that gold chain off of his neck. The men then began to talk about the fact that they liked jewelry, but hated shopping for it. Gary had a different experience. He actually enjoyed shopping for jewelry and finding the best prices. The crew began asking Gary to purchase for them, and that was the birth of his business. When his term ended, he re-evaluated his GI Bill and realized he didn’t have enough money for college. He took the $2,500, hired one employee, and opened a small kiosk in a local mall. After three weeks, Gary had thousands of dollars in deposits towards the sample jew- elry he had in his kiosk. Gary’s high school sweetheart and wife, Cheryl, joined him and was responsible for the bookkeeping and accounting. She acts as CFO of Diamonds Direct today. Gary soon hired a 15-year-old high school student named David who regularly spent time at the mall with his friends. Gary approached the familiar face and asked if he wanted a job. A friendship was born. David is now the COO of Diamonds Direct. The kiosk business was short-lived as Gary soon moved into a storefront. He subscribed to every trade magazine possible and further extended his education with GIA and IJO College. The storefront was located in a part of town that experts deemed undesirable. It was the only real estate available within Gary’s reach. Shortly after moving into the storefront, he was burglarized. He lost everything. Gary and Cheryl had no choice but to start over. He flew to Antwerp, Belgium to restock his lost diamonds and sparked a tradition to fly overseas twice a year to import diamonds. Gary still flies to Antwerp for diamonds today. Gary began to design. His designs caught on and he implemented the use of CAD/ CAM. Gary has since been commissioned by organizations such as The Salvador Dali Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum, Mahaffey Theater, and The Junior League of St. Petersburg.
SUNDIAL 117 Second Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 867-4006
DIAMONDS DIRECT TODAY
After decades of building a strong portfolio of designs and a stellar reputation with a wide client base–regardless of his location–Gary was asked to move to the city’s newest iconic lifestyle center, Sundial. At Sundial, he and his youngest daughter, Danielle, designed the store of his dreams. His wife and oldest daughter, Lauren, organized the transfer of inventory and files. The new location opened in 2014 and has become the premier destination for tourists and locals alike. Opening day brought every local news channel. They all agree on one thing: This is a store you MUST see for yourself.
2 • DIAMONDS DIRECT
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