Stuart Dunkin embraces charity work, says passion will drive success

Gulf & Main1 Sep 2016 BY CRAIG GARRETT

Meet the Diamond Man

When Stuart Dunkin turns his attention to a project, something good is going to happen. Southwest Florida’s “Diamond Man” today is embracing charitable causes such as the Lee Memorial Health Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, United Way and the March of Dimes.

Dunkin appreciates those who give back and in 2015 honored Dr. Gary and Marlene Price for their strong advocacy in private and professional endeavors. The Fort Myers couple has long supported indigent medical care, law enforcement and faithbased communities. Gary Price pioneered concierge medicine, receiving a White House commendation.

Considering the success of Dunkin’s Diamonds, it’s a safe bet more goodwill is imminent. “Those blessed with success should never stop caring, giving back. I enjoy it,” says Dunkin, who is 70 and opened his first retail shop at age 17.

Dunkin’s story is unusual, starting his business in high school—and he was a seasoned worker at that point, having handled chores as a boy in his family’s modest jewelry shop in Mansfield, Ohio. A starter loan allowed Dunkin to open a small jewelry shop in nearby Shelby, a small Ohio town of one barbershop, one shoe store and the one jewelry shop. “That was it,” Dunkin says, recalling that diamond engagement rings more than 50 years ago sold for $59 to $89, not exactly the luxury retailing that today marks Dunkin’s Diamonds.

Dunkin’s professional relationships induced a bit of good fortune. He opened a jewelry store in a mall in Madison, Wisconsin, where his custom jewelry and strict attention to service allowed for growth, eventually expanding to 14 retail shops. “This was before computers and the tools we have now,” Dunkin says. “It was a lot of work.”

Dunkin sold his chain, took the proceeds to Miami, planning his next move from the old Jockey Club, which in its time attracted celebrities, world travelers and, of course, famous jockeys such as Eddie Arcaro. “I was just thrilled,” Dunkin says of his new life, which included an introduction to backgammon, a game he mastered and played as a top amateur. His

Those blessed with success should never stop caring, giving back.” —Stuart Dunkin

backgammon mentorship was with a clutch of retired women― board-game assassins, he says, smiling at the memory.

Dunkin then started again in Ohio, opening a business that evolved into Dunkin’s Diamonds & Gold in Tampa, and eventually to shops in Fort Myers, where he became “The Diamond Man.” Today, he has several showrooms in Ohio and Florida, all providing fine-quality diamond jewelry and designs, and the same attention to service that has made him successful from the beginning. His firm has some 200 designers, salespeople and office staff, many with decades in the business ―two close associates have been with Dunkin since his early days, he says.

So, is there a secret to success, a path to follow that would allow a young entrepreneur to succeed? “Stick with what you know,” Dunkin says, “and have a passion for it. Love what you do. Money usually follows.”

Learn more at dunkinsdiamonds.com