A Diamond Personality - Oscar Rodriguez
Ask Oscar Rodriguez about the dot-com burst and he may grin at you as if to say, “What burst?”
Rodriguez, a 38- years-old entrepreneur, owns an Internet business that sells loose diamond to various buyers. Business is booming for Rodriguez, In 2004, he has sales of $2.06 million-a 140 percent increase from 2003. Rodriguez’s database of almost 60000 diamonds is one of the largest and is valued, according to Rodriguez, at over $350 million. Needless to say, Oscar Rodriguez is optimistic about his business venture.
The future wasn’t always so bright for Rodriguez, however. In 1985, Rodriguez moved from his country, Puerto Rico, to Gainesville, Florida, with little ability to speak English. There, he attended community college and worked at the local mall to support himself. After graduation, his roommate’s girlfriend suggested that he work at a local jeweler. “I thought she was crazy. I didn’t know anything about jewelry,” says Rodriguez, who took her advice. Though he worked hard and received his Diamonds and Diamonds Grading certification from the Gemological institute of America, he wasn’t satisfied with this progress. “I quickly realized that working there; I was just going to get a salary with a raise here and there. I would never become anything.
That drove me to explore other business ventures. I also came to really know diamonds-their pricing and their quality.”
In 1997, tired of working for someone else, Rodriguez decided to open his own jewelry store.
However, business didn’t boom. “Some of my customers were telling me they could find diamonds for less on the Internet. It blew my mind.” Rodriguez recognized an opportunity and began contacting well-known diamond dealers to see if they would be interested in selling their gems online. Roriguez recalls one conversation with a prominent dealer who told him, “You cannot sell diamonds on the Internet. You will not survive.” Discouraged, Rodriguez then says that he made a mistake. “I stopped
Rodriguez, a 38- years-old entrepreneur, owns an Internet business that sells loose diamond to various buyers. Business is booming for Rodriguez, In 2004, he has sales of $2.06 million-a 140 percent increase from 2003. Rodriguez’s database of almost 60000 diamonds is one of the largest and is valued, according to Rodriguez, at over $350 million. Needless to say, Oscar Rodriguez is optimistic about his business venture.
The future wasn’t always so bright for Rodriguez, however. In 1985, Rodriguez moved from his country, Puerto Rico, to Gainesville, Florida, with little ability to speak English. There, he attended community college and worked at the local mall to support himself. After graduation, his roommate’s girlfriend suggested that he work at a local jeweler. “I thought she was crazy. I didn’t know anything about jewelry,” says Rodriguez, who took her advice. Though he worked hard and received his Diamonds and Diamonds Grading certification from the Gemological institute of America, he wasn’t satisfied with this progress. “I quickly realized that working there; I was just going to get a salary with a raise here and there. I would never become anything.
That drove me to explore other business ventures. I also came to really know diamonds-their pricing and their quality.”
In 1997, tired of working for someone else, Rodriguez decided to open his own jewelry store.
However, business didn’t boom. “Some of my customers were telling me they could find diamonds for less on the Internet. It blew my mind.” Rodriguez recognized an opportunity and began contacting well-known diamond dealers to see if they would be interested in selling their gems online. Roriguez recalls one conversation with a prominent dealer who told him, “You cannot sell diamonds on the Internet. You will not survive.” Discouraged, Rodriguez then says that he made a mistake. “I stopped