Though the star of the show at Reflections in Gold has always been the family matriarch, Liz Maggio, her husband, Tony; and grandson, Tony III, have a special bond.
“Tony III really admires his grandfather,” says Liz, who started as a hairdresser in New York City while selling jewelry on the side.
“My grandfather raised me,” says Tony III, now 31. “My mother would drop me off at daycare at 7 a.m., and he’d pick me up by 9 a.m. He wanted to teach me what he knew.”
Starting in the business by taking out the trash, Tony III quickly earned a seat on the jeweler’s bench.
“When I was 7 or 8, Grandpa taught me how to do watch batteries,” Tony III says. “He taught me how to use saw blades, how to do chain repair and ring sizing.”
“I had him cut the eagle out of a quarter, and he did it perfectly,” the elder Tony says.
Founded nearly 40 years ago, the Maggio family’s Reflections in Gold includes Tony III’s younger sister, Nicole, as well as his fiancée, Khia.
“Grandpa retired a few years ago,” Tony III says. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn't know how to shave or do anything. I learned customer service from Grandma, but I learned how to negotiate from him. When they first came down here, Grandpa worked as a security guard at Venice Hospital while Grandma started the business. Grandpa is gifted at getting what he wants. He calls it ‘interrogation by conversation.’ He never takes no for an answer and always finds a way to make the customer happy.”
Tony III says he always felt supported by his grandfather.
“When I was younger and soldering a ring,” Tony III says, “Grandpa always made it fun and about learning. He would tease and distract me, and I would lose focus and grab the ring and burn my fingers. But everyone who has ever been on the bench goes through that. He always wanted me to succeed.”
“I giggled when he grabbed that hot ring with his bare fingers instead of the tweezers,” the elder Tony says. “He wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t a serious burn, and he learned not to do that again.”
Now, Tony III loves making custom designs.
“Customers come in, and we doodle designs together until they see the piece they want,” Tony III says. “It’s my favorite part of the business, designing jewelry that will stay in people’s families for years.”
Of his grandfather, Tony III says, “I always had him to depend on. He comes across as a big, brash New Yorker. But he’s a teddy bear. He taught me everything I know.”
“Tony’s doing a wonderful job at every aspect of the business,” the elder Tony says. “That’s why I can lay back now. I’m not needed there. I love him dearly.”
Reflections in Gold
1975 Tamiami Trail S, Venice
941.493.1911, ReflectionsInGold.com
