Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Ortiz.
Hi Isaac, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a first-generation jeweler, I started iO jewelry in 2010 with 12,000 bucks and had not a clue what I was doing but I had a vision of what iO jewelry could and would be so I just started. Initially at the start, I got my first opportunity to start building my name and inventory in San Antonio, Texas I would fly out 3/4x a year to meet my supplier and purchase inventory. The first six years were the toughest of my life failing and failing and failing but at the same time learning from my failures and building from them. From 2012 to 2017, I was at a jewelry store on Hollywood Blvd that I hated every day but I guess that’s where I had to pay my dues, in 2017 I finally moved into my own location in the jewelry district of downtown Los Angeles and it’s been a blessing and I’ve been building iO jewelry for 11 yrs now and it’s crazy because this is just the beginning of iO jewelry. I design jewelry for the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Eddy Reynoso, Ryan Garcia, David Benavidez, Oscar de la Hoya, Nick Diaz to Melvin Gregg, Smokey Robinson, Shawn Merriman & Yasiel Puig and many more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m a first-generation jeweler and absolutely no family money or nepotism so every bit of building iO jewelry was a struggle, especially being that the jewelry industry is very cutthroat and nobody wants to help or point you in the right direction especially if you don’t have a lot of money or have any knowledge of the business. People will definitely take advantage of you or just not deal with you so I had to create everything from nothing! My name to my branding to my clientele and most importantly the quality of my product but no matter what I went through from being robbed and taken advantage of by people you thought were helping, to where I am now, I never let go of the vision of what iO jewelry was going to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
iO jewelry is known for some of the best custom jewelry you can buy. iO jewelry is considered the jeweler of the boxing industry having six world champions as friends and clients. iO jewelry specializes in high-end custom jewelry from earrings, rings, chains and watches to custom jewelry, custom pendants, etc… I’m extremely proud of how far iO jewelry has come and extremely proud of myself for never quitting no matter how I felt or what people said. What sets iO jewelry apart from any other jeweler is first the quality and design of the product second my pricing, you won’t find my quality of jewelry at the prices I offer third “ME” the time and attention and energy I give is unmatched.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love everything about Los Angeles, the opportunity, the smorgasbord of culture, the arrays of different colors and ethnicity. You can be who you are and who you want to be in this city. The freedom of creativity is alive in LA. I do hate the traffic. 🤣
Contact Info:
- Website: iojewelry.gold
- Instagram: @iojewelry
- Twitter: @i_ojewelry
- Youtube: iojewelry
Image Credits
iojewelry
