Sriram “Ram” Natarajan is now GIA’s senior vice president of laboratory operations and is based out of the lab’s headquarters in Carlsbad.
Orin Jewelers to Close Garden City Store Amid Consolidation
The family-owned jeweler opened its first showroom in Garden City, Michigan in 1953.

Garden City, Mich.—Orin Jewelers is closing its Garden City location after 67 years as it shifts focus to its location in nearby Northville.
The first Garden City showroom opened in 1953 when founders Orin and Mary Mazzoni and their four children moved into the two-bedroom apartment above the store.
The couple had twenty years of experience under their belts, having opened their first jewelry store in Weirton, West Virginia in 1933.
Orin left school in the sixth grade but built his reputation as a skilled watchmaker with an eye for craftsmanship and service.
In 1965, Orin moved the store to a new location in Garden City, a stately building that was the former home of the National Bank of Detroit and City Hall.
SEE: A Look Back at Orin Jewelers
In 1969, Orin retired, leaving the family business to his son, Orin Jr., who had just returned from serving in the United States Army.
He grew up in the store and worked there alongside his sisters Caroline and Joyce and his brother Michael.
Orin Jr. went on to earn his Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America in 1977.
The family opened a second showroom in downtown Northville in 1983.
A staple in the local community, the store donated to charitable causes and offered an annual scholarship in Orin and Mary Mazzoni’s name for a graduating senior at Garden City and Northville High Schools, as well as a scholarship for incoming freshmen at Detroit Catholic Central High School.
Orin Jr. was on the board of the Michigan Retailers Association for several years and served as chairman from 2016 to 2018.
Orin Jr., and his sister Joyce, have worked in the Garden City location for more than 50 years.
For Orin Jr., the best part of the job is helping generations of families celebrate special moments.
Now celebrating his 74th birthday, he has decided to consolidate stores to preserve the family business, leaving the Northville location in the hands of his youngest daughter Antoinette.
Like the generation before her, Antoinette, her brother Orin III, and sister Gina grew up in the family store.
After college, Orin III and Gina both worked there for more than 10 years, earning their Graduate Gemologist degrees, then moving to California to work in the fine jewelry industry.
Antoinette took some time to travel, living in Italy and Chicago.
She and her husband moved back to Michigan in 2014 to raise their children
Antoinette is currently studying for her GIA Graduate Diamond certification.
“I have always had a true love for my family’s jewelry business, and now have the opportunity to learn all I can from my dad,” said Antoinette in a press release.
“We are a very close family and I bounce ideas back and forth with my brother and sister.”
Her mother Tina described her as “a breath of fresh air, calm and confident, the ideal personality to take the family business into the future.”
“Our customers are in good hands,” said her father, Orin Jr.
Orin Jewelers shared the news with customers on its Facebook page and announced it would be hosting a jewelry sale at its Garden City location starting Aug. 10.
The sale will last until the store’s inventory has been sold.
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