Aslam Bakshi was 21 and living in India when he had the opportunity to move to the Caribbean for a job in a jewelry store, where he became a top seller. When his boss’s invitation to help open a store in Miami met obstacles, he worked for other Miami companies before opening his own, Diamond Images, 15 years ago. Although his wife, Rubina, is his only co-worker in their Miami office, which is retail focused, every custom piece is made from scratch in his building; many of his 300 neighbors are manufacturers. In the beginning, he says, he would drive 80 miles to make $150 profit on repair jobs. Now he has 182 5-Star Google reviews, his sweet spot in retail sales is $20,000 to $100,000 and he imports diamonds for other retailers, some of whom make jewelry for rappers.
