47 Years of Venus Jewelers: Five Generations, One Legacy

Some businesses are built from a business plan. Others are built one relationship, one risk, and one generation at a time.

For Venus Jewelers, the story began long before our doors opened in Somerset, New Jersey. It began with a family tradition of jewelry and watchmaking, a move across the world, and a belief that if you take care of people and do the right thing, everything else will follow.

This year, as Venus Jewelers celebrates 47 years in Somerset, we sat down with Peter and Jason Stavrianidis to look back at where we came from…and where we're going next.

From Europe to New York: Where the Venus Story Began

Jewelry was already in the family long before there was a Venus Jewelers.

In 1962, George Stavrianidis emigrated to the United States from Europe with his wife, Eli, and their children, Peter and Dora. George came from generations of jewelers and brought his watchmaking skills with him to a new country.

After working as a watchmaker for prestigious Swiss watchmaker Piaget, George and Eli took a chance on something of their own. In 1972, they opened Venus Jewelers in Astoria, Queens.

Then, in 1979, George and his daughter Dora opened a second Venus Jewelers - this time in Somerset, New Jersey.

It was the beginning of the Venus Jewelers that thousands of New Jersey families know today.

The Career Peter Never Planned

When we asked Peter how he got started in the jewelry business, his answer wasn't quite what you'd expect from someone who would eventually spend nearly five decades building one.

He wasn't planning on becoming a jeweler. He was planning to go to law school.

When his father considered selling or closing the Queens store after the family's move to New Jersey, Peter challenged him on the decision. George challenged him right back: “If you think you can do it, take over.”

Peter thought he'd step in temporarily. Forty-seven years later, it's safe to say the temporary job stuck.


After earning his MBA from Baruch College and building experience in jewelry manufacturing, Peter officially became a partner in 1987, helping usher Venus into a new technological era while holding onto the values his father had built the business around.

Over the decades, those values helped turn customers into longtime clients, and longtime clients into something closer to extended family.

Today, Peter sees that community as one of his father's greatest legacies.

When we asked what George would think if he could walk into Venus Jewelers today, Peter didn't hesitate.

He believes his father would be incredibly proud. Not simply of how much the store has grown, but of how Venus has served its community, the friendships that have been made along the way, and seeing his grandson Jason emerge as the next generation of the family business.

The Lesson That Still Guides the Family

There is one lesson from George that Peter has carried with him throughout his career. And it’s a lesson he hopes Jason will carry forward.

At the end of the day, George believed you should be able to look at yourself and ask:

“Did I do the right thing today?”

For Peter, that's the heart of the business.

When we asked what he wants Jason to keep exactly the same when he eventually takes over Venus, the answer was simple: integrity. Peter sees that quality in his son already.

He also sees something familiar in Jason's ambition. His advice? Slow down sometimes. Enjoy the ride. Celebrate the small wins instead of always racing toward the next milestone.

In many ways, Jason represents the meeting point between two versions of Venus. Peter and the generations before him keep one foot firmly planted in the old-school values of the jewelry business: relationships, reputation, expertise and your word meaning something.

Jason is bringing the other foot forward with technology, social media, education and a desire to share Venus with an audience far beyond Somerset.

But when Peter talks about his son, it's not the technology or business growth that makes him proudest.

It's the person he's become.

Peter admires Jason's maturity, his ability to communicate and speak publicly, and especially the way he cares about the people on the Venus team. He sees in Jason a maturity and confidence that he feels gives his son an advantage he didn't necessarily have at the same age.

Growing Up at Venus

Jason's path into the family business sounds surprisingly similar to his father's in one important way:

He wasn't planning on it either.

“I did not expect that this would be my career,” Jason told us.

Jason and his brothers grew up around Venus. Weekends at the store were simply part of childhood. But during one summer in high school, Jason began working at Venus part-time and something changed.


He discovered that he loved working with clients. He became interested in jewelry and gemology. He loved being part of the team and helping people celebrate some of the biggest moments of their lives.

The career he hadn't planned on began to feel completely natural.

In 2019, Jason officially joined Venus Jewelers, representing the family's fifth generation.

And in 2025, he earned his Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), becoming one of the youngest members of his class to receive the distinction.



For Jason, carrying on the family business isn't something he takes lightly.

“It’s inspiring,” he told us.

He thinks about his grandparents arriving in America in the 1960s, with George not speaking a word of English, and the obstacles they had to overcome to create a life and find their purpose here.

And then he thinks even further back.

Five generations of jewelers.

From his ancestors working in jewelry generations ago to Jason standing in Somerset, New Jersey in 2026, continuing the same craft, the connection isn't lost on him.

A Father, a Son and Everything Passed Down Between Them

When we asked Jason what he would want his dad to know about the impact he's had on him, the answer went far beyond jewelry.

Jason credits Peter with helping shape the person he is today.

His leadership. His confidence. His communication skills. His knowledge of the business.



But more importantly, the morals, ethics and values he carries into his personal and professional life.

“He’s helped me become the best version of myself,” Jason told us.

It's perhaps the most fitting description of what a family business really passes from one generation to another.

It's not simply inventory, a building or a name on the door.

It's a way of doing things.

The Team Member Who Has Seen Almost All of It

There's another person whose story is intertwined with nearly the entire history of Venus in Somerset: General Manager Igor.

Igor joined Venus Jewelers in 1982, just three years after the Somerset store opened.

Forty-four years later, he's still here.

He has watched the business evolve through decades of changing jewelry styles, new technology, renovations, new generations of customers and new generations of the Stavrianidis family.



Having someone spend more than four decades with one business says something that numbers can't quite capture.

Venus may be a family-owned business, but over 47 years, the definition of family has grown considerably.

It includes the people who work here, the people who have spent their careers here, and the clients who have trusted Venus for engagements, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, repairs, heirlooms and countless ordinary Tuesdays in between.

A New Store for a New Generation

In 2023, Venus Jewelers began a complete transformation of its Somerset showroom.

When the newly renovated store was unveiled in 2024, it represented much more than a fresh look.

It was a physical expression of where Venus was headed.

The store had grown and changed dramatically since 1979, but the philosophy behind it hadn't. The goal was still to create a place where people could feel comfortable asking questions, learning about jewelry and celebrating the moments that matter to them.

Only now, that experience was being reimagined for another generation.

What Do the Next 47 Years Look Like?

Ask Jason that question and his answer isn't small.

His vision is to take Venus to the next level—to build a globally recognized brand known for exceptional customer service, education and, above all, integrity.

He wants Venus to help reinvent what buying jewelry can feel like.

And he wants the impact of the business to extend beyond what happens inside the showroom.

His hope is that Venus can continue to make a difference in people's lives and be, as he puts it, “a beacon of light” not only for Somerset, but eventually far beyond New Jersey.



But sometimes the clearest picture of that future comes from a very small moment.

Jason remembers a man in his 90s who once came into the store looking for a watch. His budget was around $50, and Venus simply didn't have anything in the showcase that fit what he needed. The gentleman left.

Jason watched him slowly making his way back toward his car with his walker. Then Jason ran after him.

He grabbed a Citizen watch from the showcase and gave it to him.

No sale. No expectation. Nothing in return.

“It was one of the best feelings ever,” Jason remembers.

And maybe that's the whole Venus story in one moment.

The store looks different than it did in 1979. The technology is different. The jewelry is different. The way people shop is different.

But 47 years later, the question George taught his family to ask remains exactly the same:

Did I do the right thing today?

For Peter, Jason, Igor and the entire Venus team, that's the legacy worth carrying into the next 47 years.

Come Celebrate 47 Years With Us

And because no Venus anniversary would be complete without a celebration, we're marking 47 years in Somerset with our Anniversary Vault Sale, August 24–29.

Enjoy up to 60% off storewide and join us for more than $500,000 in prizes, including a pre-owned two-tone Rolex Datejust, shopping sprees, Venus gift cards and more.

Did you receive one of our Anniversary Scratch-Offs in the mail? Don't scratch it at home! Bring it into Venus Jewelers and scratch it in-store to reveal your prize.

Didn't receive one? Stop by during the Anniversary Vault Sale—we'll have a scratch-off waiting for you in store.

47 years. Five generations. Thousands of stories. And we're just getting started.



About Venus Jewelers

Venus Jewelers is a family-owned fine jewelry and luxury watch store in Somerset, NJ, serving New Jersey since 1979. With more than 5,300 five-star reviews and certifications through the American Gem Society and GIA, Venus Jewelers is a trusted destination for pre-owned and new luxury timepieces throughout Central New Jersey.

940 Easton Avenue, Suite 11B  •  Somerset, NJ 08873

(732) 247-4454  •  venusjewelers.com