From war-torn Beirut to Beverly Hills: The American dream of jeweler Leon Haytayan
BY LA Stories Staff Beverly Hills
PUBLISHED 6:00 AM PT May 12, 2025
Born in Beirut to a family shattered by the Armenian Genocide, Leon Haytayan grew up in hardship. At just 11 years old, he stepped in to help run his father’s shoe business, selling shoes and buying merchandise to contribute to his family’s needs.
While he says he felt proud to help his parents in this way, he dreamed of making it in America.
When Haytayan was 20 years old, he arrived in Los Angeles with only $300 in his pocket, driven by the dream of building a better life.
“I knew that I had a better future here than if I were there,” he said. “If I stayed behind, I don’t think I would have been alive today.”
In a new episode of “LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez,” Haytayan shares his journey in pursuit of the American dream.
Starting off working at gas stations to make ends meet, he worked his way into the jewelry business.
From a modest booth in LA’s Jewelry Mart, Haytayan built a multimillion-dollar jewelry empire known today for its dazzling presence on Brighton Way.
His showroom offers the most exquisite fine jewelry and remarkably crafted lookalikes, making luxury accessible to all.
“The most important [thing] is for people to know that even though it’s Beverly Hills, there are $50 earrings they can buy, that there is a $100 bracelet they can wear,” Haytayan said. “I don’t want them to feel intimidated.”
His commitment to making everyone feel welcome and adorned reflects the same spirit of generosity with which he was embraced in America.
As an Armenian living in Los Angeles, Haytayan is proud of the success both he and his family have brought to this country.
To him, finding that success helps make the world a more diverse, better place.
“America is part of the thread of a world carpet. Each culture is a string of wool, silk, or cotton in that carpet,” he said. “And we are all part of that. Each one is a thread in there, and that’s how we bring our culture and knowledge to make the carpet complete.”