Gary Holsten begins inspecting stones for another piece of jewelry at his shop Holsten Jewelers, helping keep his family's business alive for more than a century now.

"We are a third-generation store that my grandfather started back in 1912 in Vienna, Austria," Holsten said. "He came here in the late thirties, and we opened up a store in Lower Manhattan. We were there for about 20 years, and then continued up to Washington Heights, the Bronx and then here in Scarsdale. We opened up in 1975."

As the years went on, the business has stayed a family affair with the help from both blood and chosen relatives.

"My daughter is part of the business…my sister comes in on occasional Saturdays to help out, and then all the other people who are here are people that I'll say we consider family after so many years. We see each other more than they do their families."

That includes two of his trusted partners, Naima Brown and Jessica Bergman.

"We try to individualize each piece," said Brown, who runs custom orders at the shop. "One of the greatest things that we get is when people come back in with like tears...It's nice to dream in gemstones."

"People feel comfortable with us," added Bergman, who is the Head of Sales at the shop. "We joke. We're very sarcastic. It's just the way that we are…we're trying to make it less sterile and less like a transaction, and more like an experience that they're having here... I just feel like I want to keep doing this forever."

Holsten said that familial connection has ultimately expanded to his customers, which he says is a wonderful feeling.

"The one beautiful thing about our industry is that it is an industry of happiness, and we can share that in engagements, anniversaries [and] birthdays," he said. "The feeling that everyone has when they come into the store is this feeling of warmth and family. I think that is one of the reasons why we have maintained the type of business we have. People don't get intimidated here...There are more hugs that take place in the store on a yearly basis than in most places."

Holsten Jewelers is located at 5 Harwood Ct. in Scarsdale. To schedule an appointment for a specific service like a repair or custom design, make an appointment here.