Midtown Diamonds was started in March of 2017, by Erik Ottmann, a Reno local, and son of Tim Ottmann, retired owner of the now closed Gem Gallery, a Reno mainstay for over 30 years. Erik grew up in the business, and found his passion for the arts, including jewelry design and drawing, at a very young age. As a kid, Erik could often be found at The Gem Gallery, sitting quietly in Tim's office, sketching the afternoon away, constantly bothering his dad for new stones and ideas to use.
Erik attended McQueen High School, where he played on the Golf Team and continued to develop his artisitc talents. Upon graduating in 2009, Erik attended The University of Nevada, Reno. While in college, he worked at Wolf Run Golf Course in the summer. When winter came, he began working for his dad at The Gem Gallery. It was durnig these times that Erik found his passion for helping his customers design their dream piece of jewlery, while providing excellent service and experience. He began to work soley at the Gem Gallery while finsihing college, and upon graduating in 2014, was hired full time as the Marketing and Bridal Specialist.
When talk began of Tim's retirement in 2015, Erik decided he wanted to continue the family traditon, but with his own twist. After many conversations amongst their family and employees, it was decided that The Gem Gallery would close with a Retirement Sale for Tim and the end of 2016, celebrating the store's 31 years in business, and Tim's 40+ years of work in the jewelry industry. It was at this time that Erik began the search for the perfect location for what he envisioned for his store, and he could only think of one area: Midtown
After several moths of searching, and a few locations availible, Erik decided on the spot at 777 S. Center St. on the corner of Center and Cheney. Many longtime Reno residents recognze this spot as the old Maytan Music building, although the building iteslf has undergone quite the transformation. Although there were still many decisions to be made, Erik knew one thing: he did not want this space to feel like your everyday jewelery store. Such an amazing location needed its own style and design. After signing the lease in June of 2016, the next 9 months were spent designing, and redesigning, the new store, with construction beggining in December of 2016.
