Meet Lauren Kaminsky Goldman, ByGoldGirl Influencer and EZ Pawn President

Down on New York City’s Lower East Side sits the unassuming storefront of Beauty & Essex, a hidden sexy and happening lounge. Beauty & Essex is perfectly representative of the changing neighborhood around it: once a grungy hangout for rocker types turned upscale evening hot spot with the perfect dose of New York’s quintessential edginess. To wit, the lightbulbs spelling out “Beauty & Essex” don’t fully mask its former resident’s name (a “fine furniture” retailer) which remains stained to the concrete beneath it.

In continuing this ruggedly glamorous vein, the owners of Beauty & Essex tricked out their entrance way to not look like a posh restaurant with plush banquets and a velvet rope, but a stylized pawn shop. (Imagine an old school New York pawn shop movie set and you have the right idea.) And this purposefully raw looking pawn shop is the purview of 30-year-old Lauren Kaminsky Goldman.

Lauren was tapped by the Tao Group (owners of Beauty & Essex) for this job for her fine taste in jewelry and her unique background in the actual pawn shop business. Lauren is a third-generation pawnbroker and is the chief operating officer and president of EZ Pawn Corp, a veritable New York institution, founded by her grandfather. Before working her way up the ranks of the family business, Lauren was taught how to properly value gold and diamonds and developed an appreciation for the craftsmanship of fine jewelry along the way.

To suit the refined-yet-rough aesthetic of Beauty & Essex, Lauren fills the mismatched display cases with thoughtfully curated jewelry styles, meant to appeal to the fashionable clientele who frequent Beauty & Essex. This kind of tongue-in-cheek take on the pawn shop setting is a way for Lauren to reach new shoppers and to start reversing the negative stereotypes associated with the pawn shops of yesterday.

This holiday season, TrueFacet partnered with Lauren to fill Beauty & Essex’s jewelry cases with specially selected pre-owned jewelry and watch styles, pulled from TrueFacet’s vault. We sat down with Lauren to discuss her must-own jewelry pieces, what she sees as a growing jewelry trend for 2019, and a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace that left an indelible impression on the young collector.

1. Who is ByGoldGirl?
ByGoldGirl is [my pseudonym] as a curator and personal jewelry concierge service. I hand select every piece that is for sale at all Beauty & Essex locations and also offer buying and selling opportunities through my family business, EZ Pawn Corp. As a third generation pawnbroker, I have an eye for great value, but also for unique and classic jewelry pieces that form an heirloom-worthy collection for my buyers.

2.  What is it like being the president of a company at such a young age?
Each day I face new and exciting challenges, but I am passionate about what I do and get to wear many hats based on what’s needed. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

3.  What trends do you expect to have a style revival in 2019?
I love that enamel has been making a come-back, along with more colored stones in fine jewelry. However, the classics will always be my number one pick when building an everlasting collection: tennis bracelets, staple gold chains for layering, diamond bands to stack, earrings for a night out, a dress up watch, and a diamond necklace.

4. What is one of the most surprising pieces that has come across your desk?
Well of course it had to have come from one of the most coveted jewelry brands, Van Cleef & Arpels. I will never forget this necklace. It was a long 18kt rose gold piece that told a story of a “Romance in Paris.” Each station along the long gold chain featured a different storyline—a child holding balloons made of diamonds; a mother looking on, painted in perfectly detailed enamel; and a man and woman embracing under an umbrella. It was truly magnificent and unforgettable. This was one of those great “investment worthy” pieces that made me appreciate the everlasting value of gold and the need to pass to down from generation to generation.

6. What is the one piece of jewelry you never leave the house without?
My engagement ring and diamond studs! I feel naked without at least those two pieces on.

7. What piece of jewelry or watch do you most covet? 
For me, it’s not a specific type of jewelry, but I am always looking to upgrade classic pieces that I already have: bigger studs, more bracelets to layer, rings to stack, etc. However, the most classic piece of jewelry a girl could own is a nice pair of diamond studs.