Building EDC From the Ground Up
When Sonu opened EDC in 2001, Dayton already had plenty of jewelers. What it didn't have was a shop run by an owner who would hand-pick every line, watch the inventory like a hawk, and treat each customer like a guest at her home. That gap is what she set out to fill.
Trained at the Gemological Institute of America, Sonu brings a credentialed gemologist's eye to every diamond and gemstone that lands in the cases at EDC. Walk in on any given afternoon and you'll likely see her on the floor, talking with a couple about engagement rings or helping a long-time client redesign an heirloom. That hands-on style is rare for a shop voted Dayton's Best four years running.
Sonu Misra, Owner and Founder of Elizabeth Diamond Company
Two things shape how Sonu runs the business, the jewelry on the cases and the people behind the counter. She believes the right designer pieces tell a story, so she has spent years building relationships with names like Tacori, Simon G, Fana, Michael M, and Kirk Kara. Some of those collections are exclusive to EDC in the region.
Sonu cares as much about service as she does about what's in the cases. Her team includes two bench jewelers with more than 60 years of combined experience, a certified watchmaker, and a GIA Graduate Gemologist on staff. From the first sit-down about a custom ring to a resizing job ten years later, the goal stays the same. Make people feel like family, not transactions.
That same know-how shows up online too, where the EDC blog covers engagement ring trends, precious metals, everyday styling, and what makes a custom piece worth the wait.
Her custom design process works the same way. Clients sit down for a free first chat, walk through CAD drawings, review a wax model, and tweak the piece until it feels right. The process is built around the customer, not the calendar.
Standing With Dayton Families Through Hard Times
Sonu's reach goes well past her shop, and the reason traces back to a scare in her own family. Years before her biggest fundraising push, her daughter went through testing for lymphoma. Her family waited two long days for the results before learning their daughter was in the clear. That moment stuck with her, and she made a promise to help the parents on the other side of that wait, the ones who hear the worst news instead of relief.
That promise turned into action. In 2014, Sonu was named Woman of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after raising $145,000 in a ten-week campaign for blood cancer research, money that helped fund work to improve treatment for kids and adults fighting these diseases.
She also serves on the Women's Board of Dayton Children's Hospital, a 36-member group whose fundraising supports the hospital's HELP Fund. The board also runs a careers seminar for local high schoolers and volunteers at the Schear Activity Center.
What Keeps Her Behind the Counter
Ask Sonu why she's still as involved as she was on day one and the answer comes back to people. The couples picking out engagement rings. The grandparents bringing in a worn wedding band their daughter wants to wear at her own wedding. The repeat clients who stop in to chat as much as to shop. After more than two decades, EDC still feels personal to her, full of stories she helped write and plenty more she hasn't written yet.
