Move over, old-school tycoons—there’s a new Queen in Jackson Heights. Surya Maharjan, the powerhouse behind Queens Diamond & Jewelry, was just crowned the 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce.
At a glitzy Manhattan reception themed “Celebrating Exceptional Women Leaders,” Surya proved that you don’t need a silver spoon if you’ve got a Gorkhali backbone. Her journey is the ultimate hustle: she started as a teacher in Nepal, grinded through five years of intense diamond training in Mumbai, and landed in the U.S. in 2005 with a young family and zero English.
Fast forward to today, and she’s running a jewelry empire in one of the world’s most cutthroat markets. While the "Big Three" politicians back home are busy arguing over who gets the biggest chair, Surya is out here actually making the Nepali diaspora look like the global elite we are.
From teaching kids to grading diamonds, she’s the definition of "Gorkhali Grit." So, the next time someone tells you the American Dream is dead, show them Surya. She didn't just find the dream; she polished it, set it in gold, and sold it back to New York.
image credit: https://www.facebook.com/queensdiamond
Read the full "Diamond in the Rough" story here: https://nepyork.com/2026/03/27/surya-maharjan...
What’s your excuse again? If a teacher from Nepal can rule the New York diamond trade, surely you can finish that side hustle.