【Oviedo, Spai】Farewell to Antonio Goycoa, the Entrepreneur Who Filled Asturias’ Jewelry Stores with Gold and Diamonds

A specialist in gold and diamonds, who supplied jewelry stores throughout Asturias in a business he founded 50 years ago, passed away on Friday.

Antonio Goycoa.
/ LNE

Juan A. Ardura
Oviedo
27 AUG 2025 4:08
Updated 27 AUG 2025 10:40

The Basilica of San Juan Real bid farewell this past weekend to Antonio Goycoa, the jewelry wholesaler whose greatest treasure “were his friends,” in the words of Patricia, one of his daughters, who continues the family business, established half a century ago in the heart of Oviedo on González del Valle Street.

Antonio Goycoa died last Friday at the age of 85, after an illness that manifested brutally last May. He leaves behind an intense life, spent between his native Galicia and Asturias, where he initially came for work but eventually put down deep roots. Born in La Coruña, his youthful preferences leaned toward a military career, which always attracted him. In fact, he passed the entrance exam for the Military Academy but, orphaned by his mother at age eight and later by his father, was forced to change plans and set aside his army studies. “After losing his father at 18, his brother, who was director of the company Tobaris, offered him representation for the Galicia and Asturias region, and he, being a very sociable person and a very good salesman, prioritized the economic situation. He began traveling with that representation, earning a very good living,” his daughter recounts.

The company was dedicated to distributing various and very different products. “My father used to tell us that back then he even sold hair rollers,” reveals one of Goycoa’s four children, who gradually gravitated toward the jewelry sector. “Little by little, with the money he earned, he bought his own gold merchandise to start his first company. His beginnings were in an office in Mieres, where he met my mother when he was 26 years old,” comments Patricia Goycoa. The couple married and moved to Oviedo in 1975, where they launched the jewelry wholesale firm, “which we, his daughters, continue now.” Antonio Goycoa is an example of a self-made entrepreneur. From working as a sales representative for another company to creating his own, he specialized in all types of jewelry, such as diamonds. His dedication and determination to learn the secrets of a sector that was not small, but rather quite the opposite, led him to travel extensively abroad. But despite working with the most precious metals and valuable minerals, he valued his relationships with friends more. “He was always a very sociable and generous person. A great friend to his coworkers. Whenever he could do someone a favor, he did. That’s what he valued most in life. He said his treasure was his friends. He was a very splendid, very welcoming person and was also very loved,” says Patricia Goycoa of her father. The affection and support have been felt by his family during these days of mourning, during which they have felt very accompanied. “People have come from Galicia, from Madrid, just to shake his hand and say goodbye,” reveals his daughter.

That youthful military vocation led Antonio Goycoa to maintain a close relationship with commanders of the Civil Guard, the Police, and the Army. He was also a member of the Royal Golf Club of La Barganiza. Although he established himself professionally in Asturias, he remained very connected to his native La Coruña, where his family was closely linked to the world of culture. His sister Mercedes, a pianist, was president of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Galicia, and he was a great music lover and reader. “He had a prodigious memory and was passionate about law,” details his daughter Patricia. And he was a lover of the sea, so the Royal Nautical Club of La Coruña was “like his home” when he was in his native Galicia. In fact, his life for a long time alternated between Oviedo and La Coruña, until just a few months ago.