The Legacy of William Goldberg

The name William Goldberg is synonymous with exquisite diamond jewelry.  Goldberg, only recently died in Oct. 20, 2003, at the age of 77. He started out as a diamond cutter in 1948. He soon found a passion in diamond sales after collaborating with Irving Weiss to found Goldberg & Weiss in 1952. By 1973, Goldberg left to found his own company, the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation. He was elected president of the New York Diamond Dealers Club in 1978 because he was held in such high esteem in the diamond community. Goldberg presided through 1984. Some of his more notable achievements include such as opening the club to the media and allowing women to become members. He was inducted into Gemological Institute of America’s League of Honor in 1995.

He famously traded in rare, well known diamonds. Some of the more notable diamonds included the Queen of Holland diamond, the Premier Rose diamond, the Red Shield diamond and the Pumpkin diamond. The Premier Rose was sold in 1989 for $10 million dollars.

It was likely the most ever paid for a diamond at the time. It came from a 353.9-carat rough diamond he picked off a conveyor belt from a South African diamond mine. It was cut into three flawless diamonds, including the 137-carat pear-shaped Premier Rose.

To honor Goldberg, his estate has contributed a significant charitable gift to the Gemological Institute of America,  establishing  the William Goldberg Endowed Scholarship Fund. This gift will allow for the training of future generations of diamond and jewelry professionals. This gift brings the William Goldberg Diamond Corp.'s cumulative giving to the Institute to more than $350,000.

Image by qthomasbower via Flickr

Related articles

• Reese Witherspoon's Engagement Ring Revealed (huffingtonpost.com)