Younger Generation of Diamantaire's Mourns a Legend

"With the passing of William Goldberg, the legendary diamantaire, today's younger generation of diamond industry executives has lost a true role model," so said Joseph V. Kuca, Senior Diamond Broker for the New York-based diamond house Illuminex Diamonds.

“For many of us in America not born into the trade, our first thoughts of a career in diamonds came in the mid-1980's after seeing a National Geographic Society special, ‘Those Splendid Stones’, which featured a segment with Willy Goldberg, huge cigar clenched tightly in his teeth, popping out of a London taxicab, a few seconds after his signature large white mane of hair, to attend a diamond sight and striding into the offices of De Beers on London's Charterhouse Street.

The way he spoke of his background and his experience in the trade, it gave you goose bumps. It was inspiring. He pointed out that no matter where your abilities lie, you can find a niche in our industry. He's why I'm here. He was a gentleman, a legend and a fine role model," continued Kuca.

"While I cannot claim to have personally known the man, nor for that matter to have even met him face-to-face, I did have the wonderful occasion to receive an unexpected telephone call from Mr. Goldberg.

It was last November, while blindly placing a call to William Goldberg Diamond Corporation to check out a new client's references, I realized that the lady I was speaking with was none other than Willy Goldberg's wife. I told her how important her husband was in helping me in my career choice. She was very gracious and thanked me for my kind words.

That was that, or so I thought. Well, some weeks later, out of the blue, I get a telephone call from Mr. Goldberg's Office; it's him! That distinctive gravely voice crackling on the other end of the telephone line exhorting that he had heard of my conversation with his wife and that he just wanted to wish me all the best. In typical gentlemanly style, our conversation concluded with Willy Goldberg saying to me, 'We have an obligation to those that come after us. No matter how successful we might become, we must never forget where we come from.'

That's my memory of Mr. Goldberg, the firm he built and the legendary diamonds he cut indeed have magic in the make, but for me the magic was truly the man himself," concluded Kuca.