William Goldberg, the legendary New York diamantaire who died in 2003, used to joke that he was “all thumbs,” says his daughter Eve Goldberg, creative director and partner at William Goldberg Diamonds.
Eve Goldberg
“Dad started out as a cutter, but he couldn’t cut a stone to save his life,” she tells JCK. “But he had an amazing eye and was able to look at a stone and know what needed to be done with it.”
Famed for his slogan “The magic is in the make,” Goldberg worked closely with the company’s longtime master cutter, Willie Lopez, to fashion some of the world’s largest and finest rough diamonds into brilliant pieces of art.
Now—thanks to a first-of-its-kind diamond-cutting apprenticeship that William Goldberg Diamonds is sponsoring in partnership with the Jewelry Design Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)—students will have the opportunity to sit with Lopez at the company’s workshop on W. 48th St. in New York’s Diamond District and learn the craft of diamond-cutting at the bench.
Saul Goldberg, Eve’s brother, came up with idea for the apprenticeship as one way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the company this year as well as the 25th anniversary of its influential Ashoka cut. “My father was always so proud of our factory,” Eve says. “We’re always bringing people here and they’re blown away by what they see.”
Benjamin Goldberg, Eve’s nephew and William’s grandson, says that highlighting the difference between natural diamonds and those “cooked in a microwave” was another motivating factor. “When you bring them into the shop and they get to meet the artist who cut that diamond, it’s a selling tool,” he says. “We love to bring our retail clients here, and they bring their clients.”
Benjamin Goldberg
About two months ago, the Goldbergs welcomed Michael Coan, adjunct faculty in jewelry design at FIT, to the workshop, along with about 10 students. The students were then asked to submit applications and sit through interviews. The Goldbergs chose Matthew Denatale, a student whose family is in the jewelry business, as their first apprentice. He started working with Lopez earlier this month and will finish up before the July 4th holiday.
“Years ago, my grandfather got some old rough, and it’s perfect to learn how to cut diamonds,” Ben says. “Matthew is using it to cut a stone from start to finish. It will take him about three to four weeks and when he’s done, we’ll gift it to him.”
For a company that’s long welcomed industry newcomers to the place where the magic is made, the apprenticeship feels like the best way to honor its namesake.
“Dad was an artist,” Eve says. “It gave him such joy to walk into his factory, which is painted lavender because purple was his favorite color. A lot of businesses—like finance—you don’t touch or feel the product.”
“But you can touch and feel this,” Ben added. “It’s emotional.”
The Goldbergs say they expect to offer two apprenticeships per year. “The end goal would be to have someone come here and be the person waiting in the wings,” Ben says.
Top: Matthew Denatale (l.) apprentices under William Goldberg Diamonds’ master cutter Willie Lopez (photo courtesy of William Goldberg Diamonds).