Remembering Sylvain Ringer
I want to say a few words about Sylvain Ringer, the secretary of the Diamond Dealers Club who died recently.
Sylvain was a vital presence in the Diamond Dealers Club. He believed in it as an institution. I saw him about a month and a half before he died – and he clearly was very sick. But his mind was as sharp as ever – and he never stopped thinking, questioning, and brainstorming ways to help the Club, and by extension the diamond industry.
Sylvain was a man of strong opinions and beliefs but he could also be very charming and had a great sense of humor. I remember, at the World Diamond Congress in Antwerp in 2000, he was chosen to show a visiting dignitary around the city. I asked what he was like, and Sylvain said, “He didn’t impress me.” Later, when I had more dealings with the person in question, I thought, “That’s a perfect description.”
Sylvain was also something of an early vertical integrator, being a longtime partner in Riddle’s Jewelry in South Dakota.
At his instigation, I did a series of interviews for the DDC’s 75th anniversary, which were later adapted into this “oral history” for JCK. It is actually one of my favorite “long-form” stories that I’ve written recently, and I dedicate it to him …
Russell Shor commented:
I was away so I did not hear the news until now. Sylvain was a
friend of mine for many years--since 1982. He was a true gentleman
in every sense of the word. We often lunched together at the club,
along with Marty Hochbaum, sharing ideas and laughs. In both
Antwerp and New York, he worked hard to bring diamantaires together
for constructive projects. We will all miss him.
Hedda Schupak commented:
I only met him briefly but my recollection was of a charming,
sincere, and elegant man of great education and discernment. My
condolences to his family on their very personal loss, as well as
the diamond community's overall loss.
Carl Pearson commented:
I first met Sylvain in the mid 1970s in Antwerp, when he was one of
the leading buyers of Russian goods. His company also provided
administrative services for a number of foreign wholesalers, and he
was a staunch supporter of the Antwerp magazine, Diamant. After the
market shakeout in the early 1980s, he migrated to New York, where
he rebuilt his business. He celebrated America as a land of
opportunity and eventually became an American citizen. He had a
sharp mind and was always convivial and generous to his many
friends. As Rob indicates, he had an impish sense of humour. He
will be greatly missed.
