Bronstein Wins Court Case Over Aurora Collection

Noted colored diamond expert Alan Bronstein has won a bitter court case that challenged his stake in the Aurora Gems collection of colored diamonds.

The case, which made The New York Times and other media outlets, pitted Bronstein against family members of his late business partner and stepfather, Harry Rodman.

Rodman’s grandnephew, David Gould, had petitioned the court to set aside Rodman’s 2006 transfer of his 50 percent share in the colored diamond collection to Bronstein for $10,000. But the judge ruled there was no need to overrule the agreement.

“[Rodman] was clearly capable of understanding the 2006 transaction and … he viewed Bronstein as a son and a natural object of his bounty,” Judge Lee L. Holzman said in a decision filed on Dec. 28, adding he could find no other reasons to vacate the deal.

The trial featured a number of noted trade names as expert witnesses: GCAL’s Don Palmieri for the plaintiffs, and Antoinette Matlins and Gail Brett Levine for the defense. The opposing appraisers sometimes disagreed strongly on how to value the Aurora Collection.

Bronstein tells JCK: “I am looking to put this behind me as quick as possible so I can get back to work trying to share the beauty of colored diamonds with the world.”

Gould’s attorney, Michael J. Dowd, says “we believe there are serious flaws in the decision” and he plans to appeal.

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