William Goldberg, former president of the New York Diamond Dealers Club and a legend of the New York diamond industry, died recently after a brief illness.
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) president William E. Boyajian announced Goldberg's death during the GIA's Legion of Honor dinner.
With his big frame, gravelly voice, brown fedora, and free-flowing white hair (later trimmed), Goldberg was an unmistakable presence on 47th Street. He was also something of a media darling, appearing on the cover of New York Newsday's Sunday magazine and TV programs ranging from 60 Minutes to Prime Time Live, frequently declaring his love for the diamond business and the people in it.
Goldberg started in the business as an apprentice. "I was a terrible cutter," he told Russell Shor in Connections: A Profile of Diamond People and Their History, "but I was good at merchandising. So I started doi
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