Most diamond companies include some variation of the shmoozer and the producer. The producer is the "inside" guy who oversees the manufacturing of the diamonds; the shmoozer is the "outside guy" who markets and sells them. By virtue of their personalities, it's the schmoozer who generally gets the publicity and recognition.
But the diamond industry clearly needs both. So let us pay tribute to Norbert Steinmetz, a partner in sightholder E. Schreiber and possibly the ultimate "inside guy." Steinmetz, who last month was inducted into the GIA Legion of Honor, is famed in the industry for his vast storehouse of knowledge, antennae for the market, and ability to peer into a piece of rough and coolly solve its mysteries. Says Lloyd Jaffe, the former head of the American Diamond Industry Association, "I consider him top of the field. I've never known anyone who knows the design and manufacturi