Shine On You Crazy Diamond!

My fascination with diamonds came at an early age when I unexpectedly became a diamond currier during my adolescent and teenage years. I would shuffle large important diamonds from one jeweler to another, walking from one building to another and the stones I carried were in transit from an important Boston diamond dealer to retail shops in the near vicinity. To me, I was just running errands for my uncle’s friend - no big deal carrying a sealed envelope from one place to another without deviation. There I was, walking down the busy streets in what was called Boston’s downtown crossing. Who in their right mind would suspect this young kid was in possession of millions of dollars of diamonds in the front pockets of his wrangler jeans? Now that I think of it so many years later, all that I risked for five dollars a week! Many other curriers got robbed because they looked like diamond curriers. For years you had Hasidic Jews dressed in black suits with briefcases leaving the diamond district and getting on the subway…duh! In a city full of street punks and wise guys, you didn’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure out these unusual gentlemen were carrying a fortune with them. They were getting robbed on the subway and even in the parking garages on a regular basis. I never had a moment where I felt compromised just be-bopping and trucking down the busy downtown streets nonchalantly with a fortune in diamonds in my pockets!

I knew more about diamonds before I learned about math, history and science! I skipped high school a real lot. Hey, in the 1960’s five bucks was a whole lot of money!

The diamond dealer, H. Solomon, was a highly respected man and he took a shine to me. He would spend time with me explaining just what I was shuffling around the city, the different colors of white, how important expert cutting was in all shapes, not just round cuts. It was all about giving maximum scintillation and brilliance no matter the sizes, shapes or qualities. Heck, by the time I was 15 years old I could grade a diamond as well as any “matchbook gemologist” 

I was more than just fascinated with the diamond trade. How could something so small be so valuable? I once held three large diamonds in my hand whose value was over six million dollars! In the diamond biz a person’s reputation, honesty, and integrity cannot be questionable. A verbal contract and a handshake is all it takes to close a multimillion-dollar diamond deal. Break that contract of trust and integrity and within hours your reputation within both the diamond and jewelry industry will be equal to a pile of doggie doo. You will never be trusted again and vendors won’t ship squat to you unless you pay up front. Your chances of success in either the diamond or jewelry business without credit will be a dismal experience.

From those days on I became a bit of a diamond snob; I could detect a bad quality diamond from across the room. I stocked only the best quality diamonds and had a standard of quality that, still to this day, I refuse to compromise. You can buy crappy diamonds anywhere in the world - that would not happen in my place of business. It’s hard for me to bite my tongue when I hear someone rave about a diamond they bought somewhere claiming it’s a perfect blue white diamond! On inspection it is in no way what they just told me they thought it was. They are almost always off color, full of inclusions and horribly cut, I have learned the more someone brags about or is hesitant about “leaving it” with me…the diamond is usually an ugly dog. If I had a nickel every time someone told me they possessed a perfect blue white diamond, well you can fill in the rest!

I will admit during my twenty-seven plus years on the island I have seen some beautiful diamonds among the horrendous and many that took my breath away. I have said this many times - a diamond's size does not always impress me. It’s the inner beauty, brilliance and most importantly, its personality.

Nothing is forever (except of course death and taxes!) like a diamond. It can also be passed from one generation to another until eternity.

Richard Alan is a designer/goldsmith, a purveyor of fine diamonds and the owner of The Harbor Goldsmith, Marco Island’s trusted go-to jeweler for over 25 years. He welcomes your questions and comments about All That Glitters. www.harborgoldsmith.com.