Casa De Goldberg

From the original Lili Bracelet to the evolution of the ASHOKA® cut, William Goldberg's Creative Director opens her personal collection on the Inside the Jewel Vault podcast.

When Eve Goldberg was ten years old, her father gifted her a 10-point round diamond set in yellow gold. More than five decades later, she still wears that simple ring on a chain around her neck, alongside an 8-carat ASHOKA® and charms that mark the milestones of her life. 

"Jewelry is about the stories," Eve reflects during her recent appearance on Inside the Jewel Vault with host Jessica Cadzow-Collins. "If it's just a piece of jewelry that doesn't have anything behind it, to me, it's just a piece of jewelry. It's not as interesting."

The Matriarch Behind the Magic

The most revealing treasures in Eve's vault belong not to her, but to her 95-year-old mother, Lili Goldberg. Three of the six pieces she chose tell the story of a woman who embodied both understated elegance and quiet strength. The simple diamond 'L' brooch speaks to Lili's role as family matriarch, while an Art Deco diamond brooch tells a more surprising story of evening sophistication.

"This brooch comes apart into two pieces and she used to wear these as shoe clips when she would go out for a black tie event," Eve reveals. "She would wear a very simple black dress with simple black shoes – People would just be looking down at her feet and going, what is that? And she would dance in these and everything."

The image of Lili Goldberg dancing in diamond shoe clips captures something essential about the William Goldberg approach: beauty should be lived in, not locked away. It's a philosophy that traces directly back to the company's founder, William Goldberg, who believed diamonds should bring joy rather than remain hidden in vaults.

From Tragedy to Triumph: The Original Lili Bracelet

Perhaps the most poignant piece in Eve's selection is the fancy colored diamond bracelet that bears her mother's name. The original Lili Collection, a treasure trove of 30 extraordinary colored diamonds collected over decades, was stolen while being transported to legendary jeweler JAR in Paris. Rather than despair, the family began again.

"My parents were never ones to stay upset about things," Eve explains. "Something was lost, it's a loss, we move on. So my father started collecting stones again and collected these stones for my mom."

The resulting bracelet features every color of the rainbow in a simple tennis setting. Lili wore it daily, often layered with other pieces, treating what would now be worth well over a million dollars as everyday jewelry. The bracelet embodies both resilience and the William Goldberg belief that beautiful pieces deserve to be worn and enjoyed.

The ASHOKA_® Legacy

Central to Eve's story is the evolution of the ASHOKA_® cut, William Goldberg's signature diamond cut that has redefined modern elegance. Named for the legendary 41-carat Golconda diamond once owned by Mexican actress Maria Felix, the original Ashoka was said to have the power to remove sorrow and bring joy. When the family tried and failed to acquire the historic stone at auction, they were inspired to create something new.

"We just became obsessed with it," Eve recalls. "We did all this research and development and created an ASHOKA_® that's a little bit more modern, definitely more brilliant than the original and patented it and trademarked it."

The ASHOKA_® cut requires a special long rough and can only be cut by hand, embodying "The Magic Is in the Make™" philosophy that has guided the house since 1952. Each stone features 62 facets in an elongated cushion shape with rounded corners, creating what Eve describes as "a fire to it and a brilliance that's magical."

A New York State of Mind

Eve's personal engagement ring tells another story entirely. When her husband Neil proposed, he chose not a diamond, but a Colombian emerald flanked by two ASHOKA_® diamonds. The choice was guided by both a rabbi's counsel and Maurice, a Holocaust survivor and family friend who understood that no diamond would have been meaningful enough for the daughter of William Goldberg.

"To buy me an emerald was genius," Eve admits. "No diamond would have been big enough or good enough. And that is a fact."

The ring represents more than personal sentiment; it reflects the sophisticated New York aesthetic that has always defined the William Goldberg house. Like her mother's diamond shoe clips or her father's passion for cutting against the grain, it speaks to a family unafraid to challenge convention in pursuit of beauty.

Legacy in Motion

Today, Eve continues to honor her father's legacy while expanding the brand's contemporary appeal. She's moved beyond the elaborate platinum pieces that first built the William Goldberg reputation, introducing more wearable designs in yellow gold that speak to a new generation of collectors.

"I work with our jewelry creating amazing, fun, but wearable and somewhat more casual pieces," she explains. "Contemporary pieces that you don't have to just pull out of the vault once a year to wear."

The approach mirrors her daily habit of wearing that 8-carat ASHOKA_® pendant around Manhattan, living proof that beautiful jewelry should be part of life's everyday moments rather than reserved for special occasions.

Listen to Eve Goldberg's complete conversation on Inside the Jewel Vault to discover more stories of three generations of diamond craftsmanship and the pieces that shaped a legendary New York jewelry house.