One Man's Legacy

Name: William Goldberg
Price range: $

William Goldberg was born on Tiffany Street in the Bronx. Some might see that as coincidence, but perhaps it was truly an omen of his remarkable career and extraordinary love affair with diamonds.

With uncanny ability and unerring instinct, William Goldberg went on to create a business that brings joy into the lives of people every day. Today, the Goldberg name is synonymous with exquisite diamond jewelry.

Six words have become the cornerstone of his legendary reputation: The Magic is in the Make.™ For him the cut, or “make,” was the most important characteristic of a stone. It became his passion and his philosophy.

William Goldberg believed in bringing out the maximum beauty in a diamond, even if it meant cutting it without concern for carat weight. He knew that the “make” of a diamond is what reveals its inherent beauty. It is what determines each diamond’s unique magic. It is the legacy of a true visionary.

“The very essence of diamonds is to bring joy into the lives of people.” — William Goldberg

William's wife, Lili, son, Saul, daughter, Eve, son-in-law, Barry Berg and grandson Benjamin Goldberg actively run the family business today.

William Goldberg was founded over a half century ago and is now one of the most distinguished diamond jewelry houses and purveyor of some of the finest and rarest diamonds the world has ever seen.

The beauty and uncompromising quality of every piece of jewelry in the William Goldberg collection have come to define luxury and elegance. Today, highly skilled craftsmen create exceptional pieces of jewelry that are striking in their brilliance and timeless in design. It is jewelry that celebrates the power and beauty of our extraordinary diamonds.

Our Story Is Rich With History

William Goldberg is built on an appreciation for beauty, a strong sense of style and an unwavering commitment to our clients. This family-owned business has flourished into what is today one of the world's most prestigious diamond jewelry houses. Here are a few of the many milestones.

1952
1954
1955
1967
1973
1975
1978
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1980
1983
1988
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1995
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2015
2016
2020
2022

1952
William Goldberg partners with diamond cutter Irving Weiss to form Goldberg & Weiss.
1954
Goldberg & Weiss buy the Feldman & Rauch diamond-cutting firm, which has an exclusive contract to supply Van Cleef & Arpels with marquise and pear-shaped diamonds.
1955
William Goldberg marries Lili Gordon and starts a family that will form the future generations of the family business.
1967
William Goldberg forms an alliance with diamond distributor William Nelkin & Company to begin acquiring important rough stones.
1973
William Goldberg steps out on his own to form the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation and becomes a De Beers sightholder.
1975
William Goldberg purchases the 136.25 carat Queen of Holland.
1978
William Goldberg is elected President of the Diamond Dealers Club. During his three terms as president, he institutes legislation accepting women members, opens the club up to the media and, most of all, builds a sense of team spirit and common purpose among an isolated group of diamond dealers.
1978
William Goldberg acquires a one-of-a-kind rough diamond and polishes it to a 137.02 carat D Flawless, known as the Premier Rose. The stone earns worldwide recognition for Goldberg's achievements in obtaining large stones.
1980
The vivid blue, trapezoid-shaped Blue Lili, a 30.06 carat stone, is polished from a piece of South African rough purchased by William Goldberg. It is named for William’s wife, Lili.
1983
Forbes magazine writes a feature article on William Goldberg entitled, “Mr. Diamond.”
1988
William Goldberg displays its internationally celebrated colored diamond collection at the American Museum of Natural History.
1990
William Goldberg's offices move from 47th Street to a larger facility on Fifth Avenue. With the new space, Goldberg expands its growing jewelry division and manufacturing operations.
1990
William Goldberg receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Modern Jeweler magazine.
1992
Elizabeth Taylor attends the annual AmFAR Gala with the centerpiece of the evening in hand — a diamond mask — to be auctioned. William Goldberg provides all 936 fine diamonds for the mask, weighing a total of 135.90 carats.
1995
The GIA^® inducts William Goldberg into the League of Honor.
1998
William Goldberg acquires a rough stone and polishes it to become the 5.11 carat Red Shield — the largest red diamond ever graded by the GIA.
1999
The Goldberg family introduces its patented ASHOKA_® diamond cut, which takes its name from a 41.37 carat D Flawless diamond discovered in the Golconda region of Southern India.
2001
William Goldberg purchases a 265.82 carat rough. From the odd-shaped rough emerged the Beluga, a 102.23 carat oval, which became the largest D Flawless oval-cut diamond in history.
2003
Sophia Loren wears the newest pieces from the William Goldberg Jewelry Collection at the New York screening of Between Strangers.
2003
After William Goldberg's death, wife, Lili, son, Saul, daughter, Eve and son-in-law, Barry Berg head the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation. The family continues William's vision and sets new standards in the diamond industry.
2005
At the Narciso Rodriguez 7th on Sixth Fashion Week Event, Sheryl Crow debuts the newest pieces from the 2005 ASHOKA_® Collection.
2005 William Goldberg and Chopard collaborate to introduce a collection of watches by Chopard using William Goldberg ASHOKA_® diamonds.
2005
Oprah Winfrey wears ASHOKA_® diamond earrings on the cover of the March issue of O Magazine.
2005
The William Goldberg family is inducted into the GIA 10th Anniversary League of Honor, and the GIA New York Student Lounge is named after the late William Goldberg.
2006
The City of New York announces that East 48th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenue, will be officially named William Goldberg Way. The ceremony honoring the legendary William Goldberg takes place on Father’s Day — Sunday, June 18, 2006.
2009
William Goldberg opens its flagship showroom on William Goldberg Way in New York.
2009
William Goldberg launches its line of ASHOKA_® diamond watches.
2010
William Goldberg creates an ASHOKA_® diamond engagement ring for Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon.
2013
William Goldberg creates the first ever, all-D Flawless ASHOKA_® diamond necklace, totaling over 100 carats. It took four years to painstakingly source and expertly cut the 66 top-quality ASHOKA_® diamonds — each weighing over 1.00 carat and certified by the GIA.
2015
The largest ASHOKA_® diamond ever cut by William Goldberg, 48 breathtaking carats, became the focal point of a one-of-a-kind necklace set with over 90 carats of the world's most coveted diamonds.
2016
William Goldberg announces a strategic alliance with legendary New York diamond house Kwiat, which is producing a collection of ASHOKA_® diamond jewelry to be sold exclusively in the U.S. through Kwiat and select independent jewelers.
2020
Jacob & Co. featured William Goldberg’s proprietary ASHOKA_® diamonds in the spectacular Billionaire ASHOKA_® timepiece collection.
2022
Another iconic famous diamond from the House of William Goldberg. The Rock, the largest white diamond ever to be sold at auction, at 228.31 carats (the size of an egg), fetched $21.9 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Auction in Geneva on May 11, 2022.