戈德堡家族

At the heart of every ASHOKA_® diamond lies a story of passion, heritage, and extraordinary craftsmanship—qualities celebrated in a recent Stilisten Hamburg feature spotlighting the enduring partnership between William Goldberg and our esteemed retail partner in Germany, Wempe. In a warm conversation between Eve Goldberg and Chiara and Scott Wempe, this article beautifully captures how two multigenerational families, united by shared values and a reverence for true artistry, continue to shape a collection that honors the diamond’s “right to be beautiful.”

Translation from German into English

Die Stilisten Hamburg magazine, pages 36 & 37, issue Dec. 2025

The Right to Be Beautiful

What happens when a New York and a Hamburg jeweler’s family join forces? Jewelry with uniquely sparkling diamonds. Chiara and Scott Wempe and Eve Goldberg talk about their exclusive collaboration and the magic of the Ashoka cut

“One shouldn’t cheat a diamond of its right to be beautiful," William Goldberg used to say. This is a charming understatement for the scoop that the New York diamond dealer landed a good quarter of a century ago. In 1999, he reinvented a cut with ancient roots and had it patented. Since then, the so-called Ashoka cut has been synonymous with jewels that are as spectacular as they are rare. Rectangular like a classic emerald cut, but with rounded corners, its complex pattern consists of 62 facets, which makes the jewel shine more brightly and appear up to 30 percent larger than a traditional emerald-cut diamond of the same weight. The vibrancy it possesses has something magical about it, and cutting it requires masterly craftsmanship. Only about one percent of all rough diamonds is even suitable for the Ashoka cut, as they must have a certain size and an elongated shape. As a result, jewelry featuring William Goldberg's Ashoka diamonds is only available from a handful of jewelers worldwide. In Germany, there has been a particularly exclusive collaboration since 2018: Wempe has dedicated an entire collection to these jewels. Now Eve Goldberg has come to the brand's flagship store in Hamburg, where she meets Chiara and Scott Wempe. The siblings are the fifth generation to join the company, which their mother Kirn-Eva has been running since 2003. Eve Goldberg has been running her father's company since his death in 2003, together with her brother Saul Goldberg, her brother-in-law Barry Berg, and her nephew Ben Goldberg. No wonder that jewelry is often intertwined with family stories in conversation.

Eve, how did your father come up with this cut—and where did it get its name?

Eve Goldberg (EG): Ashoka was a famous Indian ruler who lived in the third century BC. His name loosely translates as "he who removes sorrow." A legendary solitaire weighing more than 41 carats was named after him, which is believed to have been created during the same era. It had the characteristic cut that later inspired my father. In 1988, the original diamond ring was auctioned in St. Moritz, where my brother Saul and his wife wanted to buy it on behalf of a customer. They were outbid, and the whereabouts of the jewel have been unknown ever since, but my father's fascination was aroused. He spent ten years researching and experimenting, and then the Ashoka cut was ready for the market.

What was this development process like?

EG: As is customary at such auctions, we had the certificate. Reconstructing the cut was a process involving a lot of trial and error. My father worked with William Lopez, a master gem cutter who has been working for us for decades. My father couldn't cut jewels himself, but he recognized the potential of a gemstone like no other and could predict the effect of each facet very accurately. He was the eye; William was the hand. Once they had reconstructed the pattern, the next challenge was to find suitable gemstones to build a collection. We initially worked with emerald cuts that were too long, which were then recut. It took years before we had enough gemstones to present the Ashoka cut.

Did your father come from a family of jewelers or diamond dealers?

EG: No, his parents had a candy store. His school friend's uncle was a diamond dealer and offered him an apprenticeship and then his first job. In 1952, he started his own business.

There’s even a street named after him in New York. He must have been an impressive personality…

EG: Oh yes. "Passion" was an important word for him. He passed that on to us. And he always looked ahead. I remember when an employee accidentally threw a rather large diamond, which he was supposed to prepare for shipping, into the trash. No matter how hard we searched, the jewel remained lost. It was annoying, but my father didn't let incidents like that drain his energy. His motto was: “Forget about it and move on!”

Was it clear to you early on that you would one day join the family business?

EG: For my brother, yes. I was interested in art and actually wanted to become a journalist. But just as I was preparing for a year of study in Florence, my father called and asked me to stand in for my sister, who had just had her first child. "It's only for six weeks," he said. Today, 39 years later, I'm still there.

Chiara, you joined your family's company four years ago, Scott, you joined six years ago, and today you are jointly responsible for the strategic development of the Wempe brand. Did the company sit at the dinner table with you when you were kids—and if so, just that one, or also your father’s company Pyrate-Style, a brand for cool, elegant leather fashion and heavy silver jewelry ...

Scott Wempe (SW): When we sat together as a family, the conversation was more about Wempe, because it was simply overrepresented due to our grandfather Hellmut.

Chiara Wempe (CW): Our father is always happy to give advice when it comes to Wempe. And our parents' approach to parenting was more of a "Pyrate style" anyway.

Eve, more than 20 years after his death, how strong is your father's presence in the business today?

EG: He is in all of us. I constantly catch myself saying things he used to say – “You still lack experience” is one such phrase that I hated. Today, my daughter hears it from me. Because, believe me, now I have the experience! (everyone laughs) SW: Chiara often says to me: “You sound like Kim or Hellmut today.” CW: You always sound like Hellmut. (laughs).

How important was the fact that both companies are family-run for the Wempe x Ashoka collection?

EG: That was a plus. But above all, Kim and I hit it off right away. I met her in 2016 at the reopening of the Wempe store on Fifth Avenue, and we both knew that this encounter would lead to something. I then traveled to Hamburg, visited the company headquarters, got to know the jewelry department and the people behind it....

SW: ... this interest in turn was perceived by our mother as something truly special.

How has the collection developed over the past ten years?

SW: We started with a line inspired by the New York skyline and how it is reflected in the water. Then there was a line based on the art deco style. Both went very well with the special cut.

EG: We had a good run. But then Covid came along.

CW: The pandemic has changed people's tastes. They are focusing more on the essentials again. Accordingly, we have also changed the jewelry we produce with the Ashoka cut. We focus now on the jewel itself, its beauty, and the uniqueness of its cut.

SW: To achieve this, the diamonds are showcased as purely as possible. For example, with a wide but simple rose gold setting as a ring or chain links connected by very small, barely visible bars. This also highlights the expertise of both brands. The diamonds are cut by William Goldberg in New York, and the gold jewelry around them is made in our atelier.

Who buys the jewelry?

CW: Mostly it's connoisseurs who love the jewel for its own sake, understand its complexity, and are familiar with the manufacturing culture of our industry. But of course, it also happens that someone comes into the showroom and buys it because they are overwhelmed by its sparkle.

Interview: Gabriele Thiels