Feb 4th, 2013

The Blue Lili

The fancy intense blue cushion-shaped, 30.06 carat Blue Lili diamond was cut by the William Goldberg, founder and former president of the William Goldberg Corporation. According to William Goldberg website, as he was shaping the stone, its intense blue color and fiery character reminded him of his wife, hence, he decided to name the processed blue diamond after his beloved wife, Lili.

There’s not much known about the history of the diamond, such as date of discovery, weight of the rough stone, and country and mine of origin. However, it would seem highly likely, given the color and size of the finished stone that it originated in the De Beers Premier Diamond Mine in South Africa.

William Goldberg started life in the diamond industry as a cutter for Harry Winston Inc. New York where he mastered his trade of cutting and polishing. In 1952, he partnered with Irving Weiss in establishing a merchandising company called Goldberg & Weiss which flourished. However, in 1973 (the year I was born) he decided to opened his own business- William Goldberg Diamond Corporation.
The company was tremendously successful and became a respected and prestigious name in the highly competitive diamond trade. The company specialized in the processing and selling of high-end large diamonds, fancy colored diamonds, and diamond jewelry.

 

Sources:

Famous Diamonds

William Goldberg

Internet Stones