Most people accept that Ian Fleming named the villain in his 1964 James Bond novel after architect Erno Goldfinger, who lived down the street from Fleming. However, a devout few still believe that Goldfinger was actually the product of Fleming's chance encounter with legendary diamantaire, Joseph Goldfinger, whom he met on a fact-finding trip to Charterhouse St. Joseph Goldfinger would later become known as "Mr. Diamond," and many credit him with putting the Israeli diamond industry on the map.
Most people in the diamond industry immediately recognize the name Cullinan as belonging to probably the most famous rough diamond in history and several of the most famous polished diamonds in the world today. They are likely also familiar with the Cullinan mine in South Africa, which has produced some of the most magnificent diamonds in history, including the Blue Moon which diamond industrialist Ehud Arye Laniado was fortunate to have been a part of. But few of us know much about Sir Thomas Cullinan, the namesake of both the mine and the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found.
Harry Winston such a well-known name outside of the diamond industry that numerous books have been written about his legacy and the many famous stones and people he was associated with. He became known as the "jeweler to the stars" with his focus on the Hollywood A-list. The list of magnificent and important diamonds that he bought and sold in his lifetime trumps anyone else in history. Through his brilliant marketing with famous celebrities, he made diamonds a coveted treasure of their fans, which continues to this day.
Richard T. Liddicoat, Jr. is commonly known in the diamond industry as the Father of Modern Gemology. He created and defined the modern diamond color scale D-Z, established many of the diamond grading standards used today, and introduced many diamond testing innovations.
No single name is more closely associated with the Israeli diamond industry than that of Moshe Schnitzer