In Memoriam: Rapaport Honors Those in the Trade We Lost This Year

The diamond and jewelry industry is a tight-knit group, with many interwoven connections. Throughout the year, we mourned the loss of 12 long-standing members, including renowned cutters, organization heads, designers, inventors, retailers and journalists.

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Here, we remember those who have died but are not forgotten, and their contributions to the trade.

Israel Itzkowitz — Esteemed diamond polisher and coinventor of the princess cut: February 18
Jerry Ehrenwald — Former president of the North American division of the International Gemological Institute (IGI): March 6
Roland Naftule — Gem dealer, founding organizer and first president of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA): April 1
Kate Peterson — Jewelry consultant: April 12
Zvi Yehuda — One of the founders of the Israeli diamond industry and the inventor of numerous products for the trade, including the Sherlock Holmes machine: May 6
Harry Levy — Former president of the London Diamond Bourse (LDB): May 15
Gabriel “Gabi” Tolkowsky — One of the world’s most revered diamond cutters: May 28
Julian Ogilvie Thompson — Former chairman and CEO of De Beers and parent company Anglo American: August 11
Hedda Schupak — Former editor in chief of JCK: October 3
Loyd Charles Stanley — Second-generation Arkansas jeweler: October 4
Isaac Siton — Manager of Grandview Klein Diamonds’ Namibia factory; killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel: October 7
Henry Paul Dunay — Jeweler and designer: November 10

Main image: Sir Gabriel Tolkowsky holding the Centenary Diamond. (Facebook)

In Memoriam: Rapaport Honors Those in the Trade We Lost This Year

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