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Tzafrir Engelhard
CEO, Sarine Technologies
The best gift I ever received was a ping-pong table (pictured below) from my grandparents. I was, of course, excited about the table itself, but over the years it became much more than that. It was where family and friends spent countless hours playing, talking and laughing together.
Today, that same table is in my home. My children play on it with me and with their friends, and every time I see it being used, it brings back great memories. Looking back, I realize that while the table was the gift, what has really lasted are the moments it created and the fact that, years later, it is still bringing people together.
Sara Yood
CEO and general counsel, Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC)
As a child, I received a Nutcracker every year for Hanukkah as one of my eight gifts. This doesn’t make much sense – it was Hanukkah, and The Nutcracker is a Christmas story – but after a trip to New York in December one year, I was sold on the story of Clara and her magical and mysterious godfather Drosselmeyer. My mom always purchased the Nutcracker from Spag’s, a beloved locally-owned discount department store in the next town over that would import the toys for the holiday (and trust me, with Spag’s, if you know, you know!) Over the years, I collected Nutcracker toy soldiers, Nutcracker kings, and even a Nutcracker clockmaker, but the best was the year my mom found a Nutcracker Drosselmeyer holding a toy Nutcracker of his own (pictured). I kept this one when my parents sold their house, and he now keeps a steady watch over my apartment in New York.
Ari Jain
CEO, House of Diamonds
Growing up, my Dadosa, Prem Chand Dhandia (pictured), was my hero. He was a legendary figure in the international diamond and colored-gemstone trade, but to me, he was simply my loving grandfather. He had a special nickname for me: “Blue Diamond.” I remember asking him why he called me that. With a smile, he would tell me that blue diamonds were the rarest diamonds in the world, and that to him, I was just as special. Years later, I followed in his footsteps and built my career in the world of diamonds. Every time I encountered a rare blue diamond, I thought of my Dada and the love and conversations we shared. Recently my father, Sanjeev Jain, gifted me a rare blue diamond on Diwali as a tribute to my Dada and the bond we had. I have deliberately kept it loose rather than setting it into a piece of jewelry. From time to time, when I miss him, I take it out, hold it in my hand and admire it. Whenever I hold that diamond, I don’t see a diamond. I see my most loving Dada. I see his most loving smile. I hear his warm, loving voice calling me “Blue Diamond.” And just like that, I once again become a little boy with the greatest grandpa in the world, experiencing the most divine moments of my life.
Main image, from left: Ari Jain, Tzafrir Engelhard and Sara Yood (House Of Diamonds; Johannes Felten; Portrait Madame)
