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King of gems shines
brightly at Ramat-Gan
by Sam Yurman predominantly Jewish, the older magnificent structure built on the
by Sam Yurman
At first glance it seems like much
ado about nothing; men of all ages
and descriptions dart about a gym
sized hall whose nothern wall is all
windows, from floor to ceiling.
Some appear to be engaged in
verbal arguments coupled with
wild gestures, while others sit on
both sides of long tables, huddling
over some obviously absorbing
matter. This is the trading floor of
the world’s largest diamond
exchange and Israel's No. 1 Export
Industry. When the figures are
totalled for 1977, a record
amount of one billion dollars is
expected.
It is a man’s world—women are
still barred from membership,
although a few carry on an active
business on the outside. Ironically,
most of. the millions of dollars'
worth of gems traded here daily
will be used for the adornment of
the female person. The demanding
conditions and high fee do not
discourage a long waiting list of
male candidates anxious to join
the present 1,500 members. Even
those who are qualified and
approved by the board will have
their pictures displayed for two
months on the bulletin board so
that anyone can challenge their
entry into this bizarre, jealously
guarded domain.
Dress is casual, with short
sleeves prevailing in summer. A
suit usually denotes a foreign
buyer and the brokers get in line
for a chance to show him their
wares. The guests, who must be
vouched for by a member, run
from the inscrutable Japanese and
Hindus, through the businesslike
Americans, to the volatile Italians
and Frenchmen. The locals are
made up of Sabras and the first
generation of founders. Among
the latter, one can still see a
forearm tattooed with blue figures.
Those in the know must feel good
at the sight of a man whose number
was supposed to be up at
Auschwitz now holding in his
hands a fortune in gems equal to an
oil magnate’s ransom.
Negotiations are carried out in a
variety of accents in English.
French, Spanish, Hebrew, to name
a few. Since the trade is
predominantly Jewish, the older
traders find Yiddish a most
convenient means of communica
tion. When Arab buyers start
attending, there will be no shortage
of members able to converse in
their own dialects, be they
Egyptian, Iraqi or Yemenite.
Sometimes a single individual is
able to switch from one language
to half a dozen others with the ease
of an automatic gearshift.
While the price of rough
diamonds is regulated by the
Central Selling Organization of
the Syndicate, too many factors
are to be considered in the polished
stones for a standard price
structure. This contributes to the
fun of making a deal. It is the duty
of the broker to bridge the gap
between seller and buyer and to
seal the transaction with a
handshake and the universally
used Hebrew phrase "Shalom
Uvracha." This is usually the first
phase of the diamond’s journey
towards its ultimate destination on
milady’s finger.
Like the state itself, the diamond
industry of Israel was just an idea
forty years ago. However, when
the low countries were overrun by
the Nazis, the few shops started by
Belgian and Dutch immigrants in
Eretz Yisrael became the only
source for diamonds for the free
world. Since then the industry was
on the brink of extinction on
several occasions. It was only
thanks to the devotion of a few
fanatics that a steady supply of
rough diamonds, a must for a
viable economic sector, was
assured. After a long struggle, the
Diamond Syndicate even took the
unprecedented step of allowing the
Israeli clients to purchase only the
quantity required during the
manpower,shortage caused by the
Yom Kippur War. The normal
practice is to remove a customer
from the exclusive list of 270 firms
receiving a direct supply when he
refuses to accept his allotment.
Just a decade ago the Israel
Diamond Exchange moved from
its modest Tel-Aviv premises to the
new headquarters on the outskirts
of Ramat-Gan. Today, the original
28-story building is like a giant on
the rampage. Soon to be connected
by a two-level bridge is another
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magnificent structure built on the
former site of the Maccabi football
stadium, which will almost triple
the original capacity of 250 offices
devoted to trading in diamonds.
Another building of 15 stories is
nearing completion to the north
and the New Diamond Club
started a couple of years ago will
erect its own multi-story premises
in the near future.
The actual manufacturing is
done in shops scattered around the
district, in Tel-Aviv, Netanya,
B’nei Brak, Jerusalem, and several
development towns. In all, about
15,000 people work in the diamond
industry, which means that it
provides a livelihood for about
60,000 in all.
The shortage of skilled labor is
being overcome by the increasing
use of automation. The latest laser
technology is employed in cutting
diamond crystals and in removing
ugly black imperfections which
reduce a diamond's value. One
firm specializes in treating
diamonds with atomic bombard
ment in order to change un
attractive colors to lovely hues of
canary yellow, golden brown,
green, blue, etc.
In a way, the diamond industry
has done for Israel what the watch
industry accomplished for
Switzerland. Both countries lack
natural resources and have to
depend on the genius of their
artisans. In the case of the Jews, it
was the prohibition to own land
that made them concentrate in
such trades as diamond polishing
in medieval Europe. Little did they
dream that this tradition would
some day become so important in
the economy of a free Jewish state.
(The author is both a journalist
and a member of the diamond
e xchange. He came to Israel from
Canada to fight as a pilot in the
1948 War of Independence and
settled there with his family in
1972.)
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Page 21 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE March 3, 197*
