Events & AwardsJun 30, 2025
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William Goldberg Diamonds, FIT Partner for Apprenticeship Program
The company is providing the opportunity for an FIT student to work alongside master diamond cutter Willie Lopez in its workshop.
William Goldberg Diamonds has a history of mentoring and apprenticeships. Pictured are Eve Goldberg, Matthew Denatale, Willie Lopez, and Benjamin Goldberg, from the company’s apprenticeship with Denatale in June.
New York— William Goldberg Diamonds has announced its partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) jewelry design department on a diamond cutting apprenticeship.
The apprenticeship will give one student from the college the opportunity to hone their skills and develop their art at the William Goldberg workshop in New York City, one of the few diamond cutting workshops remaining in the city.
The student will work alongside master cutter Willie Lopez, who has more than 50 years of experience cutting diamonds with the company.
During the three-to-four-week program slated for January 2026, the student will work one-on-one with Lopez learning how to cut diamonds.
At the end of the apprenticeship, the student will get to keep a diamond.
All applications will go through the jewelry design department at FIT, submitting a required questionnaire followed by interviews with the Goldberg family.
Candidates will be selected based on their passion for the business and willingness to learn a new skill.
Applications are due to FIT by November.
Related stories will be right here …
The apprenticeship will give one student from the college the opportunity to hone their skills and develop their art at the William Goldberg workshop in New York City, one of the few diamond cutting workshops remaining in the city.
The student will work alongside master cutter Willie Lopez, who has more than 50 years of experience cutting diamonds with the company.
During the three-to-four-week program slated for January 2026, the student will work one-on-one with Lopez learning how to cut diamonds.
At the end of the apprenticeship, the student will get to keep a diamond.
All applications will go through the jewelry design department at FIT, submitting a required questionnaire followed by interviews with the Goldberg family.
Candidates will be selected based on their passion for the business and willingness to learn a new skill.
Applications are due to FIT by November.
It is the first apprenticeship program for diamond cutting, according to the company.
“The Goldberg Family considers it essential to encourage the next generation of diamond cutters by extending our expertise,” said Eve Goldberg, creative director and partner at William Goldberg Diamonds.
“We also hope to pass on our undying commitment to natural diamonds. The future of the industry depends on it and the partnership with FIT is the ideal way to accomplish this.”
Previously, the company has held apprenticeships on a case-by-case basis and is now looking to expand the offering.
The company’s founder, William Goldberg, was known for his bold approach to diamond cutting and the creation of the Ashoka cut, highlighted in a recent book about his life.
One student will be chosen for the January 2026 apprenticeship; however, the company is looking to increase this number over time as well as offer a full-time diamond cutting opportunity in the future.
“Since the founding of the Jewelry Design Program at FIT in 1974, this apprenticeship will be the first of its kind, facilitating a direct relationship between the N.Y. diamond cutting community and our students. This remarkable opportunity will introduce our students to a very important, and extremely difficult field to enter,” said Kim Nelson, assistant chair of jewelry design at FIT.
“With the increased interest in unusual diamond cuts and styles, coupled with the advent of more accessible gem material in the form of lab-grown diamonds, I am confident there will be a major resurgence of interest in diamond cutting.”
Michael Coan, adjunct faculty in jewelry design at FIT, added, “The opportunity to study and gain skill sets in diamond cutting was for many years a very private and ‘family related’ industry here it the U.S.; William Goldberg has very graciously opened its doors and offered its diamond cutting expertise to our students, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience that may lead for some into a full time passion and career. They will learn in three weeks how to release the inherent beauty, sparkle, and flash that only a diamond can produce.”
For more information on William Goldberg Diamonds, visit its website.
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