When you go for the harder-to-define measurements of beauty, I'd wager my fiancee's engagement ring over most any diamond in the world.
Getting back to the topic at hand, Jewsweek profiles Lev Leviev, a Soviet Jew and major diamond dealer.
He is out to break the DeBeers diamond cartel.
Leviev was
born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a Soviet republic lost in the middle of Asia and buried under a sclerotic communist bureaucracy. He immigrated to Israel in 1971. His family had little money, so young Lev dropped out of school at the age of 16 and went to work polishing diamonds. He went into the Israeli army two years later. Upon his release, Leviev set up his own diamond-polishing company -- an unusual step for somebody so young and so inexperienced.
Becoming an independent businessman at that age was the first expression of a major part of Leviev's character: his need to be independent. This risky entrepreneurial venture led, in time, to his position today. Lev Leviev is now a multi-billionaire, the second-wealthiest Israeli, a revolutionary in the diamond industry, and the major player on the Russian-Jewish religious and political scene. Leviev is single-handedly taking on the great DeBeers diamond cartel that has dominated the diamond industry for generations -- and by almost anyone's account, he's actually gaining ground on them. Leviev has parlayed his riches into political power and charitable contributions, touching the lives of countless Jews.
The story is lengthy but fascinating. I won't meddle in copyright trouble any further -- just read on at Jewsweek.
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