Category Archives: Diamonds

MAKE NICE / Bet On Crazy by Peter Nolan Smith

November 14, 2024 – 5:07 am

Published on: Nov 4, 2011 The Diamond District on West 47th Street was a closed community. Family histories have been intertwined by marriages and business deals. The smiling faces on the surface hid the turbid conflict behind the scenes. My boss, Manny, and his son, Richie Boy, followed the Corleone tradition of never laundering family […]

By Peter | Also posted in 2010s, Bet On Crazy, NEW YORK, semi-fiction | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

SUKKOT / BET ON CRAZY

September 23, 2024 – 12:34 pm

Ten years ago the Hassidim were hurrying home from the Diamond District. The High Holidays had come early this year with Sukkor coinciding with the ancient pagan festival of Mabon, which commemorates the autumnal equinox. Sukkor is not only a bridge across the Indus, but the festival honoring the 40 years during which the Hebrews […]

By Peter | Also posted in Bet On Crazy, NEW YORK, semi-fiction, War | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Bah Humbug Stop your Kvetching

May 11, 2024 – 1:22 am

My 2009 Xmas season consisted of a marathon work schedule at the diamond exchange. 7 days a week. 9 hours a day. No caroling or egg nog or festive cheer. I was at work to sell diamonds and jewelry to the public to support my families in Thailand. Business on 47th Street is better than […]

By Peter | Also posted in Bet On Crazy, NEW YORK, semi-fiction | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Bet On Crazy 1 by Peter Nolan Smith

April 28, 2024 – 1:37 am

Richie was more forgiving. They had made the move to a diamond exchange on 47th Street. No more Italian subs, but the pastrami sandwich from the Bergers Deli was built for two. Richie and I shared one. “So what are you going to do?” Richie positioned napkins on his lap and chest to avoid any […]

By Peter | Also posted in Bet On Crazy, friends, NEW YORK, semi-fiction | Tagged | Comments (0)

An Artist’s Fast Fingers

November 21, 2023 – 11:26 pm

My boss Manny started selling jewelry on Canal Street in 1954. He says that he didn’t sell his first diamond until a year later. “Back then all diamonds were white. We didn’t know any better and better still neither did the Gs.” Manny’s speech is colored by hundreds of diamond selling terms interspersed with Yiddish. […]

By Peter | Also posted in 80s, Art, Bet On Crazy, NEW YORK, semi-fiction | Tagged | Comments (0)