Saul Fraiman, an esteemed jewelry designer whose creations were often seen on the red carpet, is retiring from the business after nearly 60 years.

This is actually Fraiman’s second retirement. In 2017, he retired from Julius Klein Group, where he’d worked since 1994. But he “really missed the creativity and the excitement of the industry,” he tells JCK. In 2019, Moshe Klein, a former principal of Julius Klein, lured Fraiman to Grandview Klein Diamond Group, where he’s served as principal jewelry designer.

Fraiman expects retirement will once again prove bittersweet.

“I’ll definitely miss the business,” he says. “But I’ll be back to visit. I’m only a couple of hours away.”

Fraiman took his first job in the industry in 1965, with a charm manufacturer. He soon started working for legendary diamantaire William Goldberg, who became a mentor to Fraiman.

From the beginning “I loved the business,” he says. “I saw the magic in creating jewelry…. There’s just something about a diamond—holding a natural diamond in a tweezer and louping it gives me great joy.”

In 1968, Fraiman went out on his own, forming the Rolling Stone Diamond Co., which later became Fraiman & Associates. The company specialized in fancy-shape and fancy color diamonds, and worked with many prominent clients, through Fraiman declines to name them, citing the trade’s longstanding code of discretion.

“I put my heart and soul into everything I did,” he says. “Hard work never frightened me. I’d get up at 5 in the morning and think about what I was trying to do and work until midnight if I had to. And then the next day, I’d get on a plane to Antwerp or Israel.

“This is an industry that doesn’t burn you out. If you really love it, you just keep going, it’s exciting.”

Even after almost six decades, Fraiman’s passion for diamonds remains.

“On my way into the office today, I saw a jeweler who was working on a piece for [Grandview Klein],” he says. “I saw a phenomenal blue diamond and was suggesting how it should be set.”

Fraiman plans to spend his retirement with his family and to continue his role as vice president of his local volunteer fire department. He also volunteers as a first responder, EMT, and ambulance driver.

“I have other interests at this point in my life,” he says. “I like giving back and taking care of people.”

(Photo courtesy of Grandview Klein)

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine