A Diamond in the Rough
Page 35
They stayed at the Old Government House Hotel in St. Peter Port with its cobbled streets and picturesque seafront marina and historic gardens, not far from the airport. Lulu, Lila, and Bill Walsh welcomed them with open arms. They rented a car, and spent their days as typical tourists boasting they had the best guides ever.
Their tour began at Castle Cornet standing at the mouth of the harbor with its museums including the 201 Squadron RAF Museum. Next they visited Candie Gardens, once a part of a private estate offering spectacular views across the harbor, and a public flower garden home to the oldest known heated glasshouses in the British Isles. They stopped for lunch at a Café housed in a Victorian bandstand.
The Victorian Shop and Parlour, probably the earliest remaining complete building within the town’s medieval boundaries, was Zoe’s favorite. The National Trust of Guernsey had done a magnificent job restoring the exquisite 18th century house to the delight of the Islanders and the many tourists who came to visit.
Through its doors, they entered into a bygone age where sweets came from jars and were measured in pounds and ounces; where the popular old type cottage garden and vegetable seeds are still available; where all gifts, souvenirs, and confectionery are offered in rooms of working gaslights with their fragile mantles. A bygone age kept alive.
No trip was complete without visiting the Walsh Farm on the far side of the Island. Zoe loved everything about the farm; the sheep, the cows, and Bill lending her a hand at milking. Lulu baked Zoe a cake and recanted the story of celebrating her Daddy’s 21st Birthday with mutton stew at a time when there was precious little to eat on the entire Island.
Zoe proclaimed, “This was my best Birthday ever!” as she hugged and kissed Lulu, Lila, and Bill goodbye. Jake and Lexi bid them goodbye promising to return soon.
If they thought Zoe would sleep on the short flight back to London, they were mistaken. She did, however, fall asleep in the car on the way to the cottage.
As the months ticked by and the end of 1948 grew closer, Jake had one more surprise for his girls. He booked a flight to New York where they would spend the last two weeks in December; it was the final part of his life he wished to introduce them to.
New York was a sight to behold decked out in its holiday finest. Jake took them to Jewelers of America and introduced them to Al Cohen; he stopped by De Beers and introduced them to the people he worked with. With that out of the way, they took the City by storm.
Their days consisted of Broadway shows, marveling at Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes, waiting on line at Lindy’s for cheesecake, eating the biggest sandwiches they had ever seen at Stage Deli, and dining at the finest of restaurants the City had to offer. Riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park, and trying their hand at ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza finally brought their visit to an end.
On 2 January 1949, they flew back to London. Jake promised them that when they came back again, he would take them south to the State of Georgia where he had learned to fly and introduce them to southern hospitality.
It was time to return to a normal routine. The months he had taken to show Lexi and Zoe the life they had signed on for was well spent. He was pleased that he had accomplished what he set out to do; his girls were overwhelmed.
He promised Marcus he would return to work in January, and he was true to his word. Marcus was glad to see him. “Jake my boy, welcome back. I’ve missed the three of you and so has Elena; we must get together soon.”
“Thank you, Marcus. We’ve missed the both of you too. I’ve had the time of my life with my two best girls, and I’m ready to get back to the world of diamonds.”
In March, Lexi learned they were expecting. They were over the moon; Zoe only wanted to know for sure—was she getting a brother or a sister. They learned in May that she was carrying twins, but were still unable to answer Zoe’s question. The twins were due in late September around Zoe’s birthday.
They decided to look for a larger house; one that would accommodate their growing family and located in a better school district for Zoe to begin in the fall when she turned five. The cottage would be their getaway place to go on holiday.
Their goal was to be settled in their new home by the time the twins arrived and the school semester began.
They purchased a six bedroom detached home in Pembridge Square, Notting Hill, London whose commanding corner position overlooking the garden square was a remarkable fusion of traditional and contemporary that had undergone extensive refurbishment prior to the War.
An imposing entrance hall on the ground floor led to extremely generous proportioned rooms. The formal dining room overlooked Pembridge Square. The second and third floors were dedicated to a master suite with two dressing rooms, a large en-suite bathroom with a walk in shower, a private seating area, and five additional front to back bedrooms and bathrooms with each bedroom having its own en-suite facilities. They fell in love with the house the minute they saw it.
Quiet residential tree-lined Pembridge Square is located in one of Notting Hill’s most prestigious areas. It sits between the highly fashionable and ever popular Westbourne Grove and Notting Hill Gate, and offers all the wonderful amenities of excellent schools within easy walking distance, wide open green spaces of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, and transport links that provide easy access to the West End, City and Canary Wharfs, as well as the main thoroughfare leading west.
In addition to a new home, Jake purchased a Standard Vanguard car made by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England. It was the Company’s first post-WWII car, and the first model to carry the new Standard Badge, which was a heavily stylized representation of the wings of a griffin.
They spent the summer months getting the house ready for their move to Notting Hill. As was common practice in selling estate homes, they acquired a good deal of the furnishings from the previous owners leaving only Zoe’s bedroom and the nursery to be dealt with.
Jake contacted the contractor that he hired for the cottage and had him install a duplicate workshop using the same plans he had originally drawn up, including the installation of a larger safe and a state-of-the art security system throughout.
Jake moved everything from the workshop at the cottage with the exception of the cache of diamonds, which he left secure in the safe; the chest empty of its contents sat on the floor in the master bedroom.
He hadn’t thought about the diamonds for well over a year; with the twins due and their impending move to the new house, he had no idea when he would have the time to get back to them.
The first week in September, Zoe started school at Ealing High School, an independent day school for girls, ages 4-18. The school’s strong traditions and leadership earned it a reputation for academic excellence at both the Junior and Senior levels. Jake and Lexi viewed it a good choice for their daughter’s natural desire to learn and overactive curiosity about everything.
The twins, both boys and both weighing in at exactly six pounds each, were born on Zoe’s fifth birthday; they named them Harry and Adam in memory of Jake’s parents. Nanny Paige arrived the day before they were due home.
Elena could not be deterred and arrived with bag in hand to stay as long as she was needed. Insisting that she should not abandon Marcus, they invited him to join her to stay at the house, as well.
Because the twins were born on Zoe’s Birthday, they celebrated when Lexi and the boys came home from the hospital. They invited their family; Mark, Rosalie, and Ethan, and Sam and Ellen who had recently become engaged. Elena insisted on preparing the meal. When all were seated, Jake stood with glass in hand. “To my beloved Lexi, I thank you for Zoe, Harry, and Adam, for making my life complete, for loving me. In case you aren’t aware, I love you with all my heart.”
As everyone echoed, “Here, Here,” he handed her a small ring box. As their guests looked on, she opened it to reveal an eternal wedding band of alternating ma
rquis cut diamonds and blue sapphires. Jake had cut and polished each stone himself. September’s birthstone, the blue sapphire, represented not only Zoe, Harry, and Adam’s birth month but their first meeting at Ivan Portman’s Bar Mitzvah in September 1936. The ring was magnificent.
As tears streamed down her face, she said, “I don’t know why I’m crying; I couldn’t be happier. In case you aren’t aware, I love you with all my heart too.” Jake removed her gold wedding band and slipped the ring on her finger. He kissed her and pronounced that he considered the day they met the anniversary of their love and life together.
“One more toast, and I promise we can eat. To each of you here tonight, I love you too, and I am proud to call you family. As we celebrate the birth of Harry and Adam, Lady Zoe’s birthday, moving into our new home, and Sam and Ellen’s engagement, I assure you this is only the first of many gatherings Lexi and I plan to host. To Marcus and Elena, no thank you is sufficient.
“Now, let’s eat.” Everyone began talking at once as the two helpers Elena had hired began serving the meal.
When it came time for dessert, a Birthday Cake with candles aglow was brought in and placed in front of Zoe. After cake and ice cream, came the gifts. Jake fondly recalled the many presents his parents had given him that made each and every birthday special; driving lessons were the best ever.
Jake and Lexi gave her one of the rings he had made for his sisters years before, a pretty new outfit from Sam and Ellen, and a baby doll and carriage from Rosalie, Mark, and Ethan. Marcus excused himself from the table. He returned with a beautiful Dollhouse fully furnished and set it on the floor. As Zoe stared speechless at the tiny furniture, Elena said, “We have a table for the house to sit on when you decide where you would like to keep it.”
When Jake tucked Zoe into bed, she clung to him not willing to let him go just yet. “I love you Daddy; I’m so glad Mama and I found you in London. I knew we would.”
The family Jake so longed for was his. As the decade of the 1940s ended, he had regained all that he had lost at its onset—and more, so much more.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
The 1950s commonly known as simply the Fifties was a decade that began on 1 January 1950 and ended on 31 December 1959. By its end, the world had largely recovered from World War II, and the Cold War matured from its modest beginning to a power competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Communism and Capitalism clashed with conflicts that included the Korean War, the beginning of the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik I by the Russians, and increased testing of nuclear weapons. Decolonization of former European Colonial Empires, and on a larger scale in Africa and Asia, first began in the early fifties.
King George VI died; his eldest daughter ascended to the British Throne as Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 25. Winston Churchill resigned and Anthony Eden became Britain’s Prime Minister.
Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, died leading to the rise of Nikita Khrushchev who pursued a more liberal domestic and foreign policy, stressing peaceful competition with the West rather than overt hostility.
America became the most influential economic power in the world under the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. During his Administration, Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th States; and his approval of the first U.S. space mission in 1955 ultimately led to the creation of NASA in 1958.
Television matured with larger screens; the first transistor computer was built at the University of Manchester; Bell Telephone Labs produced the first solar battery; and the first solar powered watch was invented.
On 5 December 1952, a killer fog first appeared over London; it lifted four days later with an estimated death toll of at least 12,000 people, 150,000 were hospitalized, and thousands of undocumented animals died. The Clean Air Act was passed in response four years later, but the actual causes of the incident would remain unknown for decades.
In the medical world, Jonas Salk invented an immunization vaccine for Polio; the first successful ultrasound test of heart activity was conducted; the first cervical cancer cells were cultured outside a human body; and Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double-helix structure of DNA.
Halfway through the decade, classic pop was swept off the charts by Rock-and-Roll when Elvis Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of music. The endless groups of singers and bands of the fifties paved the way for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, British rock groups that shaped not only the music world but also an entire generation.
In America, Marilyn Monroe performing in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes proclaimed to all—Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.
On 15 November 1957, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Chairman of Anglo American Corporation and De Beers Consolidated Mines, died at Johannesburg, South Africa. He was 77 and had been in uncertain health for some months. His son Harry Oppenheimer succeeded him as Chairman.
By the end of the Fifties, Fidel Castro overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, establishing a communist government in the Country—a mere ninety miles from the coast of the United States.
Winston Churchill had warned that Britain could be bankrupt when WWII was over; and immediately after the conflict there emerged a very depressing atmosphere across the Country. There were problems with transport; factories ran out of fuel; people had no electricity to cook with; and rationing remained in force far too long after victory was declared.
De Beers continued its involvement in primarily promoting diamonds in America rather than in the UK, as London struggled to rebuild the bombed out areas throughout the City that included Hatton Garden.
Hatton Garden located in the Holborn District of the London Borough of Camden, had long been noted as London’s Jewelry Quarter and center of the UK diamond trade representing the largest number of jewelry retailers in all of Britain.
The largest of these, De Beers, represented a family of companies that dominated the international diamond trade. Their headquarters were located in a complex of offices and warehouses just behind the main Hatton Garden shopping street.
This was the very same Hatton Garden where Harry had walked with Jake and told him he envisioned a Lyons Jewelry Emporium in their future.
The Fifties were considered a conservative decade in jewelry, as many designers and manufacturers looked back to styles of the late 1800s. Flowers were reintroduced and reinterpreted by important jewelry houses like Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, who were doing more elegant versions with diamonds and emeralds; flowers became a way of showing off big diamonds and other gems.
Women once again desired parures and suites of jewelry that included either—bracelet, necklace, brooch—or—bracelet, earrings, brooch, ring. After the War, people began to entertain again, and a whole new brand of jewelry came into play with the introduction of the diamond cocktail ring, which grew quite popular.
For Jake, the decade became a turning point. His personal life couldn’t have been better; his family was doing well; everyone was happy. When the twins turned five, they were enrolled in school, and Lexi returned to nursing.
By the mid-fifties, he found himself growing bored with his job at De Beers. Consulting was not where his interests in the diamond industry were rooted. He realized for the first time that his father had given up his dream for a position that would allow him to better provide for his family when he went to work for De Beers. By accepting Marcus’ offer, he had done the same thing.
In his mind, success was measured not only by earnings, but also by what you brought to the table that enabled you to make a difference whether that was by innate ability or ingenuity. He viewed his expertise as diamond cutting and polishing not advertising and marketing. It had all been exciting and fun in the beginning travelling to America and actually learning about the many sides of the jewelry industry. Of late, he felt he accomplished more when working in his workshop.
A week earlier, Joe had approached him with a business offer that he had been mulling over and over in his mind. He weighed the pros and cons a million times; arriving at the same conclusion each and every time led the way to reaching his decision
Unfortunately, the day he realized that diamonds were no longer his first love he was faced with a dilemma. How could he tell Marcus without disappointing him, especially after all that he had done for him? He had become a father to him. It was on a par with disappointing his Papa; an action he would never have considered.
With dinner over and the children in bed for the night, Jake asked Lexi to sit beside him on the sofa; he was seeking her input and sound advice he had come to rely on.
“I’ve been offered a business proposition that I want to tell you about; what I would like to do about it; and since it affects all of us, I want you to tell me your thoughts.
“Last week, Joe Hanks told me that his cousin Tim who is a part owner in Eagle Aerodrome wants out of the partnership. Joe is not in a position to buy him out at this point in time having embarked on a major expansion of their charter service less than a year ago. He asked me if I would be interested in becoming his new partner. Although Tim only owns 30% of the business, if I were to buy him out, Joe is offering me a 50-50 partnership.
“I have so many great ideas for the aerodrome and especially for expanding the charter services even further. There are new achievements in aviation happening almost every day, and there is so much opportunity out there just waiting to be tapped into.
“I’ve been thinking long and hard about his offer before speaking with you because I want to explain to you why I’m considering it. There’s no need on my part to tell you how I feel about flying, about the future of aeronautics, about my friendship with Joe; you know everything about me.