Lying on the couch in my doctor’s surgery with eight acupuncture needles in my back, Dr. Quann informs me that 2 billion Chinese are traveling during their New Year. I was stunned, and tried to lift my head. How could that be - approximately 1.3 billion Chinese on the planet and 2 billion of those traveling? I may not be the most gifted mathematician, however something didn’t add up. Upon querying Dr. Quann on the accuracy of his data, he turned one of the needles behind my ear and told me in a cool voice, “They coming and going.” One billion people “on the go” – now that is cool.

I always wanted to be cool; to do great things with a debonair smile. However, looking at my image on the photo from our recent corporate event, what I saw was an elderly man with a substantial belly, sitting in the corner with his shorts on – definitely not cool.

A few weeks back I bought myself a bright green training outfit. I was very proud of myself. Perhaps this would be my entrée to the world of cool. In only a matter of seconds my wife shattered this illusion – “Leibish you are 60 years old. You cannot dress like Barney the Dinosaur.”

It then dawned on me as to why there has recently been a deluge of inquiries from clients for flawless stones. Flawless is in. Flawless is cool. Flawless is eternal. We all want to be perfect; however Mother Nature only bestowed these gifts on precious few. By acquiring and wearing something flawless, we hope that perhaps some of this perfection will rub off on us.

Just before Chinese New Year I traveled to Hong Kong for a sitting with a private client. The lady loved our latest designs and every few minutes added another new ring to her box. As her ticket quickly crossed the $100,000 mark, her husband sat calmly, looked at his calculator and said, “654.”

I tried to figure out what he meant. He knew we were dealing in US dollars, not some other currency. Upon questioning him as to the significance of this number, he calmly responded, “654 - that is the number of containers of garlic I have to sell to earn the money she just spent.”

Now that was cool! I envied his measured assessment. I envisage he behaved much like Marco Polo returning to Venice from China, loaded with oriental spices and fragrances – a man about town not fazed by anything.

This meeting provided me with further insight as to the allure of flawless colored diamonds. Sitting before me was a man of obvious means. He was not a hedge fund manager or property tycoon but a humble garlic dealer; a man with the acumen and good fortune to acquire great wealth from what nature provides - garlic. However, what Mother Nature provides this man is perishable and relatively common. Surrounding himself with flawless colored diamonds was a way to transform a transient and common product of nature to a timeless and unique element of nature.

Now that is what I call observant, astute, and perfectly cool.

What is Cool?