The Historic Story of Incogem

Incogem was founded by Charles Weinstein in 1978, and building upon the foundation Charles had originally established has grown into the company it is today. Charles was born in Belgium in 1915; at the age of 17 he was drafted into the Belgium Army into the Medical Corps during World War II. He and his family were separated during the war but managed to survive and were later reunited once the war ended.

From Cuba to America

Charles then traveled through France, Spain and Portugal, settling in Cuba where he would reside until 1948. During his time in Cuba, he worked on his skills as a diamond cutter while opening a diamond cutting shop. He then moved to New York and as his fascination with diamonds increased, he started working as a traveling salesman where his travels lead him to Africa. Although Charles had little experience with the process of searching for rough diamonds, he learned quickly and started buying and selling diamonds, while continuing his global travels from Antwerp, Belgium back to New York. Charles was offered a job by The DeBeers Company after many of his diamond discoveries and sales were brought to the attention of the famous diamond house. He worked for the diamond maker for 10 years, setting up purchasing centers from Africa, Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, the Congo and the French Congo. He also visited countries in South America like Venezuela and Brazil.

The Birth of Incogem

Upon leaving DeBeers, Charles decided to start a new venture of his own. He operated a successful jewelry business in Los Angeles for many years. As he grew older he dreamt of a more tranquil lifestyle and gravitated to the Coachella Valley for its relaxed atmosphere, he lived and worked there for 35 years until his passing in 2013. During this time, he was drawing inspiration from the numerous amounts of jewelry he had encountered during his travels and experiences. After being semi-retired the lure of the diamond drew him back in. Charles set out to create a new and unique piece of jewelry that showcased the beauty of the diamond from all angles. He encountered an obstacle along the way. His idea was to have the diamonds embedded in Lucite, he had unsuccessful brief experiences with a couple of Lucite specialists before he found a plastics guru by the name of Mr. Gayler that was able to complete Charles’ artistic vision. In addition, they created a long lasting friendship. They also perfected the Floating Diamond Pendant… diamonds embedded in clear Lucite framed in a gold pendant, and that was the birth of Incogem.

The Next Generation

Charles wanted to ensure his artistic creation would live on. He befriended a Coachella Valley jeweler named Rick. Rick and his father George have a successful well-established store in Palm Desert, California. Charles shared the process of creating the Floating Diamond Pendant with Rick, together they formed a kinship through their mutual love for the art of jewelry. With that, the legacy has now been passed to a new generation. Rick’s company, Gold Box Diamonds is proud to be the only jeweler creating the Incogem Floating Diamond Pendant. Rick is not only grateful for Charles’ friendship but he is humbled to have been given the distinction of continuing the Incogem tradition.