The bling building: A review of the Gem Tower

From the March issue: Midtown is hardly the loveliest part of Manhattan, and few parts of Midtown are quite as unlovely as the stretch of 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. This corner of creation is known worldwide as the Diamond District and, with the possible exception of the city of Antwerp in Belgium, it’s home to the biggest diamond emporium in the world.

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Indeed, if you’ve been on this dreary street at all, there’s a good chance you’ve been buying or selling gems. The entire block is a hive, an ecosystem in which diamond buyers and stone cutters interact with wholesalers, shippers and security firms to create New York City’s fabled diamond trade. [more]