Di Palma honored for interest in fine jewelry

Friday, Oct. 26, 2001 | 3:58 a.m.

Attorney/investor Joseph Di Palma will receive the Tiffany Smithsonian Benefactors Circle Award Monday at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City.

Di Palma and his sister, Flora Di Palma Hoffman of Indiana, established the Di Palma Center for the Study of Jewelry and Precious Metals four years ago at the museum by donating a grant and jewelry valued at more than $140,000.

The Di Palmas donated a 50-carat antique diamond necklace and an 18.5-carat diamond women's wristwatch.

The son of immigrant parents who worked hard and invested their money, Di Palma said his mother gave them the necklace and watch as an asset. She herself had never worn it because it was too ostentatious. The watch, he said, she wore only once.

"We think (the necklace) was manufactured and designed in Europe in the 1920s," Di Palma said.

In addition to his parents having a longtime interest in precious jewels, Di Palma said that he's been interested in the museum since he was young.

Housed in the former home of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, on Fifth Street, the museum is devoted exclusively to design. It features a collection of 250,000 objects from drawings, prints, textiles, wallcoverings and industrial design.

"We were in the process of renovating the museum," Linda Dunne, deputy director for the museum, said. "We had a room for jewelry and precious metals. He was a wonderful donor who came along."

The center provides an opportunity for students, scholars and designers to study historic and contemporary jewelry, Dunne added. "It's a very varied collection."

The collection is open to the general public by appointment.

The center opened in 1998. At the time of his donation, Di Palma received a special commendation from New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

"I certainly appreciate their recommendation and consideration," Di Palma said. "Everybody has their way of giving back. This is my way."

Di Palma also founded the Di Palma Forum at UNLV, a television show on which celebrities discuss national and controversial topics. The show airs quarterly on PBS.

The next installment is scheduled to air at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14.