‘BLACK THURSDAY’ ON WALL STREET AND THE DIAMOND BROOCH

In October 1929, with their house still under construction and the instalment payments due, the stock markets crashed. Black Thursday on Wall Street marked the beginning of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Commerce virtually ground to a halt. Unemployment rose, and the threat of poverty loomed over the world’s population. In this tense, poverty-stricken climate, the De Simone family also risked losing everything. The firm, the unfinished apartments and the fortune they had accumulated over a lifetime of sacrifice were all at risk. Raffaella rose to the occasion and once again proved to be an able leader. To save her husband from ruin, she had no hesitation in selling her jewellery and, in particular, a diamond brooch that Michele had given her on the eve of their wedding. This precious jewel – the symbol of their love - had a priceless significance for the couple; the diamonds had been selected from the most beautiful available, and set aside for Michele’s future wife during all the foreign business trips he had made when he was a young man. But at least this sacrifice was enough to save their house and the firm.