Description of the attraction
For several centuries, Amsterdam has been considered the center of the European diamond trade, and the skills of Dutch jewelers and cutters are considered unsurpassed. Jewelers of ancient India tried to process diamond - the hardest mineral in nature - but they only polished natural crystals. Cutting diamonds in the full sense of the word, i.e. the Flemish master Lodewick van Berkem was the first to create new facets on the crystal surface in Europe. Since the 18th century, the main cutting workshops have been located in Amsterdam. In the 19th century, diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa, which was then a Dutch colony, which further strengthened the position of Amsterdam jewelers and cutters. Even now, with its cutting workshops mainly located in Asia, Amsterdam remains the world's largest diamond trading center.
Despite such a long historical tradition, the Diamond Museum was opened in Amsterdam relatively recently, in 2007. It is located in a 19th century building specially converted for this purpose. The museum is located close to the Rijskmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The founder of the diamond museum is Bonfire Diamonds, the largest diamond cutting and trading company.
The museum exposition shows how diamonds appear in nature, tells the story of human love for these beautiful stones and tries to analyze how it happened that a diamond symbolizes not only wealth, but also beauty and power. Here you will find copies of the most famous stones, historical crowns set with diamonds, famous diamonds that have their own names, as well as the "diamond monkey skull".
Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to watch the work of master cutters, and those who wish can try their hand at cutting - for a certain amount you will receive a rough diamond, and experienced craftsmen will help you cut it.
