diamond factory tour antwerp

The sparkling history of Antwerp’s diamond district

Did you know that around 84% of the world’s rough diamonds pass through Antwerp’s diamond district, located next to the Central Station? With an annual turnover of around 54 billion dollars, it makes Antwerp the largest diamond district in the world – impressive for a small, unassuming town in the north of Belgium.

So how did Antwerp become such an important part of this lucrative and glamorous trade and why are diamonds and Antwerp so inexorably linked?

Back in the 15th century, records show that rough diamonds and other gems began to arrive from India to Bruges, then onto Antwerp. Rich traders and nobility were attracted to the brightly coloured gems and saw them as a sign of wealth, and the access to the North Sea via the Scheldt river mean an easy trade route direct to Antwerp.

The way in which diamonds were perceived however, changed when Flemish jeweller Lodewyk van Berken invented a diamond polishing tool, the scaif, which created the sparkling, multi-faceted diamonds we know today. This sent European dignitaries into a frenzy – everyone wanted a glittering, sparkling diamond to call their own, and many craftspeople also came to Antwerp looking for work and the city became known as a global centre for diamonds. In the 1890s a diamond industry was officially established by the families of diamond traders and manufacturers.

During the Second World War, the persecution of the Jews in Antwerp and the downturn in demand for luxury goods meant that the industry slowed, but post-war there was a boost to the diamond trade and by the 1950s-1960s there were about 40,000 polishers, brokers, merchants and cutters living and working in the diamond district.

With outsourcing to India, this figure has certainly reduced, but today the unassuming looking diamond district is still an interesting visit. Around 1,500 diamond headquarters are based here, adjacent to the Central Station and a short walk from Meir, Antwerp's main shopping street.

Stroll around and see family-run businesses operating alongside larger brands and workshops. Some visit to have a family heirloom looked at – others are in the market to buy a sparkling gem. And whenever a new diamond is discovered, Antwerp is often the place it will come to be cut, for example the Lesotho Promise, a 603-carat rough diamond, the largest find of the 21st century was sold in Antwerp and cut into 26 stones. It’s now at Graff’s in London where the stones have been designed into a necklace.

If you’re particularly intrigued by Antwerp’s diamond district, make time for a stop at DIVA - the museum for diamonds, jewellery and silver. Its ‘Room of Wonders’ will take through Antwerp’s place on the global diamond stage for 570 years, plus an interactive journey that explores diamonds, silversmithing and jewellery-making. You can even buy diamond souvenirs in the shop – treat yourself to a memento from Antwerp’s diamond district.

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Diamond District tour & diamond cutting workshop

This three-hour walking tour will take you through Antwerp’s Diamond Quarter with a local guide. The Diamond Quarter boasts the densest concentration of diamonds in the world — 86% of legal raw diamonds pass through the city at some point. The streets are lined with wholesalers, diamond cutters, polishers and shops. There are diamond sellers located throughout the city, but your guide will point you in the right direction of the best shops if you’re looking to buy.

As you explore the Diamond Quarter, your experienced guide will tell you about the history of the trade in Antwerp, and you’ll also get to visit a local workshop and see the workers demonstrate the process behind grinding, cutting, polishing and setting the stones.

You’ll also get to see Antwerp’s Central Station, one of the city’s most well-known buildings. The train station is a stone building, with a massive dome and an eclectic mix of architectural styles.

The tour can begin from Ghent, Brussels, Bruges or Antwerp; your guide will meet you at your hotel, and you may need to take a train to Antwerp’s Central Station. The grand train station is expansive, with an almost cathedral-like feel inside with high vaulted ceilings, towering stone columns and tall, Romanesque windows. The station’s opulent feel is owed in part to the lucrative diamond trade of the nearby Diamond Quarter.

You and your experienced private guide will then make the short walk to the Diamond Quarter, which stretches for several blocks in each direction. The buildings are flat faced and more modern looking than the step-gabled houses seen in other parts of the city. The area covered on the tour is concentrated, so the distance you’ll walk is minimal.

You’ll learn the history of the trade in Antwerp as you walk with your guide, before heading to a local workshop where you’ll see workers demonstrating the process behind grinding, cutting, polishing and setting diamonds.

If you wish to purchase a stone, your guide will help find a suitable store. The tour will take about three hours in total, and can be scheduled for any time during the business day.

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Photos of Diamond District tour & diamond cutting workshop

Other experiences in Antwerp

These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.

Bruges old town tour & canal cruise

Spend a few hours with a guide exploring Bruges’ historical highlights, where you’ll see artwork by Michelangelo, Gothic cathedrals and a towering belfry. Then, spend an hour cruising the postcard-worthy canals and see step-gabled houses and stone bridges.

Culinary walking tour of Antwerp

Get to know Antwerp’s history and try some of its best cuisine on this guided walking tour. You’ll see the city’s oldest building and busiest square, and get to try frites, artisanal chocolates, waffles and beer.

Private canal cruise with champagne & charcuterie

See a world-renowned altarpiece, a bird’s-eye view of the city, a medieval castle and lively market squares on a walking tour of Ghent. Then explore the city’s waterways on a boat tour of the canals, where you’ll be served local delicacies and Belgian beer.

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Extraordinary secrets in the Historic Centre

Curious about the story of Antwerp as a world centre for diamonds and silversmithing, outside the museum walls? Discover the neighbourhood around DIVA.

<  Start the audio walk  >

Audio walk through the Historic Centre

DIVA is located in a district where silversmiths and jewellers lived, worked and sold their products for more than 500 years. In these very streets, Antwerp built its reputation as a world centre for diamonds and silversmithing.  

But how did the city do that?

In this audio walk Helen Gallagher takes you along on her quest for the roots of Antwerp as the world diamond city . At 12 locations in the city, she will tell you the hidden stories of the 16th to the 21st century and she will drop by at some contemporary jewellers .

Practical info diamond and jewellery tour

• You decide when you take the walk. This can be done daily. You don't need to make a reservation.
• Duration with 12 stops: +/- 90 minutes.
• Available in Dutch and English.

Starting and ending point

You can choose to start the walk at:

DIVA, Suikerrui 17-19, 2000 Antwerp

Het Steen, Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerp

You end your tour at:

MoMu, Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerp

The map with stopping points

Get the free map with the stopping points of the walk at:

the front desk of DIVA

the front desk of Het Steen

Or download the map  here .

Audio clips

All audio clips can be listened to separately. You can shorten the walk without any problem.

Listen to the audio clips per stop.

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• Around the World

An Afternoon in Antwerp’s Historic Diamond District

• July 5, 2018

Gem-A Member Carmen Garcia-Carballido MSc., L. Geology, EurGeol FGA DGA, explores Antwerp’s historic diamond district – the Diamantkwartier.

Antwerp in Belgium is famous for diamonds. In 2017, it traded approximately 234 million carats. Over 80% of rough diamonds are purchased in Antwerp, where half the world’s ‘Kimberley Certificates’ are issued, and the square mile of its ‘Diamond Quarter’ hosts 1,600 diamond dealers, employing over 30,000 people. Diamond, not beer, is Belgium’s top export.

Antwerp History

In the 16 th  century, Antwerp was the world’s biggest trade centre, with the diamond trade to and from the city having been recorded since 1447.

Port House of Antwerp, Belgium. Designed by Zaha Hadid, which reinterprets Antwerp’s moniker as the city of diamond. Image Credit: pixabay  

But how are diamonds traded? It started in the coffee houses near Centraal Station. In the days before security cameras, merchants had to move fast to avoid being mugged, so the ‘Diamond Quarter’ sprang up just next to the station, which is still a convenient location for tourists and dealers. Nowadays, vetted and registered members can trade at one of Antwerp’s four diamond bourses; there is no other city in the world with so many, and there are only 30 Diamond Bourses worldwide. Some bourses specialise in cut diamonds, others in rough or industrial diamonds and some are even on the sites of the old coffee houses.

Antwerp Centraal Station. Image Credit: pixabay 

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), a private foundation representing the sector in Belgium, maintains Antwerp’s position as a world diamond centre. Antwerp’s main diamond bourse was founded in 1904 and by WWII it had 1,645 members, however, at the war’s end just 335 remained. The AWDC hosts the ‘Diamond Office’ founded in 1945 to encourage Jewish diamantaires to return to Antwerp, and it also now handles all diamonds entering the city.

Dealing in diamonds is an expensive business. A tender facility located within the AWDC is where mining companies sell their rough diamonds. Each buyer bids in a sealed envelope and the stones are sold to the highest bidder. Specialised banks give fast credit to registered trading companies and all transactions are by bank transfer to comply with anti-fraud laws.Although diamond dealing is based on trust, diamond bourse members must comply with strict rules.

History of Antwerp and Diamond Cutting

Antwerp has a rich history of diamond cutting. Marcel Tolkowsky, a native of Antwerp, refined the brilliant cut early in the 20th century. His nephew, Gaby Tolkowsky, cut some of the world’s most famous diamonds: the Centenary (273.85 ct) and the Golden Jubilee (545.7 ct). Until the early 1970s, most rough diamonds traded in Antwerp were also cut there.

Nowadays, rough is exported to India or China for cutting and polishing and re-imported for sale in Antwerp, hence the saying: “Almost every diamond in the trade travels though Antwerp at least once.”

I visited the fantastic showroom at DiamondLand (Appelmansstraat 33) and saw cutters and polishers at work. Figure 1 shows a crossworker using the traditional equipment, including; the scaife, a horizontal cast iron disc which rotates at 3,200 rpm and is impregnated with diamond dust and oil; an adjustable dop which holds the diamond; and the tang, a tripod which holds the dop.

The tang is held by the crossworker who exerts pressure onto the diamond while cutting and polishing. It is lifted frequently to inspect the diamond under the loupe, and here two diamonds are being worked at the same time (Fig. 1a).

Royal 201 Diamonds

DiamondLand also showed me some Royal 201 cut diamonds. This modification of the round modern brilliant cut has been on the market circa 2004. It has 65 crown and 40 pavilion facets plus 96 micro facets on the girdle. The Royal 201 cut exhibits higher brilliance and fire than the modern brilliant cut and this can affect colour grading, making a Royal 201 cut stone appear a higher colour grade than it really is. It has different proportions to the modern brilliant cut; the crown appears bulgier, so it is important that diamond graders and valuers identify this cut and put it in its context.

Before leaving the Diamond Quarter, I paid a visit to HDR Antwerp, a famous institution for diamond certification, training, and instruments (both gemmological and for diamond manufacture and screening) where I had the opportunity to see their range of state-of-the-art devices. So, Gem-A members, if you happen to find yourselves in Antwerp, take a moment to explore its rich diamond history.

Interested in finding out more about gemmology? Sign-up to one of  Gem-A’s courses or workshops .

If you would like to subscribe to Gems&Jewellery and The Journal of Gemmology please visit  Membership .

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Made by Darwin

• Antwerp & Diamonds
• Diamonds & Culture

Diamond Pavilion

• A brilliant story
• Visit Antwerp

February 8 2012 marks the official inauguration of the MAS | Antwerp Diamond Pavilion. This Pavilion symbolizes the structural partnership AWDC set up with the MAS | Museum Aan de Stroom, at the crossroads where Antwerps long relationship with diamonds begun: Antwerp's port. In collaboration with the Diamond Museum, the Antwerp Diamond Pavilion is where that history will truly come to life, as a meeting space for everyone who shares a love for things of beauty, art and diamonds. The Diamond Pavilion enlightens why we call Antwerp the centre of the global diamond industry and shows at the same time who isactive in the industry, both now and in the past. It informs you about the rich history, the economic importance and a lot of other aspects of this typicalAntwerp activity. The diamond shop makes sure you can go home with a souvenir. The MAS Museum and pavilions are another sparkling addition to Antwerps brilliant skyline.

You can visit the diamond pavilion from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM - 5 PM.

More information on www.mas.be - 0476/86.13.33

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DIVA | Museum for diamonds, jewellery and silver

DIVA is the number one museum for diamonds, jewellery and silver in Antwerp. The museum is located at an historic site: from the 15th century, the Grote Markt and surrounding streets were the place to be for people who were looking for objects made of gold, silver and precious stones. Lovers of great luxury could feast their eyes on the shop windows of jewellers and goldsmiths. Delve into history and discover stories and objects from Antwerp’s heyday to today.

A Brilliant Story Expand your knowledge and marvel at DIVA, the world of diamonds, jewellery and silver. In the refurbished permanent exhibition ‘ A Brilliant Story ‘, you will discover the different stages of a piece of jewellery or silverware, from the mine to the finished product. See how diamonds are mined, how silversmiths work, and learn more about the art and uses of these beautiful objects. Feast your eyes on 650 diamonds, jewellery and silver objects from the 15th century to today.

3 reasons why this is worth your visit

• Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world. After visiting the DIVA museum, you can go on a treasure hunt in Antwerp armed with your new-found knowledge.
• Did you know that the museum also has a library, atelier and educational space? In the DIVA reading room, you can browse through books and magazines about diamonds, jewellery and silver. You are welcome in the educational space and atelier for interesting workshops. The doors of the atelier are open to specialists in goldsmithing and enthusiasts with no prior experience. Young or old, with your class or colleagues, alone or together: join in!
• The DIVA museum has an offer for children, but for now only in Dutch. Magpie loves everything that shines and has an eye for shiny details. This makes him the perfect guide during a discovery tour with fun search and do assignments throughout the permanent exhibition. Ideal for children from 7 years old.
• Practical information

Contact details for visitors

Opening hours.

DIVA opened in May 2018 as a fusion of the former Diamond Museum and the Silver Museum. In a stately building situated a stone’s throw from the Grote Markt, diamonds, jewellery and silver are displayed in a contemporary and interactive way. The district behind Antwerp City Hall, where DIVA is located, was (and is) a site where silversmiths and jewellers have lived, worked and sold their products for over 500 years. Especially since Antwerp’s Golden Age, this has been a thriving commercial district. This historic framework provides the museum with extra context and makes for a rich arsenal of stories encompassing all of the objects and products.

DIVA’s history in silver

Silver is not just a material. As a precious metal, silver has a special aura that gives DIVA that extra cachet. That is why DIVA’s roots lie with the Zilvermuseum. The Silver Museum left Sterckshof Castle on 2 May 2014, after the tenth anniversary edition of the Silver Market. From 2018 onwards, the silver collection has been presented in DIVA.

DIVA’s history in diamonds

DIVA reconnects Antwerp with all of the facets of its brilliant past. The 500 years of Antwerp’s diamond history serve as one of DIVA’s starting points. The Diamond Museum at Koningin Astridplein 19–23 closed its doors in 2012 due to renovations to the Queen Elisabeth Hall, which was located in the same building. In May 2018, the former Diamond Museum opened in a different form and merged with the collection of the former Silver Museum. DIVA, the number one museum for diamonds, jewellery and silver in Antwerp was officially born.

Is DIVA accessible for people with reduced mobility? DIVA is accessible for (electric) wheelchairs and walkers. All exhibition rooms are accessible by lift. To use the lift, you sometimes have to deviate from the planned route. Our staff in the museum halls will be happy to show you the way. Adapted toilets can be found on floor -1. DIVA provides a wheelchair and 20 folding chairs, which are available at the front desk.

Can I enter DIVA with a stroller? Strollers are allowed in the museum rooms. We do ask that all bags attached to the stroller be placed in the lockers (on floor -1). Would you prefer to store the stroller during your visit? You can do so in the space provided. Please talk to our staff in the entrance hall. You will find two changing tables in the toilets

Can I bring my dog? Dogs are not allowed, except for guide dogs and other certified assistance dogs.

Is DIVA easy to reach? The museum is easily accessible on foot, by bike, by public transport (including the water bus) and by car. The Suikerrui is close to the Grote Markt and Groenplaats. It is also easy to reach by tram and bus. Coming by car? You can park in the car parks at the Grote Markt or the Groenplaats.

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