In the 17th Century, Amsterdam had the largest diamond manufacturing center in the world. The city's dominance of the diamond industry, which would earn it the title “City of Diamonds,” would last roughly another 300 years until it gradually began losing its manufacturing base to growing operations in London and Antwerp, Belgium.
The death knell came during World War II when German troops invaded The Netherlands forcing the largely Jewish workforce to flee or be sent to concentration camps. Following the war, the few established manufacturers that remained created a much smaller diamond industry largely built for the tourist trade. Two diamond companies dominate this modern retail business: Gassan Diamonds and Royal Coster Diamonds.
Royal Coster Diamonds was founded in 1840 and claims to be the oldest still operating diamond polishing factory in the world. So far there have been no challengers. The company handled a few historical masterpieces, such as re-polishing the famed Koh i Noor diamond mounted in the Crown of Queen Mary and the Dresden Green Diamond, held in the New Green Vault at Dresden Castle.
Royal Coster offers visitors guided tours of its museum, provides diamond education classes and details its history as a jeweler to royals. Diamond cutters and polishers work in plain sight giving those unfamiliar with the craft of turning a rough diamond into a polished one a bit of an understanding of the process. Of course all of this is to entice tourists to buy its jewels.
One of company's main attractions is its headquarters, a complex of majestic red-brick buildings on the edge of Museum Square, one of the city’s major tourist attractions. Its large retail space weaves throughout the buildings and goes underground, selling diamond jewels of all prices and styles and even selling items like Phillips electronic products. A company official explained that these items from the internationally known electronics manufacturer are popular with tourists from China. What they are doing seems to be working as the company attracts about 340,000 visitors per year.
Gassan Diamonds, located in an equally attractive red-brick building in the heart of the city also offers tours, diamond classes and the chance to buy jewels and watches. However, the company also works directly with luxury hotels to provide unique experiences. For example, I met Pamela De Jong, Gassan senior sales manager, in one of the tearooms of the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam to share a jewelry inspired tea experience.
The hotel pastry chefs created a special tea service to match a Gassan jewelry collection called “Choices by DL,” created by Debora Leeser, Gassan chief creative officer. It’s a collection of rings, earrings and bracelets with a large variety of colorful gems, from cabochon to highly-faceted, that are interchangeable. It’s a flexible, affordable jewelry collection that allows wearers to easily change the central gemstone in their jewel. While drinking champagne and tea from long-stemmed glasses, we were treated to sweet and savory bites that were fashioned to look like jewels and gems from the collection.
The Waldorf is not the only hotel Gassan works with. The company’s headquarters is located directly behind the Luxury Suites Amsterdam hotel, a boutique luxury hotel of 25 large suites with full kitchens and with most rooms facing the busy and picturesque Oudeschans canal. The two companies offer a “VIP Diamond Package,” which includes a private tour of Gassan, a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne, a black diamond and a bouquet of roses.
Perhaps the most storied of the diamond manufacturers remaining in Amsterdam is the Royal Asscher Diamond Company. It was founded in 1854 by the Asscher family of gem cutters. The business is now owned and managed by the fifth and sixth generation of the Asscher family.
In 1902, Joseph Asscher designed the Asscher cut, one of the first signature diamond cuts and the first to receive a patent. This square-shaped cut with sliced corners is known for its large step facets and a high crown that produces a brilliance that is sometimes described as an endless hallway of reflective mirrors.
The company’s expertise as gem cutters was cemented when in 1908 King Edward VII of Great Britain commissioned Joseph Asscher to “cleave” (split by striking) the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, the largest diamond ever unearthed. Nine large stones were cut from this giant rough with the largest being the 530.20-carat Cullinan I, or “Great Star of Africa.” It is the largest clear cut diamond in the world. The second-largest stone from the rough is Cullinan II or the “Second Star of Africa,” weighing 317.4 carats. Both diamonds are part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Seven other major diamonds from the rough, weighing a total of 208.29 carats, are privately owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Today, Royal Asscher operates as a traditional manufacturer selling its diamonds and jewels around the world, including its branded products. The company has Royal Asscher boutiques in China and Japan and most recently in Amsterdam, in a partnership with Schaap Citroen, a Dutch high-end jewelry retailer.
Today, “City of Diamonds” serves largely as a marketing term referencing Amsterdam's glory days in diamond manufacturing. However, you can still find locally produced diamond jewelry in the city backed by hundreds of years of history.
