It is a story of ordinary people and extraordinary events which are condensed in the diamond history of the Province of Antwerp: processing and craftsmanship in the Campine/“Kempen”, trade and commerce in the metropolis.

The Diamond Museum provides insight into this wondrous world of the hardest and most fascinating stone in the world, which can be transformed into a dazzling diamond jewel, brilliantly cut by Antwerp craftsmen: a BrilliAntwerp Story! Antwerp’s diamond cutters are indeed world famous. Like Marcel Tolkowsky (1899- 1991), celebrated for his invention of the ideal brilliant diamond cut in an optimal number of facets, in order to achieve maximum brilliance: a technique which is still used today. And master cutter Gaby Tolkowsky who was invited by the diamond concern De Beers to work on the prestigious Centenary and Golden Jubilee diamonds at the end of the 1980s, a process which took him three years.

Antwerp quality and Antwerp cut, synonymous with world-class workmanship and an enviable end product are reflected in the museum by “De Eendracht”, a real diamond cutter’s workshop. This workshop is one of the most important items in the museum’s collection and part of our industrial archaeological heritage. On weekdays, the present diamond worker talks about cleaving, cutting and polishing and interactive visual display units demonstrate the latest techniques: scanning diamonds, determining by means of the computer how to polish the diamond to produce the best shape, etc.

Besides the diamond story, the visitor is drawn to the treasure chambers spread over three floors where he can find the museum’s unique collection of diamond creations: historic diamond jewels and contemporary diamond jewellery as well as exhibition space!

For more than four centuries the diamond has been the jewel par excellence. From the 17th century onwards it was the jewel worn by kings, queens, and the aristocracy and well-off ladies and gentlemen during nightly activities, balls, operas and theatre performances.

Until today film stars, sports heroes, exclusive fashion models on the catwalk and pop artists flaunt exclusive but above all eye-catching diamond jewels. Therefore, the evolution of the diamond (as a) jewel is a fascinating story, which is highlighted in the Provincial Diamond Museum in Antwerp.

The museum’s jewellery acquisition strategy is based on building up an historic collection of diamond jewels from the 16th century until present times, selected because of their beauty and their art-historical importance. These jewels are not only to be admired for their charisma, they also give evidence of historic bonds between nations and cultures, discoveries of new countries and continents, the influence of religion and royal courts, the historic evolutions and changing traditions and the technological developments in the diamond jeweller’s and silversmith’s craft.

Although there are many museums exposing jewels, the Antwerp Diamond Museum is unique in its approach to the historic and contemporary jewel, because it specialises in turning diamonds into diamond jewel designs. An excellent example illustrating the display of unique diamond jewel designs is the result of the biennial HRD Jewellery Award Competition, an organisation by the museum’s partner Diamond High Council www.hrd.be)/ Antwerp World Diamond Centre www.awdc.be).

This biennial exhibition is the outcome of an international competition and has been expanded since 2003 to include young as well as experienced jewellery designers. It is widely considered to be the most important competition worldwide for contemporary diamond jewellery. Traditionally the HRD / AWDC offers the winning jewel to the Diamond Museum for inclusion in its collection, thus ensuring that the best creations remain in Antwerp.

In 2012, the Antwerp Diamond Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary (since 1972) as well as 10 years of accommodation at the Queen Astrid Square. These anniversary highlights give rise to an appropriate tribute to ’t Steentje’. The first step is a diamond testimony, the Wins Family Legacy, five generations of mostly Antwerp diamond business activity, illustrating the city’s inextricable link between, on one hand, the mainly political and economical history of the Antwerp diamond sector and, on the other hand, its social and cultural context.