Historical Gem Cutting Regions: Amsterdam
Amsterdam's Diamond Cutting History
Article Copyright © 2012 AllAboutGemstones.com
Amsterdam was at its zenith as a gem polishing and trading center, by the end of the 17th century. Amsterdam was an 'enlightened' Renaissance city that offered extraordinary religious and civil liberty for the time. One of the primary factors in the establishment of Amsterdam, Antwerp and Bruges as diamond and gem trading centers was the religious tolerance towards the Hasidic Jews in Belgium and the Netherlands [4] during the 15th century and beyond.
By the late 18th century, many of Amsterdam's Jewish population were working in the diamond trade, because prior to being granted 'civil equality' in 1796, Jews were unable to join the trade guilds which had no such control over the diamond industry [10].
Joods Historisch Museum, Boas Diamond Factory |
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During the height of Spanish rule in Flanders (1506-1713) Spanish authorities did not permit the practice of Judaism, and many 'crypto-Jews' were persecuted for being 'pseudo-Christians' or for conducting illegal trade with the Ottoman Empire. Around 1550, the Sephardic Jewish population began to flee Antwerp for Amsterdam, continuing through 1585 [9]. Many of these refugees were Portuguese crypto-Jews who were diamond dealers with connections to Portuguese traders who had a monopoly in the trade of raw diamonds and spices from India and the Far East.
By the beginning of the 18th century, Amsterdam had a virtual monopoly on the diamond industry in Northern Europe. Diamond dealers in Antwerp and elsewhere were recruiting cutters and polishers from the Jewish community in Amsterdam who became synonymous with such skills.
The Jewish diamond industry flourished through the 19th century's "Cape Period," becoming one of Amsterdam's main industries, and large-scale production facilities like the famous Boas Diamond Factory at Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, processed 8 to 10,000 carats of rough diamonds per week. Poor working conditions in the diamond factories ultimately lead to a major strike in 1894, necessitating the creation of the ANDB (Algemeenen Nederlandsche Diamantbewerkers Bond) Diamond Worker's trade union [13].
ANDB Diamond Worker's Union |
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Amsterdam would remained the world capital for the diamond polishing trade until the Great Depression hit Europe in the 1930s, and many of the city's diamond-cutters migrated to Antwerp in search of work. The death knell of Amsterdam's diamond industry came at the onset of WWII, when the city's remaining Jewish diamond-cutters were deported and subsequently killed by the Nazis.
The Boas Diamond Factory was purchased and restored by Jewish diamond dealer Samuel Gassan in 1989, and although it mainly serves as a retail jewelry establishment, Gassan's does employ some on-premises diamond cutters. One of the only remaining diamond exchanges (diamond Bourses) is the Vereniging Beurs Voor Den Diamanthandel, at Hogehilweg 14, Amsterdam.
On To:
Antwerp's Diamond Bourses
Italian & Flemish Renaissance Gem Cutters
Old European Gemstone Cuts
Fancy Gem Cuts & Fantasy Cuts
Gem Cutting Technology, Equipment & Techniques
Amsterdam Hotels
Bibliography on Amsterdam's Diamond-Cutting and Lapidary Industry
1. Diamant Museum Brugge, The Bruges Diamond Museum  . www.diamondmuseum.be
2. Jean Baptiste Tavernier, The Six Voyages.
3. Victoria Finlay, Jewels: A Secret History . Ballantine Books
4. Mildred Berman, Location of the Diamond-Cutting Industry . American Geographer Vol. 61
5. Idar-Oberstein, German Diamond and Gemstone Laboratories . www.gemcertificate.com
6. Edelsteinminen, Idar Oberstein Jewel Mines . www.edelsteinminen-idar-oberstein.de
7. Schmuck, Industrieverband Schmuck Deutschland . www.iv-schmuck-metall.de
8. The Bead Site, Roman Maps and the Concept of Indian Gems . www.thebeadsite.com
9. Beth Hatefutsoth, The Jewish Community of Antwerp . www.bh.org
10. Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam's Boas Diamond Factory . www.jhm.nl
11. Gassan's, Gassan Diamonds of Amsterdam . www.gassandiamonds.nl
12. Francesco Guerrera, Andrew Parke, The Changing Face of the Diamond Industry . specials.ft.com
13. Nationaal Vakbondsmuseum, Amsterdam Monumenten - The ANDB . www.bma.amsterdam.nl
14. Wilhelm Lindemann (ED.), Bernd Munsteiner: Reflexionen in Stein . Arnoldsche Art Publishers
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