The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

Diamonds are very precious. This is partly due to the long process a diamond worker must run through. It starts with the rough diamond, which often looks like an ordinary piece of glass. The first step is to cleave the diamond into two or more pieces. This can be done by sawing, splitting or laser technique. For sawing a phosphor bronze saw is needed, covered with diamond dust and oil. Diamond is so hard, that it can only be cut with diamond. Then the shape of the diamond is created by bruting and girdling, for instance pear shape, marquise or brilliant. By polishing the well-known surfaces are applied to the diamond: the facets. An important job, as the price that a diamond will yield, is partly determined by its proportions. The study of the grain and the crystallisation of the diamond leads to the choice of the shape it will get. Instead of cutting diamonds manually, computers and lasers are widely used nowadays. The drawback of these techniques is that they take less account for the natural nerves of the stone.

 

Community

In Amsterdam the craft is practiced in two companies: Coster Diamonds and Gassan Diamonds. Both companies employ some thirty cutters and both allow tourists and other interested people to watch the craft in practice on-site.

 

History

Through the United East Indies Company there was contact with India, where diamonds had been mined for ages already. Jews from southern Europe, who had migrated to Antwerp and since the end of the sixteenth century to Amsterdam, worked diamonds and were allowed to practice their craft in their new haven as well. As of the eighteenth century large amounts of diamond were shipped to Amsterdam from Brazil and since around 1860 from South-Africa. The cutting technique has changed considerably over time. Initially carousels driven by human power were used for the polishing process. Later on this was done with horses and steam power. Companies with several mills in operation turned into diamond factories and the profession of diamond cutter came about. In 1894 the General Dutch Diamond Cutters Union was established. This first large union accounted for the improvement of the diamond cutters’ working conditions. During World War II the occupier mobilised the diamond factories. Few diamond cutters returned. In spite of this, a small number of them did cause a revival in this sector. Next to the diamond factory, Coster Diamonds exploits a Diamond Museum. The company was founded in 1840, by Moses Elias Coster. Gassan Diamonds was established in 1945, by Samuel Gassan. This company is situated in a historic diamond factory from 1879, where steam was used as driving force. It is located in the Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat in Amsterdam. Here, the craft is daily practiced in the historic diamond factory.

 

Contact

Coster Diamonds / Gassan Diamonds
Nieuwe UIlenburgerstraat 173-175
1011 LN
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Website