The Belgian city of Antwerp is recognized as the world capital of diamonds. Most of the shops selling diamonds are concentrated in one area called the Diamond Quarter. The shops are located near the train station on five streets with ordinary residential buildings.

For a long time, Jews have been engaged in diamond cutting in Antwerp. Once their faith was persecuted and forced to convert to Catholicism. But when the Jews began to use the invention of Ludwig Van Berken to cut diamonds and engage in business that began to bring income to the city’s treasury, the authorities turned a blind eye to their religion. And in the modern Belgian city, the main diamond sellers are still Jews.

According to statistics, until recently, about 80% of diamonds were processed in Antwerp. Now Indian specialists are creating competition for craftsmen from this Belgian city. Therefore, the figure fell to 60%, although this figure is still large. Supervises the sphere of the Diamond High Council. It is a non-profit organization that helps the industry grow.

You shouldn’t imagine Antwerp’s Diamond Quarter as some kind of golden land of El Dorado. This is an area with gray, often residential buildings, the ground floors of which are occupied by jewellery stores. Due to the global crisis, the number of stores is decreasing, restaurants or sometimes just kebabs appear in place of jewellery stores.

Historically, Jews were involved in the sale of diamonds in Antwerp, so do not be surprised when you see men in black hats and sidelocks on the streets, there are still a lot of them here, but it is worth noting that Jews are being ousted by traders from India, China and Pakistan. If you are looking for quality diamonds and do not want to run into a cheating seller, then it is better to choose a store owned by a Jew. In any jewellery store in Antwerp there is an employee who speaks English and most likely Russian.

But it is even better to shift the search for the stone you want to us. We always care about quality, work only with well-known world stone exchanges and always provide certification and do all the necessary expertise