Diamonds are a girls best friend

Diamonds... . What girl doesn't like diamonds. Marilyn Monroe sang about it and one day every girl wants one around a certain finger. But what do we know about these beautiful precious stones? Thanks to the movie Blood Diamonds with Leonardo DiCaprio we all know that there's a lot to do about mining diamonds, financing wars and murdering people. But did you know that 84% of all raw diamonds and 50% of cut diamonds are treaded in Antwerp? So I dare to say that Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world. A bit cocky, I know. I just mean it would be very sad if things would change.

And things are changing. The recession didn't help the traders. But that's not the only thing that has changed. I grown up with the idea that the Jewish people and diamonds went hand in hand in Antwerp. Indians are taking over. I know they need to have jobs too, but it's sad to see that tradition no longer matters. Most diamonds were cut in Antwerp, but more and more diamonds are cut and polished in third world countries like India. It's cheaper and there are less laws to obey. Diamond cutting and polishing is a hard job. It takes a lot of concentration and skill. Not a lot of people want to do it and it takes a lot of time and money to learn it. The fact that everything is now measured with computers doesn't make it any easier. It's a new technology designed to keep the cutting in Antwerp.
Hopefully it helps.

I'm not old, but everyone of my generation and older will agree if I say that our world is moving to fast sometimes. Things I took as true and everlasting are disappearing before we even realizing it. It makes my heart bleed when I think about it. Certain things are becoming history to fast. I think a lot of prestige and appeal will go away if the Antwerp diamond scene will change much more. We need a change in Antwerp. Before our amazing diamond scene is history. I don't want it to be all trading and no craftsmanship anymore. It so important that everything, the cutting, the setting and de selling, stays together. But just in case, me and my college went to take photos of diamond polishers at work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Photography

Caroline