Antwerpsche Diamantkring – The Rough Diamond Capital of Interwar Flanders (1928)

For more than five centuries, the Flemish port city of Antwerp has been synonymous with the international diamond trade. Yet during the rapid industrial expansion of the 1920s, local diamond merchants and master cutters recognized that the global supply of unpolished, rough gemstones required a dedicated, highly specialized commercial exchange distinct from the existing polished diamond bourses. In 1928, prominent Jewish and Flemish gemstone dealers convened to establish the Antwerpsche Diamantkring, creating the first—and to this day, the only—diamond exchange in the world exclusively dedicated to the trade in rough diamonds.

The Hoveniersstraat Trading Floor and Handshake Traditions

Headquartered in a dignified purpose-built exchange building on Hoveniersstraat, at the heart of the bustling Antwerp Diamond Square adjacent to Antwerpen-Centraal railway station, the Diamantkring established an extraordinary commercial microcosm. Trading on the floor was conducted with solemn, centuries-old codes of honor. Multimillion-dollar parcels of rough gemstones were examined under natural northern daylight without formal contracts, sealed exclusively by a traditional handshake and the sacred Hebrew blessing Mazal U’Bracha (luck and blessing)—a binding ethical pledge universally upheld across generations.

Global Supply Chains and Flemish Gemological Supremacy

The establishment of the Diamantkring firmly cemented Antwerp’s position as the uncontested global gateway for African and international rough diamond production. By providing a secure, regulated platform where African mining syndicates, London dealers, and master Antwerp cutters could negotiate raw gemstone allocations, the bursa sustained thousands of specialized cutting mills throughout Flanders. Despite the severe disruptions of the Great Depression and the Second World War, the institution demonstrated remarkable institutional resilience, quickly re-establishing Antwerp as the world’s leading gemological distribution capital.

Today, the Antwerpsche Diamantkring remains a founding member of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses. Its historic exchange floor on Hoveniersstraat stands as a living monument to Antwerp’s mercantile heritage, ethical commercial traditions, and master craftsmanship.

Historic Site & Location