The Dutch Diamond Trade: How Amsterdam Became the World's Diamond Capital

In this episode of The Story of the Netherlands, Lucas and Luna explore how a small city-state without any natural diamond resources became the global center of diamond cutting and trade for over 400 years. They trace the story from the 15th-century invention of diamond polishing by Lodewijk van Berken in Bruges, through the migration of Jewish diamond cutters to Amsterdam after the Spanish Inquisition, to the rise of the Dutch diamond syndicates in the 17th and 18th centuries. The hosts unpack the technical innovations — the scaif, the use of diamond dust and olive oil — and the economic infrastructure of the Amsterdam Diamond Exchange and the Wisselbank that fueled the trade. They discuss the ruthless control of the rough diamond supply by the VOC in India, the role of Sephardic and Ashkenazi merchants, and the social impact of the diamond industry on Amsterdam's Jewish quarter. The episode also touches on the darker side: smuggling, monopolistic practices, and the exploitation of colonial resources. Finally, they consider the 20th-century decline when De Beers shifted the center to London and Antwerp, leaving Amsterdam with a legacy of craftsmanship that still endures in small ateliers.

#DutchDiamonds #AmsterdamDiamondTrade #LodewijkVanBerken #Scaif #DiamondCutting #VOC #SephardicMerchants #AshkenaziJews #AmsterdamDiamondExchange #Wisselbank #IndianDiamonds #Golconda #DeBeers #AntwerpDiamond #DutchGoldenAge #History #FexingoHistory #Netherlands

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo