DIAMOND MUSEUM BRUGGE

Bruges is Europe's oldest diamond center, although Antwerp is currently Belgium's most important diamond business center. The Diamond Museum invites you on an initiatory journey into the world of this brilliant stone, the cutting of which was invented by the Bruges jeweller Lodewijk van Berken in the ^15th century. It was here in Bruges that he perfected the principle of grinding with a rotating disc and diamond powder. With this method, he was able to cut the facets of a diamond symmetrically and very precisely. He is credited with creating the "pendeloque" or "briolette", a pear-shaped diamond cut that is very popular today. This new way of working the stones enabled Bruges to become the diamond capital of the world. Van Berken's workshop is reconstructed in the museum. Afterwards, you enter a number of themed rooms. The first room, , details "The Jewellery Workshop", a replica of the "Belgo-Suisse, A. Halvoet" watch and jewelry factory in Bruges, where all the steps involved in making a diamond jewel are explained, from cutting to setting. The "^21st century diamond manufacturing techniques" room takes the example of the polishing of the "Lesotho Promise" diamond, a huge 603-carat stone whose cutting was computer-assisted. the "Diamond Lab" is the most fun and interactive part of the museum: identify the 8 different characteristics used to evaluate a diamond, observe its purity using a microscope and styli, learn how to weigh diamonds the old-fashioned way, test their hardness or distinguish a real diamond from a fake. You'll also meet Boris, a strange robot designed in Ukraine during the Soviet era. In just a few minutes, he swallows graphite to extract fine synthetic diamonds from his tongue. Some magnificent stones and replicas of the 20 largest diamonds in the world punctuate the visit, including a replica of Charles the Bold's famous Florentine, a large yellow diamond that has been missing since 1922 under strange circumstances. For those wishing to purchase a piece of jewelry, the neighboring jewelry store, La Maison du diamant de Bruges, offers a fine collection of diamonds mounted in creations of various styles.

Diamond polishing demonstration. The only one of its kind in the world, the Bruges Diamond Museum offers a demonstration of diamond polishing, the final stage in the cutting process before setting. Every day at 12.15pm. Unforgettable and unmissable!