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Wednesday 15 June 2022

2388) Antwerp, Diamond City, Belgium: The Royal Mint of Belgium has issued a Gold €12.50 (Twelve and a Half Euro) Coin which celebrates the world famous Diamond City: Date of Coin issue: 2021:

2388) Antwerp, Diamond City, Belgium: The Royal Mint of Belgium has issued a  Gold €12.50 (Twelve and a Half Euro) Coin which celebrates the world famous Diamond City: Date of Coin issue: 2021:

Paris, London, Milan, New York boast of  many luxury brands and are positioned as trendy world cities for showing off their perfumes, fashion clothing or other creations , however, when it comes to diamonds and their processing, Antwerp is the absolute world centre.

Antwerp Diamond City:

From the 16th Century the Indian diamond was brought directly to Antwerp and the local polishers acquired an unsurpassed fame.

 But the true success story of Antwerp Diamond City only started from the 19th Century, when new fields are mined in South Africa and many Jewish diamond workers from Eastern Europe settle in the Sinjoren city. 

Since then, the diamond industry has forever linked its economic fate to Antwerp and those sparkling stones from this city are sought after worldwide for their excellent quality and their exceptional perfection.

Antwerp's Diamond District:

Antwerp's diamond district, also known as the "Diamond Quarter (Diamantkwartier)", and dubbed the "Square Mile", is an area within the city of Antwerp, Belgium. 

It consists of several square blocks covering an area of about one square mile. 

Much of the gem cutting and polishing work historically done in the neighborhood had moved to low wage centres elsewhere, about 84% of the world's rough diamonds passed through the district, making it the largest diamond district in the world with a turnover of several billion dollars. 

Every year, approximately 50% of the rough diamonds return to Antwerp for cutting and polishing.

There are around 380 workshops that serve 1,500 companies. There are also 3,500 brokers, merchants and diamond cutters. The workforce comprises of over 30,000 people. Over 80% of rough diamonds are purchased in Antwerp.

Within the area is the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, and four trading exchanges including the "Diamond Club of Antwerp" and the "Beurs voor Diamanthandel", both of which were founded by Hasidic diamantaires, the "Antwerpsche Diamantkring" and the "Vrije Diamanthandel".

The neighborhood is dominated by Jewish, Indians, Maronites Christian Lebanese and Armenian dealers, known as "diamantaires".

The Gold Coin:

To represent the worldwide prestige of Antwerp Diamond City, the Royal Mint of Belgium has issued a beautiful 12½ Euro Coin. 

The coin is struck in the purest gold and in the highest Proof quality. 

The Reverse of the 12½ Euro Gold Coin shows the side and top view of a brilliant cut diamond . The peripheral inscriptions are - "ANTWERP. CITY OF DIAMONDS. 2021". 

The Obverse of the 12½ Euro Gold Coin depicts the Belgian Lion for this issue, the denominational value - "12½ Euro" and the trilingual country designation - "BELGIE - BELGIQUE - BELGIEN" (on the outer periphery).

The specification of the 12½ Euro Gold  Coin are:
Country of issue: Belgium; Date/Year: 2021; Coin Theme: "Antwerp - Diamond City"; Denomination/Face Value: 12½ Euro;  Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 1.25 grams; Diameter/Size: 14.00 mm;  Coin Quality: Proof; Mint: Royal Mint of Belgium; Mintage: 2,500 pieces; Designer: Luc Luycx.

Presentation: Packed in a luxury pouch/case accompanied with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA)complete this subtle numismatic gem.










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4 comments:

  1. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "A VERY interesting post. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rsanker Sharma has commented:
    "Very nice and informative."

    ReplyDelete