The Antwerp Home of Diamonds, DIVA, which will open its doors to the public from Friday, was visited on Monday by Flemish Tourism Minister Ben Weyts and much of the college of Aldermen of Antwerp City. Following the loss of the provincial museum of diamonds and the jewelry museum, the Province of Antwerp, in collaboration with Antwerp City, Flanders Region and the diamond sector, sought a new concept to make Antwerp the world’s diamond capital. This is now a reality and the officials were able to see this when they visited the new museum devoted to diamonds, jewels and jewelry-making.
The museum will also be interactive. The project’s designers have created the personality of Jérôme, a butler, in charge of guiding the visitor through the museum’s various sections.
One room of the museum reproduces a vault while another recreates the history of the diamond trade, using multimedia. DIVA exhibits some 600 objects ranging from diamonds and jewels to works of art. Visitors can also visit a documentation centre, a workshop, a room set aside for temporary exhibitions and a store run by a jeweler - an exceptional fact.
The Brussels Times
