Coster Diamonds

Coster Diamonds is one of the oldest still operating diamond polishing factories in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. They were responsible for the creation of a few historical masterpieces, like the re-polishing of the Koh i Noor, mounted in the Crown of Queen Mary, to be admired in the Tower of London, amongst the other Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and the Dresden Green Diamond, which belongs to the Saxon dynasty.

History

• 1840: Moses Elias Coster, diamond cutter in Amsterdam, founds Coster Diamonds in a factory building at the Waterlooplein in Amsterdam.
• 1848: Son Meijer Moses Coster (Martin) succeeds his father. He leaves for Paris for new business.
• 1910: Felix Theodoor Manus purchases Coster Diamonds from one of Coster’s inheritors. It becomes a company and remains so until the German occupation in 1940.
• 1945: After World War II, Wim Biallosterski, owner of a diamond sawing company, purchases the former Coster Company which is still situated at the Waterlooplein.
• 1962: Ben Meier purchases the Coster premises together with partner Max Meents, Joop Schoos and Simon Cohen.
• 1970: The old diamond factory has to make way for the construction of the town hall (Stopera), forcing Coster Diamonds to move to its current location at the Paulus Potterstraat (Museumplein).
• 1995: The well-known Van Moppes Diamonds was purchased by Coster Diamonds.
• 2005: Coster Diamonds was obliged to close the Van Moppes Diamonds factory due to events in the world like terrorism, Sars in the Far East. There were hardly any visitors left.
• 2007: The opening of the Diamond Museum Amsterdam
• 2008: The introduction of a new diamond round cut with 201 facets.

Famous diamond polishers

In 1852, Mr J.A. Feder and Mr L.B. Voorzanger, both diamond polishers at Coster Diamonds in Amsterdam, left to London to re-polish the famous Koh i Noor. Mr J.A. Fedder died in 1864. Louis Benjamin Voorzanger wins the silver medal for his achievements at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855. He also polished the “Star of the South”. He died in 1886. The family of the deceased diamond polisher still owns the silver plates with the inscription of this price for the diamond polishers, who polished the Koh i Noor.

Ben Meier polished in 1959 the many diamonds which were used in a white gold watch, which was given as a present to Queen Juliana by the Dutch people. Between 1991 and 1994 Pauline Willemse, diamond polisher at Coster Diamonds polished the smallest diamond in the world, a stone with 57 facets, weighing 0.0000743 carats (0.0149 mg). 0.16–0.17 mm in diameter and with a height of 0.11 mm. This event was published in the Guinness Book of Records.

References

History of Coster Diamonds (via their website)