Natural History Museum's Diamonds Cited As Most Sparkling Jewel Exhibition Ever

Posted on: Monday, 18 July 2005, 12:00 CDT

A must-see for this summer's travellers, London's Natural History Museum opened Diamonds 8 July, now cited as the biggest ever assemblage of truly noteworthy diamonds. Brought together under one roof with the help of The Diamond Trading Company (DTC), this dazzling event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see most of the world's seriously important diamonds in one place.

Jonathan Chippindale, Marketing Director, DTC Gulf Market said. "It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular or beautiful collection of diamonds. Each of these unique treasures was created over a billion years ago, well before dinosaurs roamed the earth. So by looking into the heart of a diamond such as the De Beers Millennium Star, at 203 carats the largest flawless pear-shaped diamond in the world, you are literally looking at a piece of eternity."

The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) is the sales and marketing arm of the De Beers Group, one of the world's largest sources of rough diamonds handling approximately half of the world's supply. Additional support from DTC has provided the Natural History Museum with key pieces, from impressive single stones to stunning jewellery. DTC has also helped the Natural History Museum to create exhibits on the diamond industry.

Diamonds will feature many of the world's most impressive single stones, explain the fascinating facts of a diamond's facets and give insight into the billion year story of diamonds, from their ancient creation deep in the Earth to their sparkling reveal on the red carpet.

Notes for editors Diamonds is at the Natural History Museum from 8 July 2005 to 26 February 2006. Winner of the 2004 Large Visitor Attraction of the Year award, the Natural History Museum is also a world-leading science research centre. Through its collections and scientific expertise, the Museum is helping to conserve the extraordinary richness and diversity of the natural world with groundbreaking projects in 68 countries. The Museum is committed to encouraging public engagement with science. This has been greatly enhanced by the Darwin Centre, a major new initiative, which offers visitors unique access behind the scenes of the Museum. Phase One of the project opened to the public in 2002 and Phase Two is scheduled to open in 2008. With seven decades of expertise in the diamond industry, Steinmetz has interests ranging from cutting, polishing and manufacturing, jewellery and e-tail. Known for its unique approach to marketing, the group has promoted the glamour of diamonds at various events such as the Oscars, the Baftas, the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History and the Monaco Grand Prix. Steinmetz has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices around the world. Two of the most famous diamonds created by Steinmetz are the 203.04-carat, internally flawless De Beers Millennium Star and the Steinmetz Pink a 59.60-carat, flawless fancy vivid pink diamond. www.steinmetz-group.com The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) is the sales and marketing arm of the De Beers Group, and the world's largest source of rough diamonds handling approximately half the world's supply. Recognised around the world by its famous advertising promise 'A Diamond is Forever', the DTC has a passion and commitment to diamonds and to consumers. As part of the De Beers Group, the DTC is involved in the life of a diamond from the moment it is discovered in the earth. It uses its 115 years of diamond expertise and marketing knowledge to help consumers feel more confident when making their diamond purchase. In addition, the DTC has developed significant initiatives to improve the diamond industry's standards of operation ensuring ethical and professional practices are upheld at all times, and that there is a lasting contribution to the communities in which they operate.