The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum may be considered by many to be a tourist trap. Sure, this small museum is the real deal. But a visit here for those who went on a free tour of Tel Aviv, organised by the Israel Diamond Centre, ends with the same thing - an invitation to a jewellery shop. A tourist who is not in the mood to spend money will not be forced to buy jewellery, he just has to refuse (or at least listen to the sellers) and wait until someone from the group selects the goods and pays. Someone always buys. That's what the whole trip is about.
However, if the tourist is aware in advance of what awaits him, he may even enjoy himself. In any case, it makes sense to take a free sightseeing bus tour of Tel Aviv, even if not with a guide, but with an audio guide. And at the Diamond Museum you can look at beautiful stones and learn interesting facts.
For centuries, diamond processing has been one of the traditional Jewish crafts. In the Holy Land, the industry was born in the early 20th century, when children orphaned after the Kishinev pogrom of 1903 and stranded in Palestine were taught the trade by craftsmen from Belgium and Holland. In 1937, the first diamond factory opened in Petah Tikva. The diamond industry survived even in the difficult time after World War II: the young Jewish state was very helpful to the industry, which brought in foreign currency.
Now Israel exports $7 billion worth of cut diamonds and $4 billion worth of rough diamonds every year. The Israel Diamond Bourse, located in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, is the largest in the world. The bourse occupies a complex of four multi-storey buildings that house the world's largest diamond trading hall, restaurants, banks and many office spaces. The Diamond Museum, founded in 1986, is also located here. The museum is named after Harry Oppenheimer, co-owner and head of the South African diamond corporation De Beers, who did a lot for the development of the diamond industry in Israel.
Visitors are shown a video describing all the processes that take place with diamonds - from diamond mining to polishing, selling them on the exchange and turning them into jewellery. The museum halls are mysteriously darkened, only showcases with rough diamonds, polished diamonds and other precious stones are illuminated. Among them there are copies of world-famous diamonds, such as "Kohinoor", which is now in the crown of Queen Elizabeth, or "Taylor-Burton", presented by actor Richard Burton to his wife Elizabeth Taylor. Amazing, on the verge of kitsch accessories look unusual - an hourglass with diamond grains of sand or a tennis ball, a mobile phone, a diamond-encrusted pistol. Regular temporary exhibitions showcase ancient jewellery, then products of modern designers.
If a tourist wants to explore the museum but avoid visiting the shop, one should ignore the free tour and just buy an entrance ticket.
