Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum was a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
located in the
Diamond Exchange District
The Diamond Exchange District (Hebrew: מִתְחַם הַבּוּרְסָה, ''Mitham HaBursa'', lit. "The Exchange District") is a diamond district and commercial area in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. the district is the hub ...
,
Tel Aviv District
The Tel Aviv District ( he, מָחוֹז תֵּל אָבִיב; ar, منطقة تل أبيب) is the smallest and most densely populated of the six administrative districts of Israel with a population of 1.35 million residents. It is 98.9% Jewi ...
city of
Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and many ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
History
The permanent collection consisted of rough and finished
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
s and
gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...
s and provided information on the history and industry of diamonds. The museum was founded in 1986 in honor of
Harry Oppenheimer
Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (28 October 1908 – 19 August 2000) was a prominent South African businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. Oppenheimer was often ranked as one of the wealthiest people in the world, and was considered South A ...
.
Moshe Schnitzer
Moshe Schnitzer (1921 – August 16, 2007) was a Romanian Jewish immigrant to Israel who became a key player in the international diamond trade.
From 1967 to 1993 he was President of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), which became the world's larg ...
was responsible for establishing the museum and was its chairman until July 2003.
In 2008, the museum was reopened after major renovations. It was closed in 2018.
The museum was operated by the
Israel Diamond Institute The Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) Group of Companies is a non-profit, public interest company that represents all organizations and institutions involved in Israel’s diamond industry. .
Shmuel Schnitzer served as museum chairman.
The museum hosted diamond,
jewellery
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...
,
gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...
art, and jewelled
fashion accessory
In fashion, an accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to an individual's outfit. Accessories are often chosen to complete an outfit and complement the wearer's look. They have the capacity to further express an individual ...
exhibits from around the world.
Notable exhibits
* ''From The Golden Treasury of Prague'' – a collection of 180 diamond jewels from the museum of applied arts in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and 18 examples of Jewish ceremonial silver from the Jewish Museum in Prague (1994)
* ''Silver Images of Golden Apples,'' a collection of jewellery discovered at archeological sites throughout Israel, covering periods from the patriarchs, around 3000 BCE, through the Ottoman period. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...
and the
Hecht Museum
The Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum is a museum located on the grounds of the University of Haifa, Israel.
History
The Hecht Museum was established in 1984 by Reuben Hecht, director of Dagon Silos and a founding member of the University of Haifa ...
.
* ''60 Diamonds and one more'' consisting of pieces set by Israeli designers in a national competition.
* ''AND THOU SHALT BREATHE LIFE INTO A GEM'', a 2009 exhibit of 140 works by gemstone carvers of
Idar-Oberstein
Idar-Oberstein () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a ''Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, including gemstones fashioned in the shape of animals and flowers, and vessels.
* ''The Diamonds Roar,'' and ''All About Diamonds'', exhibits of jewellery by emerging designers from
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
* ''Indian Legend: Diamond Jewelry from Jaipur'', an exhibit of jeweled accessories of the
Maharajas
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
of
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
'Diamond Jewelry from Jaipur' Opens in Ramat Gan
/ref>
See also
* List of Israeli museums
Below is an incomplete list of Israeli museums, some of which are located in East Jerusalem.
References
External links
Israel's official national museum portal{{in lang, en
*
Museums
Israel
Museums
Museums
Israel
Israel (; he, י ...
References
External links
Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum
{{Authority control
Diamond industry in Israel
Museums in Tel Aviv District
Jewellery museums
Buildings and structures in Ramat Gan
1986 establishments in Israel
Museums established in 1986
Diamond museums