OBSESSED! Jewellery Festival

OBSESSED, the Dutch jewellery festival is returning to Antwerp in November! This year the theme is ‘diamond’ and all its facets. Lined up in Antwerp for the weekend of 19, 20 and 21 November is a whole programme of guided tours, demonstrations and workshops. The complete programme has been compiled by Current Obsession and can be found here. Head for Antwerp for your diamond experience!

Tickets: you reserve a time slot for your visit to the museum´s permanent collection. You can visit or participate in the activities for free on the same day upon showing your ticket.

Extra murros activities in Antwerp are free of charge or paying.

Friday 19 November

Saturday 20 November

Sunday 21 November

Discover the programme:  

AT DIVA

Diamant tour
19, 20 and 21 November – 10 - 18hrs - included in the entry ticket – location: DIVA (first floor)
With a new visitors guide you can discover the Antwerp diamond story throughout the six rooms of DIVA, a Brilliant Story! Different questions will be answered such as: What is a diamond? Where do diamonds come from? How is the stone (nowadays) cut? How do you distinguish a real diamond from an imitation diamond? And how did Antwerp become the diamond capital of the world? Admire DIVA's diamond jewellery from the 15th until the 21st century and discover sublime craftsmanship. 
Tickets.

Artist-in-residence
19, 20 and 21 November – 10-18hrs – free – location: DIVA (first floor)
From September 11th to October 24th 2021 DIVA invited two artists in the atelier for experimentation and creativity. During OBSESSED! residents Emmie Ray Hubbard and Simon Masiglia present their work on the first floor of the museum. Learn more about the residents. 

DIVA Artist in residence talk
20 November, 16–17 hrs – free – location: DIVA
Residents Emmie Ray Hubbard and Simon Masiglia talk about their work, the creative process and the fruits of their DIVA residency. In English. Sign up for the free DIVA talk.

Off-the-peg workshop ‘The SPARKLE atelier’
20 and 21 November, 11–16 hrs – included in the entry ticket – location: DIVA (first floor)
In collaboration with Antwerp World Diamond Center, DIVA is organizing a workshop which requires you to roll up your sleeves! You will look at diamonds through a microscope and sort stones using loupes and tweezers. By the end of the workshop, you will be thoroughly familiar with diamond’s 4 Cs! These off-the-peg workshops start on the hour and last approx. 50 minutes. Report to the reception desk at DIVA.

Diamond-cutting demonstration
20 and 21 November, 11-16 hrs – free - location: DIVA (first floor)
Always wanted to see a real diamond-cutter at work? Well, here’s your chance! On Saturday and Sunday DIVA´s diamond-polishing machine will be going flat out! You will be able to put any questions straight to the diamond-cutter.  

Art´s Day for Children
21 November - 11-12.30 hrs/ 13.30 - 16.30hrs - free - location: DIVA ((Kaasstraat)
Specially for Art´s Day for Children DIVA organizes a jewellery designing for Children and their partners. The workshop is suitable for children from 7 to 12 years old.

EXTRA MURROS

Guided walk – Antwerp’s ‘Golden Streets’
19 November at 16 hrs, 20 November at 14 hrs – 15 people  – € 15 - location: streets around DIVA
In the space of barely one kilometre in the heart of Antwerp’s fashion district, you’ll find no fewer than 22 jewellers! From up-and-coming talent to well-known names, but all highly skilled and creative. The walk lasts 1½ hours.  
Register for the guided tour. 

Diamond and jewellery tour
From 19 November – free – starting point: Het Steen
A new audio tour takes you on a walk through the city leading to places associated with diamonds, explaining why Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world and regaling you with the colourful stories of contemporary jewellers.

Adin Jewellery, AMB certified (Antwerp’s Most Brilliant)
19, 20 and 21 November, 11–16.30hrs – free –  No. 16 Vestingstraat  
Elkan Wijnberg, the manager of Adin – who also happens to be the Antwerp authority on antique and vintage jewellery - and his team of experts will provide a no-obligation valuation of your jewellery. You can also follow a free talk about vintage jewellery.

Free talk ‘Vintage Jewellery: An introduction’
*16 -16.30 hrs on 19, 20 and 21 November
* max. 10 people per talk, register in advance   

Free scan valuation (‘tempo schatting’)   
*between 11 and 15.30 hrs on 19, 20 and 21 November
*each person will be allocated a 5-minute slot  

Reserve your place in advance at: info@adin.be or on +32 32 136 500

IJGC, International Jewellery & Gems Certifiers
19, 20 and 21 November - 11 - 15hrs30 - free - Vestingstraat 16 B
Led by an in-house gemmologist and manager of the gemological lab, An Jonckers, the IJGC team will test your diamond, with an immediate result. 

Free diamond check "Quick Diamond Check
* between 11h00 and 15h30 on 19, 20 and 21 November
* per person time slot of 5 minutes, to be booked in advance info@ijgc-worldwide.com or +32 35 009 013

Nico Taeymans jewellery, AMB certified (Antwerp’s Most Brilliant)
19 and 20 November, 11-17 hrs - free – No. 17 Steenhouwersvest  
To mark 570 years of diamond trading in the city-on-the-Scheldt, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) commissioned Taeymans to design an affordable diamond collection entitled ‘Ravissant’. The result is – you guessed it! - a ravishing collection of jewellery, incorporating kimberlite (the stone in which diamond forms), rough diamonds and cut diamonds. The jeweller will explain the collection and open the ‘Ravissant case’ containing a variety of stones. No need to book. Just turn up!