This week on the diamond blog we will focus on the history of diamonds in the United Kingdom.ugh the United Kingdom doesn't have any significant diamond mines in its own turf, the British have been very involved in the diamond business since the days of British Colonization. In the 1800s, the British established a colony on the southern edge of Africa. The purpose of this colony was mostly ideological and strategic, but things changed when diamonds were discovered in Kimberley in 1870.
The discovery led many United Kingdom citizens to immigrate to the South Africa, spreading the British influence into the hinterland. One British citizen who arrived in South Africa with diamonds on his mind was Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes managed to buy all the smaller diamond mining operations in the Kimberley area, which granted him control over the world's supply of diamonds and eventually led to the birth of diamond giant De Beers.
The United Kingdom has also had a close relationship with another important diamond abundant country – India. The United Kingdom has had a foothold in India for centuries, importing many types of goods from India to Great Britain. Aside for mass quantities of tea, the British learned about diamond trade from the Indians, and the two cultures became intertwined with one another.
Exclusive Bond Street
Decades after the demise of the British Empire, Britain has remained a major international power. The 1960s saw another British invasion – only this time, it was a cultural one. England, and specifically London, became the international capital of the arts, music, tourism and trade. Visitors from all around the world, including wealthy sheiks and rich Indian businessmen come to London for site-seeing and trade.
London is considered a business capital, and many of world's richest people settle in the city, mostly due to tax benefits that make London an easier place to do business. Even Lev Leviev, the world's biggest private diamond trader, decided to move from Israel to London in 2007. Leviev, who owns diamond stores in London, New York and Dubai, settled in the luxurious Bond Street. However, Leviev picked possibly the worst time to move to London as the global financial crisis broke out several months later.
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