Royal Coster Diamonds — Attraction in Amsterdam

We walked in looking for the diamond museum only to find out we were on the manufacturing side. They have a free tour so we gave it a shot. Eva was our guide and she was wonderful! We learned about the history of diamonds, manufacturing process, and how to look for imperfections using a Loupe which was fun! She even gave us some other local recommendations! Unlike some of the other reviews we felt no pressure to buy anything. We ended up purchasing a beautiful Royal 201 cut diamond ring because I'd been looking for something to commemorate our trip. Eva helped fill out all the Global Blue tax information as well. You pay the full amount there, but once you get the customs stamped paperwork you get a refund on tax. This part is about GLOBAL BLUE: Make sure you get to the airport early enough to complete this process (and make sure it's open!). The booth is towards the entrance of the airport and before you go through security. I think it took us about 30-40 mins total. We were behind several groups of people that pulled out handfuls of receipts to process!! There are two steps/lines (that must be done in order) I saw multiple people waiting in line2 only to be told to go back to line1 and come back. Step/Line 1: You need to physically show your purchased items to the attendant. Then they will stamp the paperwork (completed by Eva). Make sure you don't accidentally put it in your checked luggage and on its way to the plane, they need to see it. Step/Line 2: This line was much longer. The attendant at this line will review your receipts/paperwork/stamp and ask if you want the refund in cash, or sent back to a card in 5-7 days. NOTE: Eva mentioned if you are not in a hurry, there is a drop box you can put the completed/stamped paperwork. I forgot to ask about this and blindly went into the 2nd line which took forever. If you are in hurry ask the attendant about...

It‘s not worth the money for a tour at all. You will see one room, where diamonds are cut live and set in mountings — this is interesting, but not particularly noteworthy, because the workers are doing their jobs and naturally do not allow themselves to be distracted by visitors or engage in conversations. This is the only room worthy to see if you‘re really intereseted in the topic. All the other rooms (about 3 or 4) contain display cases showcasing items that are available for purchase. However, it’s important to note that only a vanishingly small portion of these pieces are actually produced by the Royal Diamond Factory itself. The vast majority are acquisitions from well-known brands such as Rolex, Cartier, and various smaller labels, which are then offered for sale on-site.

In short, it’s essentially no different from looking into the showcases of a high-end jewelry store — except that here, you’re actually paying money just for the privilege of doing so.

The tour guide was polite, yet came across as rather arrogant. Aside from the first room—where he briefly discussed diamond cutting, clarity, color, and carat weight—the “tour” was little more than an extended sales pitch.

Ultimately, the „45-minute-tour“ (only 5 minutes were actually interesting in the first room) offers nothing of real value: just wasted money spent on viewing ordinary jewelry displays you could see in any upscale boutique, accompanied by uncomfortable sales talk.

Absolutely not recommended. Not...

If you have a spare thirty minutes and even the slight interest in how diamonds are prepared then their free tour is a worthwhile and educational opportunity. Although a jewellery shop there was no big sales push and they made anyone feel welcome. On the ground floor there’s the opportunity to see raw diamonds being prepared and polished and the tour guide gives a good description of the different cuts which result. The craftsmen, although working behind glass, are close enough to get a detailed look at the activity and they are happy to answer questions.

Upstairs the guide gave an opportunity to admire the finished products up close and personal, with more lessons regarding what to look for when purchasing a diamond, The overview was kept both entertaining as well as educational and its a welcome environment to ask questions if you wish.

At the end of the tour there’s an extensive shop, selling everything from high end jewellery to souvenirs. Again, there’s no pressure for any form of purchase which is nice but there’s lots of further opportunities to admire the products.

Given the tour is offered free, for anyone who’s interested it’d be daft not to tag along. They’re offered regularly throughout every day and even an expert can learn something. The tour guides are knowledgeable and it’s insightful. You could be in any city across the world but given the central location it makes sense while...