Benno Leeser: "Eighty years of GASSAN is eighty years of craftsmanship, family and Amsterdam"

A warm round of applause, a celebratory raised glass, and eighty candles on the cake: GASSAN is celebrating a magnificent anniversary today. What began in 1945 as a modest diamond business by founder Samuel Gassan has grown into a leading name. "Eighty years of GASSAN means eighty years of craftsmanship, family, and Amsterdam. We celebrate the past and present in the heart of our old factory and look forward to a brilliant future," says CEO Benno Leeser.

What began as a modest diamond trading company grew over eight decades into a leading family business. After the founder's death in 1983, grandsons Benno and Guy Leeser took over the company. With the 1990 move to the historic diamond cutting factory on Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, the company symbolically returned to the place where founder Samuel Gassan worked before the war. Today, Benno Leeser, CEO, and his wife Kitty Leeser (Vice President) lead the company together with their children Debora Huisman-Leeser (Chief Creative Officer) and David Bijlsma (Chief Commercial Officer).

Foundation for future generations

"Eighty years of GASSAN means eighty years of craftsmanship, family, and Amsterdam. We celebrate the past and present in the heart of our old factory and look forward to a brilliant future," says Benno Leeser. "In the future, we will continue to build on the values ​​that made us great eighty years ago: quality, craftsmanship, and family. A wonderful foundation for future generations."

Also read: Benno Leeser: "Running a family business is a joy"

Besides a strong portfolio of international watch and jewelry houses, the development of its own brands is a hallmark of the family business. The diamond family has built its own successful brands. The GASSAN 121 (the in-house developed cut with 121 facets per diamond), Choices by DL, Gigi by GASSAN and TROPHY BY GASSAN, GASSAN Pre-Owned, and GASSAN Vintage brands are prime examples. 

While Samuel Gassan opened the first branch on Nieuwe Achtergracht in 1945, directly across from the iconic Amsterdam Diamond Exchange, the company has experienced explosive growth over the past decades under Benno Leeser. In 1986, the diamond dealer opened a branch in the Netherlands' absolute prime location: Dam Square in Amsterdam.

GASSAN now has dozens of branches at Schiphol Airport and Changi Airport (Singapore). One of the highlights was the opening of the first Rolex Boutique in the Netherlands at the HOUSE of GASSAN in 2014. More recently, two new milestones followed: the opening of both a Montblanc Boutique and an OMEGA Boutique on PC Hooftstraat. The Amsterdam diamond family also recently opened its own branches in Rotterdam and Eindhoven. 

A tribute in diamonds

Specially for the anniversary, Debora Huisman-Leeser has curated a collection featuring her own brands and pieces by renowned designers. A remarkable feature is that many items in the collection are crafted with GASSAN's proprietary cut, paying tribute to the company's heritage. Designers including Schaffrath, Marco Bicego, Montblanc, and world-renowned Parisian jewelry designer Valérie Messika have designed pieces for the anniversary collection. The presentation of the global collection will take place tonight in the Ketelhuis (Boiler House) of the former steam diamond cutting factory. In the same factory where the craft was practiced for decades, the family business is celebrating the connection between history, city, and craftsmanship.

"With this anniversary we honor the generations before us"

"As a family business, quality and sustainability are key values ​​for us, both in our designs and in our collaborations. It's an honor and a pleasure that several designers, including Valérie Messika, are collaborating on this collection," says Huisman-Leeser. "The collection is a wonderful addition to everything GASSAN has achieved and wants to celebrate over the years. With this anniversary, we honor the generations that came before us and continue to build a strong brand that prioritizes experience and emotion with our own collections that you can pass down."

Want to stay informed about the launch of the anniversary collection? Follow here GASSAN's Instagram page for the latest updates.