GASSAN takes delivery of KLM cottage in honor of 75th anniversary

On the occasion of KLM's 102nd anniversary, GASSAN Diamonds recently hosted some 30 national and international journalists in the diamond cutting shop at its headquarters. Extra special because this historic GASSAN building was the model for a special KLM house designed by KLM for the 75th anniversary of the family business. High time to take a look back at how it all began.Text: Patrick Stoffer
Image: GASSANIn 1925, at the age of 15, Samuel Gassan started his first job on Amsterdam's Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, as a cutter in Europe's largest steam diamond-cutting factory. Built in an austere neoclassical style to a design by architect J.W. Meijer, the monumental building in 1879 is rightfully a "marvel of technical ingenuity.

Samuel Gassan trying to leave as many rough diamonds as possible with as little loss as possible. Samuel cuts those cutting surfaces into a basic shape: round, oval, square or oblong. His father Eliazer Gassan, who also works at the Boas Building as a diamond cutter, then extracts the most beautiful possible version of himself from each rough diamond. The stone is given 57 facets, applied according to a math calculation so that the light reflects optimally. In the diamond world, the refraction of light is also called "the fire. And exactly that sacred fire also burns in Samuel. Just as a rough diamond finds its shape with utmost devotion, so does the character of his eldest son develop.

After an eventful war time, Samuel Gassan started a new company in October 1945, whose name would later change to Gassan Diamonds. From then on, he again traveled regularly through Europe, now with a suitcase of rough and cut diamonds, color gemstones and jewelry. He helped revive Amsterdam's war-ravaged diamond industry with the international exhibition Amsterdam Diamond City in 1949. For the occasion, he had a wooden statue of the Amsterdam City Virgin carved, holding in her fingers the famous 102.48-carat Ashberg diamond, once part of the Russian crown jewels and worth over 400,000 guilders. A year later, in addition to importing and exporting stones, Samuel Gassan started a diamond-cutting business on Zwanenburgerstraat. In 1955, the firm moves to Nieuwe Achtergracht, right across the street from the Amsterdam Diamond Exchange. He proudly has his initials SG inscribed in the ironwork in front of the windows.Business is booming, especially as Gassan also begins to focus on selling diamonds to tourists. His daughter Anita gives tours, but has no ambition to succeed her father. She will study law and later become a children's judge and vice president of the Amsterdam court. Although Gassan Diamonds continues to grow, the founder prefers to travel the world himself, looking for customers. He prefers to fly first class, so that on board he can enthuse his fellow passengers about the magical appeal of diamonds. In 1973, his grandson Benno Leeser joined Gassan Diamonds, followed seven years later by his brother Guy. In 1983, the men officially took over their flamboyant grandfather's life's work. Until his death, Samuel Gassan lived alternately on the Côte d'Azur and in the Netherlands. But distancing himself was hardly possible; he was too much fused with the company for that. With only a swimming certificate and a good portion of Amsterdam swagger, he developed into a man of the world who laid the foundation for a typical Amsterdam diamond empire.

The sky is the limit

However, the 2020 anniversary year, in which the company's 75th anniversary would be celebrated, is overshadowed by the corona pandemic. All festivities are canceled. None of the 500 employees have to be laid off, and everything is being done to stay afloat. Online sales get a big boost. Gassan Diamonds expanded its assortment with vintage watches from luxury brands and profiled itself in the anniversary year with the new high-end brand Trophy by Gassan. With customized jewelry of high quality, which can be personalized to your own design, the company stays ahead of the competition. The sky is the limit. And so is the dedication with which some 30 drivers will deliver a total of 3,200 packages of orders in the final weeks of 2020. Whatever the storm... the spirit of Samuel Gassan and the business instinct of his descendants are the best guarantee of a bright future.

For more information on the stories behind the KLM houses, including the Gassan Diamonds special, read here.