Israeli Diamonds

The Diamond industry in Israel is a world leader in producing cut diamonds for wholesale. Nearly two thirds of gem quality diamonds in the world are manufactured in Israel.
Since the fifteenth century, when an Antwerp Jewish diamond cutter Lodewyk van Berken invented the scaif, diamond cutting was one of traditional Jewish crafts.

The Israeli diamond industry began in 1937, before the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, when the first diamond polishing plant was opened in Petah Tikva. After the state was declared, a war economy was shifted to a consumer economy. This came at the height of a diamond crisis, as many war torn economies were struggling to re-establish. Since then, the industry has continued to grow, producing a world leader in the diamond industry.

Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica