Diamond experience reopens for peak tourist season
AS THE peak of tourism season kicks off in the Mother City, the Shimansky Diamond Experience at The Rockwell in Green Point officially reopened its doors yesterday afternoon with a sparkling event after nearly three years of being closed due to the pandemic.
Shimansky founder and CEO Yair Shimansky said: “Today we are reopening the Rockwell Diamond Experience; this is a very meaningful event for us. After Covid-19 we had to close down due to lack of tourism.
“With the reopening and the expected (boom) tourism in Cape Town this season, with over one and a half million tourists coming into Cape Town over the next five months, we are very excited to reopen and welcome the tourists to a very unique South African diamond experience.”
The Shimansky Diamond Experience at the Rockwell offers participants a first-hand view of how diamonds transform from being rough to polished, and the entire jewellery manufacturing process.
The event at the diamond museum was attended by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger and numerous others to welcome back tour guides, operators and international visitors.
They received a bespoke educational experience on the diamond, which was considered the world’s oldest treasure, having formed more than 3.3 billion years ago.
In August, Shimansky revealed a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery, the Cape Town Ring which reflected Cape Town’s majestic Table Mountain and it’s shoreline.
Premier Alan Winde said: “It’s amazing to be here at Shimansky but more than that, it’s about a business that had to close like so many other tourism businesses during the pandemic.
“We are getting ready for a bumper season. If you look at international flights arriving here, there are 191 direct flights coming into Cape Town per week this season.
“We have got hundreds of cruise lines booked to come in through our harbour, and it really is amazing to see what is in the booking pipeline.”
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger added that the reopening of the diamond museum symbolised the bounce-back after two very long and difficult years for many businesses in the tourism industry.