The Diamond District – the words leaped off the hotel website at me. If I was going to spend a couple of weeks working in Tel Aviv – the Diamond District was just the place for me to stay.
So today – on a rare day off – I set out on the great diamond hunt, because after all diamonds are a girl’s best friend – and a girl can’t have too many friends – especially when she is away from home.
Just up the road, according to Wikipedia, the world’s largest diamond trading centre was waiting for me.
The first signs of my elusive quarry were easy to spot… but it was all a tad confusing.
Diamonds are all about glitter and glamour, and these slightly shabby buildings were not what I had imagined. Although the thick security bars on the windows did suggest there was something there worth protecting.
But, dedicated hunter that I was, I kept following the signs.
Suddenly – there it was.. a whole collection of buildings devoted to things that sparkle. I could hear my credit card calling softly to me. Who knew what wonders awaited behind the dark tinted windows.
I knew this was mostly an area devoted to the diamond business – but surely there were some retail shops. I finally found a couple. Despite the inviting signs, it appeared the shops were shut. People inside waved me away and shook their heads. I might have been wearing jeans and a t-shirt – but I did have a very eager credit card.
Leaving the gleaming towers behind, I bravely investigated a couple of nearby buildings that looked like they were not very smart apartments… and discovered their secret. Up those narrow stairways, behind locked doors – is a treasure trove. Or rather, several treasure troves.
Feeling daring, I rang a bell in a heavy metal door, an invisible person buzzed me through the door – and then through a second door. And I walked into Aladdin’s Cave (which I didn’t take any photos of – I thought the owner might not like it).
My credit card was quivering in anticipation.
Which is where I made the next discovery. If you are at the centre of the world’s diamond industry, where the very best stones are traded – nothing is going to be cheap.
There were so many stones, the glare was almost blinding. I found a small necklace… very pretty and probably the least expensive thing in the shop. How much, I asked.
2700 shekels. The Shekel is an ancient currency – surely it’s one of those currencies where a thousand equals about 10 pence? Not the modern Israeli shekel. 5 shekels equals about a pound. I started to do the maths, then smiled nicely at the shop owner and left.
So – like many a diamond hunter before me, I returned empty handed – and I might just have heard my credit card heave a sigh of relief.