The Amstel Diamond
Award of Excellence
The Amstel Brewery in Hamilton (Ontario), Canada.
H.R.H. Princess Margriet is presented by
Miss Charlene He ine ken and Mr. H.
Buchbinder, president, with a souvenir of
her visit to the Hamilton brewery: a very
rare edition of a book called 'Treasures of
Canada', containing a pictorial view of the
country.
The staff of Amstel Brewery Canada Ltd.
presented Princess Margriet with a beautiful
wooden sculpture made by one of the
employees, Mr. Swetish (centre). Here, Mr.
Bartalotti, trade union president, hands
over the gift to the Princess.
Off to a roaring startOther special guests at the party were a real live lion and two knights in
armour. Our photo shows one of the knights on escort duty as the lion makes a grand
entrance through the Amstel 'hoopthe familiar emblem topped by a coat of arms depicting
the King of Beasts and medieval helmets.
The first winner of the Amstel Diamond
Award, Mr. Beni Sung (right) being
congratulated by Mr. H. Buchbinder
just after the prize presentation by Miss
Charlene Heineken.
To mark the official inauguration of
Amstel's Canadian brewery the Amstel
Diamond Award of Excellence was
presented for the first time. This prize
will in future be awarded annually to the
designer who, through creative and
innovative designs, has made significant
contributions to the Canadian diamond
jewellery industry.
Mr. Heinz Buchbinder, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Amstel
Brewery Canada Ltd., announced the
name of the first winner to the guests
assembled for the brewery's official
opening. The winner, Mr. Beni Sung,
received a symbolic prize from Miss
Charlene Heineken. The award itself
will be presented later this year. A
showcase displaying Mr. Sung's
jewellery stood in the hall in which the
ceremony took place, whilst six young
ladies wearing jewellery designed by
him were ready to serve Amstel Beer to
those present.
A diamond was chosen as the prize
because the Amstel brand originates
from Amsterdam, a city very well-
known the world over for its diamond
cutting industry. For hundreds of years
Amsterdam has cut these gems. One of
the most famous diamonds in the world,
the Cullinan, was cut in Amsterdam by a
Mr. Ascher, director of one of the best-
known firms specializing in this trade.
Each year tens of thousands of tourists
visit the numerous polishing works
located in Amsterdam. Polishing is
done after the stones have been cut, a
far more difficult task than polishing,
and one that calls for great
concentration. No onlookers are
allowed then, as a stone has to be split
into the required number of smaller
ones with just one blow. Making such a
stroke calls for hours of intensive study
beforehand to get to know the structure
of the diamond, especially when the
object is a large and priceless specimen
like the Cullinan.
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