Cape Town Diamond Museum

Located in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, the Cape Town Diamond Museum showcases the journey of diamonds from formation to polished gems, highlighting South Africa’s significant role in the diamond industry.

Planning your visit

The Cape Town Diamond Museum traces the stone from geological formation through mining, cutting and polishing, and it sits in a country where that story is inseparable from history. South Africa's diamond rush began at Kimberley in 1871 and reshaped the region entirely — drawing capital and labour, driving the mining industry that built Johannesburg, financing empire and contributing directly to the political structures that followed. The museum covers the technical process alongside that history, with replicas of famous stones including the Cullinan, the largest gem diamond ever found, recovered in South Africa in 1905.

It is small and located in the V&A Waterfront, attached to a working jeweller — the commercial connection is transparent, and the tour ends where you might expect. That does not detract from the content, but it is worth knowing.

Allow around an hour. Guided tours are included in most formats and are worth taking, since the four-Cs grading system and the cutting process are hard to grasp from displays alone.

Bookable options include private guided tours, formats combining the museum with ethical jewellery workshops covering provenance and conflict-free sourcing, and combined tickets pairing it with Robben Island, which departs from the same waterfront. Current availability is shown below.