The Belgian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, which begins on May 1, will shine even more brightly thanks to the Diamond Exhibition Corner where diamonds will represent Belgium alongside two other world-renown Belgian products, beer and chocolate. The Shanghai World Expo is set to be the largest in history, with more than 230 countries participating and an estimated 80 million visitors expected to visit during its six-month duration.

More than 50,000 people are expected to visit the Belgian pavilion every day where they will see the Diamond Exhibition Corner where some of Antwerp’s prize jewels will be on display.
 
The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) intends to make the 5,250 square-metre Belgian pavilion sparkle even more with the work of the winning laureates of the 2009 HRD Awards, called ‘Once upon a time… My favourite fairy tale’. Significantly, almost half of the laureates of the HRD Awards were of Chinese origin, and will be on display in the Diamond Exhibition Corner.
 
In addition, Antwerp’s 550-year diamond heritage will be illustrated with 10 of the most prestigious antique diamond jewels from the Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp, together with the world-famous ECC trophy. The trophy, in the form of a diamond tennis racket, is made of six kilograms of gold and 1,600 diamonds with a total weight of 150 carats, all perfect "Cut in Antwerp" gems.
 
Meanwhile, in an exhibition entitled “From the mine to the finger,” HRD Antwerp recreates the extraordinary story of the Lesotho Promise, which weighed 603 carats and was the 15th largest diamond ever found. It was auctioned in Antwerp in 2008 and sold for $12.4 million. After studying it for several months, Antwerp’s finest researchers and craftsmen transformed the rough diamond into 26 high-quality diamonds ranging 0.55 carat to 75 carats.
 
The intriguing tale of the Lesotho Promise is not only a perfect example of Antwerp’s long tradition of know-how and skills. It also provides a foil to another exciting exhibit organised by HRD Antwerp which illustrates the unique position of Antwerp as an innovator. It features state-of-the-art equipment and techniques based on scientific research performed at the WTOCD, the Antwerp diamond research centre. The results of that work, such as the special cuts Antwerp Twins, Blue Flame, and Flanders Cut, will also be displayed in the Diamond Exhibition Corner.
 
In addition, six Antwerp diamond companies will be selling HRD certified diamonds, accompanied by a HRD Jewellery Report. For those who want to have their diamonds set into jewellery, Jeweler Wolfers, by appointment of the Court of Belgium, will be on hand to mount the diamond.
 
For visitors to the Diamond Exhibition Corner, there is a special feature every Saturday and Sunday when one lucky visitor will be awarded a Antwerp-sourced diamond, sponsored by CSS and Kimberlite.
 
On June 7, there will be a special Antwerp Diamond Day as part of an Antwerp Week with an opening speech by Antwerp Governor Cathy Berx. The Antwerp Week is being organised in cooperation with the Province of Antwerp and the City of Antwerp.
 
China is an important and ever-growing market for Antwerp’s diamonds. Around a quarter of Antwerp’s polished diamond exports go to Hong Kong and mainland China. And China's rapid economic growth and rising consumer spending means its diamond imports are likely to continue growing.