14 Apr Bonebakker celebrates Amsterdam 750 anniversary with festive Key
Key of Amsterdam with birthstone celebrates our capital’s birthday
To mark Amsterdam’s 750 anniversary, Bonebakker Jeweler is joining the festivities with a grand celebration. Bonebakker Juwelier and the city of Amsterdam are inextricably linked. Founded in 1792, Bonebakker is the oldest jeweller in the Netherlands, known for crafting the original keys to the city in the nineteenth century. Over the years, the jeweller has designed a wide range of exceptional key collections. In celebration of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, the esteemed jewellery house continues its rich heritage by launching a limited-edition series of the Keys of Amsterdam. Please take a closer look at our Key of Amsterdam webshop.
Limited Edition Key of Amsterdam 750 Anniversary
A limited edition of twelve necklaces with large keys will be made, each with its birthstone in the bow of the key. The best part is that customers can put it all together themselves. They have a choice from twelve birthstones, one for each month of Amsterdam’s birthday year, such as a ruby or diamond.
For this special celebration, Bonebakker collaborated with artist Jasper Abels, who created a surreal puzzle of Amsterdam featuring the key in various forms. Can you spot them all?
Stars and keys
The collection features original and highly coveted keys available in all shades of gold and silver, with and without diamonds. Many prominent artists and A-listers who have stayed at the Conservatorium Hotel, where Bonebakker is located, own a Key of Amsterdam.
The symbolism of keys is ancient and their use in Bonebakker jewellery is a recurring theme. The pieces can be worn at any time and can even be passed down as heirlooms. The key symbolises wisdom and a means to ‘unlock’ a new chapter. ‘A key is a popular gift for an eighteenth or twenty-first birthday,’ says Jannie Iwema, director of Bonebakker. ‘The most famous key was designed by Tiffany & Co. in 1969. This heart-shaped key was engraved with the words, “Please return to Tiffany & Co. New York.” The Key of Amsterdam holds the same symbolism as the Tiffany key, with the most romantic message being, “The key to your heart.” But the Key to Amsterdam is more than just a key; it’s inspired by the historic keys of the city, which are on display in the Amsterdam Museum.’
In honour of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, a new key collection was designed.
Giving ‘big’ with a marquise-cut diamond
The birthstones in the Keys of Amsterdam 750 Anniversary collection are marquise-cut gems, also known as navette-cut diamonds – a descendant of the brilliant-cut. The Marquise diamond cut traces its romantic origins to Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XIV of France. According to the story the King had the diamond cut in the shape of her mouth, making this elegant form a symbol of love and sophistication. Marquise diamonds appear larger than round diamonds of the same carat weight due to their elongated shape and large crown surface, making them a striking choice for these celebratory keys.
First Limited edition Key of Amsterdam 750
On October 27, the city’s official festivities kicked off with a spectacular event at the Ziggo Dome, but Bonebakker’s celebration began on October 1. On that day, the first piece from a special limited-edition collection of ‘Keys of Amsterdam 750’ was auctioned for charity, featuring none other than a birthstone of the city — a diamond!
Key of Amsterdam 750 anniversary with diamond
On 1 October 2024, the first limited-edition Key of Amsterdam was auctioned off during a special fundraiser. This key, made from 18-carat white gold, features a marquise-cute diamond and is set with brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.86 carats. ‘Diamonds are the perfect gemstone to celebrate 750 years of Amsterdam,’ says Iwema. ‘During the special fundraising event at the Concertgebouw, we auctioned off our first key for €11,000. The proceeds went to the Papageno Foundation, an organisation that supports children and young adults with autism, founded by conductor Jaap van Zweden and his wife Aaltje van Zweden-Van Buren.’
Personalized symbolism
The remaining eleven limited-edition ‘Keys of Amsterdam 750’ will also feature marquise-cut gemstones. ‘These keys will be personalised to the buyer’s preference,’ explains Iwema. ‘They can choose between white gold, yellow gold or rose gold and select their preferred birthstone. For July, that would be a ruby. Ruby is from the corundum family and is the same type of stone as a sapphire. The vibrant red colour ranges from a rich, dark red to blood red to pink, thanks to traces of chromium. Ruby symbolises love, passion, courage and emotion. This makes it a unique piece of jewellery with symbolism that extends beyond the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam to include a personal, individual touch.’
Important symbol of Amsterdam
‘The keys are for anyone who holds Amsterdam or the Netherlands dear,’ Iwema continues, ‘and who feels a connection to the city or the country. A key makes a beautiful birth gift for those born in Amsterdam. We even designed a special Baby Key. But our keys also serve as a beautiful symbol for those with a deep love of Amsterdam; people who found love here, bought homes here, had a baby here. Expats who lived here, young adults moving out or going abroad who are given a key by their parents, and people looking to honour the free spirit of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. The Rainbow Key with its multicoloured gemstones, which we launched several years ago during Gay Pride, was inspired by an Arab client who came to our shop the year before. He bought a Key of Amsterdam as a keepsake for his boyfriend when he returned to his wife in the Middle East. The key is an important symbol of Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Some clients have tattooed it on their arms to represent their connection to each other, to the city or to the country. We also incorporate elements of the key into engagement rings. Many people love the “Amsterdam touch” and the lovely design, which makes the diamond appear larger.’
New keys make their debut in the regular Keys of Amsterdam collection
In addition to the twelve limited-edition Keys of Amsterdam, smaller keys with a birthstone set above the bow will also be available. These non-limited-edition keys will remain in the collection after the anniversary celebrations. ‘The smaller key features a 0.03-carat diamond with a cushion-cut coloured stone, such as a ruby, garnet, sapphire, amethyst, turquoise, emerald or one of the other twelve birthstones,’ says Iwema.
The Keys of Amsterdam 750 collection with birthstones follows earlier special key collections crafted by Bonebakker, such as the keys for the 225th anniversary in 2017, featuring full pavé-set diamonds; the Rainbow Key collection in 2018, made for the Gay Pride, with multicoloured gemstones; the ‘Bonebakker 225 Years Celebration Key’, which celebrated Bonebakker’s 225th anniversary with 0.35 carats of diamonds, and the extra-large Key set with black diamonds from 2023.
Pictured is a special Key of Amsterdam with a yellow diamond
Read more about the Key of Amsterdam 750 collection
Citywide festivities
Throughout the year, Amsterdam will host a wide range of events, including neighbourhood celebrations, exhibitions, a musical, a large party at the Ziggo Dome, and activities at schools and community centres to commemorate the city’s rich history. Bonebakker will participate with dazzling new creations, including a signet ring to honour Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary. ‘The Amsterdam 750 collection is a beautiful way to expand our unique Bonebakker collection,’ Iwema continues. ‘It includes the limited-edition Keys of Amsterdam 750 series, the standard key collection, and our unique signet rings. The first design will be available early next year and will feature the Amsterdam coat of arms. We are also designing a new ring for the Bridges of Amsterdam collection and a special Regalia ring,’ Iwema explains. ‘The Regalia collection will be extra festive! The opulent gold rings will feature the signature oval-cut ruby and round emerald, reminiscent of the crown Bonebakker created for King William II, now inlaid with stunning, colourful gemstones. This collection will be launched in the spring of 2025. The gemstones have already been sourced by our expert and are currently being cut to size.’
Our delicious chocolate key, which we serve in the Salon, is made to scale and given an Amsterdam 750 touch!
Historical Keys
Historically, Amsterdam has played a significant role in Bonebakker’s legacy. In 1806, Adrianus Bonebakker and his partner Dirk Lodewijk Bennewitz were commissioned to craft the city’s ceremonial keys for King Louis Napoleon, who was appointed king of the Netherlands by his brother, Napoleon I. After relieving his brother of his duties in 1811, Napoleon Bonaparte added the Netherlands to the First French Empire, inspiring Bonebakker to design a set of keys for him.
In 1813, these keys were presented to King Willem I during his inauguration in Amsterdam. Jannie Iwema of Bonebakker: “‘The original keys to the city served as the inspiration for the Keys of Amsterdam collection, which consists of rings, earrings and pendants with details taken from the famous city keys,’ explains Iwema. ‘It’s Bonebakker’s tribute to Mokum and a homage to our extraordinary and rich heritage.’ Read more about it on the Bonebakker timeline.
Meet the Bonebakker Amsterdam 750 Anniversary collection
Since 1792, we at Bonebakker have been creating jewellery, wedding and birth gifts that may be treasured for a lifetime, as a symbol of love passed down from generation to generation. All jewelry manufactured in our workshop, including the Amsterdam 750 collection, is designed to celebrate the joy of life.
All jewelry is made from 18-karat gold, and can also be made in white gold, yellow gold or rose gold. Bonebakker is located in the Van Baerle Shopping Gallery in the Conservatorium Hotel on Museumplein.
Do you want to see our Key of Amsterdam 750 Anniversary Collection in the flesh? Discover our Key of Amsterdam jewellery at Bonebakker Jewelers Amsterdam.
