[LONDON LIGHTS 1984] DAY 4

August 3, 1984

After having had our bus tour yesterday, I looked over our vouchers and agreed with Mom that a trip to the London Diamond Centre and Greenwich in the afternoon would be a nice way to spend the day. We took the double-deck bus near the hotel, and shortly found ourselves in front of a modest looking building. Making our way inside, we were greeted at the reception area by a very nice woman, who was to be our guide for the tour of the premises.

Our first stop was an impressive display of all the world's most famous diamonds. Not the real things, naturally, as quite a few were part of the royal regalia -- but accurate crystal replicas that were very well done, they sparkled almost the originals would. The Cullinan diamond was truly the mother of them all -- there was a replica of the raw stone and the final cut gems; there were at least eleven, if I remember the story correctly. Recognized the Star of Africa and the Hope Diamond from my encyclopedia photo plates. Very pretty indeed!

The tour showed us how diamonds are transformed from lumps of volcanic rock into sparklers. Cutting a diamond was a dicey business -- one slip, a hidden crack inside the stone, and what might have been a lovely gemstone would turn into volcanic dust. There's a legend that the poor man whose job it was to first open the raw Cullinan, all but fainted when his initial slice through the rock made it safely through to the other side!

Every cut -- pear, marquise, emerald, heart-shape, and the much-loved round brilliant -- has to follow a particular facet structure. It is the faceting that brings the diamond to life, each and every angle positioned in such as way as to direct and reflect light into the heart of the stone. A shade too shallow or too deep, and the stone loses its fire, and much of its appeal.

The workrooms, of course, were sealed to visitors, and we could only peer at the work tables through thick glass windows. Amazing to see the decisions, based as much on instinct as on the knowledge of the stone's structure, on which cut to use in order to preserve as much of its size as possible. After all, size does matter, at least where diamonds are concerned. The patience in polishing and then choosing the settings for the showroom pieces makes one see the profession of a jeweller in a new light -- and with a great deal of appreciation.

So, having been taken through the entire process, we were led into the showroom, where we oooh-ed and ahhh-ed and regretfully passed on the chance to acquire a genuinely certified diamond to take home! However, on our way out, the nice lady who gave us the tour, said we were entitled to a souvenir of our visit, which took the form of a one carat cubic zirconia stone. It's not a natural diamond, but rather a man-made synthetic substitute. Definitely a lot cheaper, but with all of the fire and ice one would expect in real stones. Ma and I are going to find settings for these beauties when we get back home, and hopefully nice ones to show off the stones.

The afternoon saw us heading for the Thames, in order to catch the river launch for Greenwich. Another one of those special vouchers from the British Airways tour packet, and we are beginning to truly appreciate just how wonderful this tour package is! The weather is perfect for traveling down the river -- and how the Londoners can do all this business on the river and not turn it into a stinking mess of filth is a wonderful thing. I think of the state of the Pasig River and want to cry, and to think that Jose Rizal wrote about the joys of swimming in it during his days!

Greenwich was once a royal palace, and one can imagine the appeal of traveling by royal barge to what was once a rural area. Apparently Henry VIII spend some childhood years here, and his children (Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I and Edward VI) also spent part of their time in this green and lovely place. The gardens are neat and pretty, and with a little imagination, you can close your eyes and see Henry VIII as a young lad, playing with his siblings Arthur, Margaret, and Mary.

In the present day, the Royal Maritime Academy makes its home in Greenwich. A fitting place, as many a clipper ship set sail for the Orient and India from here. The Royal Observatory used to be here, but alas, the state of London air pollution is no longer conducive to stargazing, and they have moved further into the country.

Two famous ships are berthed in Greenwich. One is the Cutty Sark, named after a famous poem about a young man named Tam O'Shanter. One night, after celebrating a successful market day at the local pub, passes by the church and comes upon a coven of witches dancing in a secluded grove. When they've done dancing, the young man calls out praise for the witch dressed only in her "cutty sark" or chemise -- which of course was not the thing to do. The witches give chase, and Cutty Sark actually has her hand on the tail of Tam's horse when it crosses the bridge leading into town. Fortunately, witches cannot cross water, but the poor horse's tail came off in Cutty Sark's hand. The ship's figurehead immortalizes this moment, showing an angry young witch, dressed in a chemise, holding the horse's tail in her hand.

The Cutty Sark clipper traveled back and forth between England and China, her main cargo the foundation of that charming English custom called afternoon tea. She was built to handle more sail than boats of her time, yet still be sleek enough to "clip" over the ocean in the annual race to bring home the first pick of China tea. Walking along her decks, feeling the breeze coming in from the sea, is a fine thing indeed.

Also berthed in Greenwich is the Gypsy Moth IV of Sir Francis Chichester. I grew familiar with the image of this lovely yacht from perusing the faux woodblock print illustration on the tables at the Automat. The Gypsy Moth IV was built to beat the times set by the Victorian clipper ships for their voyages to Australia - Sir Francis' goal was to be there in 100 days. He made it in 107 days, on a vessel 53 feet long! In doing so, he not only set records left and right, but also showed that pursuing "impossible dreams" could be well worth the effort.

Of course, one couldn't leave Greenwich without doing that most touristy of things -- finding the location of the International Date Line and standing with one foot on either side of it! It's marked in steel on the ground, and once you've got your feet in place, you realize that you're half in the Eastern Hemisphere, and half in the Western; half in today, and half in tomorrow.

We got back to London via launch, and the breeze had picked up so that it was refreshing to be out and about. Back in the hotel, the TV showed that there's a lot of Olympic excitement, as Britain has a chance to sweep one of the track events.

The Queen Mother's birthday is tomorrow! Ma and I have made plans to visit Clarence House and see if we can't snap a few pictures of Her Majesty. They say she comes out on the balcony to meet the people who gather to wish her a happy birthday. Maybe we'll get lucky!