The Return of Diamond Category Marketing Isn’t Enough

De Beers is investing again, but the trade must do its part.

Natural Diamond Council (NDC) ambassador Lily James inspects a diamond as part of a campaign about Canadian diamonds. (Credit: NDC)

In 1941, as young soldiers boarded trains and sweethearts waved goodbye, De Beers urged jewelers to seize the moment. “Defense Is in Cahoots with Cupid!” blared a one-page ad in Department Store Economist, encouraging retailers to cash in on the wartime engagement boom.

“With marriages increasing,” the copy read, “and the eye-compelling diamond advertising campaign continuing... there are profits to be made now.” The message, crafted by N.W. Ayer & Son, was clear: commitment required a diamond — and jewelers had a role to play in making that cultural truth stick.

A few years later, after the war ended and many never returned, De Beers delivered a new promise: A Diamond Is Forever. Launched in 1948, the now-iconic slogan helped define the modern engagement ring — and fueled a global diamond marketing machine that would run for decades.

But it didn’t succeed alone. As that wartime campaign suggested, De Beers needed jewelers to carry the message — and they did, turning a tagline into tradition.

Forever on Hold

That alliance unraveled over the past two decades for a variety of reasons.

De Beers stepped away from generic category marketing and turned its attention to building its own consumer-facing brand, Forevermark. A Diamond Is Forever was quietly shelved, as De Beers began to champion a future built on branding. The thinking was: the more brands compete, the stronger the category becomes.

In hindsight, De Beers wasn’t wrong about the direction of the market — even if its execution didn’t fully deliver.

Consumers were increasingly connecting with brands rather than products, especially in the luxury space. After all, why shouldn’t diamonds follow the model of watches, where there's no such thing as a “generic” product? Or handbags, where brands define the category.

At the same time, marketing and consumer behavior were evolving rapidly. With smartphones and social media on the rise, passive messaging no longer resonated. The print and TV ads that once carried A Diamond Is Forever felt out of step with an audience that now demands interaction and authenticity.

Still, the industry failed to answer De Beers’ call to invest in brand-building. Or perhaps the call was misdirected — raising the deeper question: Can diamonds themselves be branded? Or is the real opportunity in branding diamond jewelry?

Marketing Missteps

The diamond trade felt the void. Forevermark received mixed reviews, and efforts to spur the development of competing diamond brands failed to gain traction.

Still, the trade remained reactive rather than proactive, clinging to the hope that A Diamond Is Forever might make a triumphant return. While trade bodies acknowledged the need to stimulate demand, none meaningfully took the initiative to fill the marketing gap themselves.

Calls for category marketing grew louder as demand stagnated from 2011 onward. De Beers and its mining peers responded in 2015 by forming the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), tasked with promoting natural diamonds. In 2020, the DPA evolved into the Natural Diamond Council (NDC).

That urgency only intensified as new challenges emerged. Lab-grown diamonds entered the scene, capturing market share — particularly in fashion jewelry and, more worryingly, in bridal.

The trade, meanwhile, continued to criticize De Beers for its lack of category marketing, even as many embraced lab-grown diamonds for their high margins and helped fuel consumer awareness of the product as an affordable alternative.

De Beers played its part too. The launch of its own synthetic diamond jewelry brand, Lightbox, aimed to disrupt the lab-grown segment. But with Lightbox now winding down, the question lingers: would those marketing dollars have been better spent reinvigorating generic campaigns for natural diamonds? (See: Lightbox is Dead, Long Live Natural Diamonds)

Too Little, Too Late?

Fast-forward to today, and the natural diamond industry finds itself in a bind. 

After years of calling for the return of category marketing, the trade is finally getting what it asked for. De Beers has resumed investing in campaigns to promote natural diamonds, and the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) continues to champion the category. (See: Can De Beers Modernize ‘A Diamond Is Forever’?)

On paper, it looks like a turning point. In practice, it’s more complicated. The dilemma is two-fold.

First, the NDC lacks the funding needed to run the kind of impactful campaigns it envisions — especially since Russian miner Alrosa withdrew its membership and financial support following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022. (See: Just Give Me My Money)

Manufacturers and dealers are being called on to fill the gap  at a time when margins are tight and liquidity is scarce. A proposed initiative, introduced by trade bodies in November, to allocate a small percentage of trade flows to support the NDC is apparently still in development, likely stalled by bureaucratic and political hurdles.

Stories Don’t Tell Themselves

Second — and perhaps more importantly — the trade must manage its expectations.

The days when a single slogan could reshape culture are behind us. Today’s consumer is fragmented, values-driven, and often skeptical. Tradition and permanence still matter — but they’re filtered through a lens of identity, ethics, and emotional resonance. Consumers connect most with brands and stories that reflect those values.

The good news? The diamond industry has those stories in abundance. De Beers and the NDC can help amplify them — but they can’t do it alone, and it’s not just a matter of funding.

Notably, De Beers is returning to its roots by partnering with retailers — not just through advertising, but by providing them with the education and tools to tell the diamond story at the sales counter.

Retailers need to lean in. And so does the wholesale trade. Suppliers may not be consumer-facing brands, but they have compelling narratives that can empower their retail partners and extend their reach through social media. Some are already doing this with great success — not only growing their own businesses but elevating the category as a whole.

The uncomfortable truth is that category marketing is not a silver bullet. It can spark curiosity, reinforce value, and boost perception, but it won’t convert today’s consumer without immersive retail experiences, authentic storytelling, and digital engagement that meets people where they are.

The belief that a single message — and messenger — can “save” the market is more nostalgic than strategic.

If the trade wants marketing to work for the collective, it must engage with it as individuals. Waiting for someone else to lead is no longer an option. Everyone in the industry needs to step up — be proactive, think like a brand, and take ownership of telling the story. The future of the natural diamond category depends on it.