{"id":36382,"date":"2026-05-14T13:18:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=36382"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:15:47","slug":"de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"De Beers\u2019 Desert Diamonds Campaign Could Prove More Powerful Than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buoyed by growing engagement around its \u201cDesert Diamonds\u201d campaign, De Beers<\/span><\/span> is intensifying efforts to build fresh demand for natural diamonds.<\/em><\/p>\n

In a recent episode of the Paul Zimnisky Diamond Analytics Podcast,<\/a> De Beers\u2019 Marketing Executive Sally Morrison laid out a candid view of what the company sees as the total addressable global market for diamond jewellery.<\/p>\n

Morrison noted: \u201cWe know from our data that 15-20% of people are hardcore lab-grown (diamond) purchasers\u2026we also know that about 15-20% are hardcore natural (diamond) buyers\u2026but there\u2019s this huge chunk of consumers in the middle, they are open to either\u2026and for us, it\u2019s like looking at voters in a swing state, those are the people that you can really move with communications and can be won.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Paul Zimnisky estimates, the global diamond jewellery market is valued at about $85 billion today and is forecast to grow to $100 billion by the end of the decade. Using Morrison\u2019s data as a proxy, this means that $60 to $70 billion of diamond jewellery demand will be up for grabs by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n

For the natural diamond industry, driving incremental demand for \u201cdiamond jewellery\u201d as a product helps, but the key is to convince consumers to spend dollars on natural diamond jewellery specifically.<\/p>\n

As such, Morrison and the De Beers marketing team deemed that promoting \u201cwarm white to champagne\u201d hued natural diamonds would be a strategic move to present diamond jewellery to consumers in a way that highlights the inherent individuality of natural stones \u2013 a characteristic that differs from mass-produced, machine-made diamonds (which are intentionally manufactured to be as close as possible to colourless and flawless).<\/p>\n

Further, the strategy implicitly generates demand for the full spectrum of run-of-mine goods \u2013 of which the large majority are (by nature) less than perfect. For context, Paul Zimnisky estimates that approximately 80% of gem-quality goods mined are less than VS1-clarity and 65% are below \u201ccolourless\u201d grade. By contrast, it is becoming difficult to source lab-grown diamonds below VS\/colourless grades as advances in production methods have effectively rid \u201cinferior\u201d goods from supply.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Paul Zimnisky sees a potential squeeze in the natural diamond market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marketed as\u00a0\u201cDesert Diamonds,\u201d\u00a0De Beers\u2019 campaign debuted for holiday 2025, supported by the company\u2019s most aggressive multi-media strategy in years.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the Podcast, Morrison noted that the efforts directly drove an estimated 8 million consumers into\u00a0jewellery\u00a0stores late last year and boosted \u201cconsumer consideration\u201d for purchasing a natural diamond by 10% YoY\u00a0\u2013\u00a0noting\u00a0that the\u00a0campaign\u00a0gave retailers \u201ca story\u2026(as)\u00a0the colour range in the\u00a0palette was a metaphor to allow them to talk about natural (diamonds) and the connection to origin.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Morrison added,\u00a0\u201cfor\u00a0independent\u00a0retailers that were interested in pivoting back into natural diamonds or growing their natural diamond business\u2026it worked extremely well\u2026particularly for those that did the training and used the (marketing) materials.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In mid-April, De Beers launched a second iteration of the campaign, specifically targeting the bridal market in time for the northern hemisphere\u2019s\u00a02026\u00a0summer wedding season.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to\u00a0last year\u2019s more fine-fashion\u00a0oriented aim\u00a0of\u00a0targeting self-purchasers, the\u00a0concept\u00a0is to\u00a0continue\u00a0building\u00a0\u201ccultural momentum\u201d around desert-hued natural diamonds.\u00a0The bridal palette will skew more towards the \u201csofter, lighter\u201d end of the\u00a0colour\u00a0spectrum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A resilient, broad-reaching campaign like this could serve as a much-needed catalyst for natural diamond demand amidst a prolonged four-year lull that has been compounded by the mainstream introduction of inexpensive lab-grown diamonds unscrupulously marketed as \u201cindistinguishable\u201d from natural stones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Combined with a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>material paring of mined diamond production<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0of some 25% over the same period, the natural diamond market could be po<\/span>i<\/span>sed for a squeeze which could send prices\u00a0<\/span>notably\u00a0<\/span>higher just as no one is expecting it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Paul Zimnisky, CFA is an independent diamond industry analyst and consultant based in the New York metro area. For regular in-depth analysis and forecasts of the diamond industry please consider subscribing to his State of the Diamond Market,<\/a> a leading monthly industry report; an index of previous editions can be found here.<\/a> Also, listen to the Paul Zimnisky Diamond Analytics Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts<\/a> for exclusive full-length conversations with special guests from the gem and jewelry industry. Paul is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business with a B.S. in finance and he is a CFA charterholder. He can be followed on X @paulzimnisky<\/a> and on YouTube @paulzimnisky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclosure: At the time of writing Paul Zimnisky held a long equity position in Brilliant Earth Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buoyed by growing engagement around its \u201cDesert Diamonds\u201d campaign, De Beers is intensifying efforts to build fresh demand for natural diamonds. In a recent episode of the Paul Zimnisky Diamond Analytics Podcast, De Beers\u2019 Marketing Executive Sally Morrison laid out a candid view of what the company sees as the total addressable global market for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":36384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-36382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDe Beers\u2019 Desert Diamonds Campaign Could Prove More Powerful Than You Think - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"De Beers\u2019 Desert Diamonds Campaign Could Prove More Powerful Than You Think - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Buoyed by growing engagement around its \u201cDesert Diamonds\u201d campaign, De Beers is intensifying efforts to build fresh demand for natural diamonds. In a recent episode of the Paul Zimnisky Diamond Analytics Podcast, De Beers\u2019 Marketing Executive Sally Morrison laid out a candid view of what the company sees as the total addressable global market for…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T07:48:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T09:15:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Desert-diamonds-bridal-campaign-solitaire-ring.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/\",\"name\":\"Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Desert-diamonds-bridal-campaign-solitaire-ring.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/\",\"name\":\"De Beers\\u2019 Desert Diamonds Campaign Could Prove More Powerful Than You Think - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T07:48:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T09:15:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/#\/schema\/person\/ea2305127e1d68e988e609ab491604eb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/de-beers-desert-diamonds-campaign-could-prove-more-powerful-than-you-think\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"Person\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/#\/schema\/person\/ea2305127e1d68e988e609ab491604eb\",\"name\":\"Paul Zimnisky\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc6568cf8462f6003472ad7b3184d356aa41ba4ab0b787f823645682337c2ac5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paul Zimnisky\"},\"description\":\"Paul Zimnisky, CFA, is a leading global diamond industry analyst based in the New York City metro area specializing in global diamond supply\/demand fundamentals and the companies operating within the industry.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36382"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36388,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36382\/revisions\/36388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36382"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=36382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}