De Beers: Forevermark to be the World’s Leading Diamond Brand

Forevermark is to be the world’s leading diamond brand, De Beers said as it began unveiling plans to "a select audience of diamantaires and retailers" April 30-May 2. Roll out of the plans, which include a Forevermark grading lab and goods not mined by De Beers, is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of the year.

Forevermark (logo above) will be re-launched in Hong Kong and China and Macau in late 2008

Forevermark’s independent grading operations, exclusively for Forevermark diamonds, will be carried out in new state-of-the-art facilities, with proprietary technology, that have already been opened in Belgium and England. Further locations are planned for 2009/10. 

To “extend the brand’s ambition and accessibility,” diamonds sourced “beyond the Diamond Trading Company (DTC),” will be eligible for Forevermark consideration. 

Forevermark is currently expected to be launched with selected jewelers in Hong Kong, China and Macau in fourth quarter of 2008, followed by Japan in the first quarter of 2009, and Taiwan, India and South Africa in the second quarter of 2009. 

Clearly, the Forevermark program, once offered only to DTC Sightholders, is now open to companies that are not necessarily direct clients of De Beers.

“In a world where international brands are increasingly sought after and valued, diamonds stand apart as a great opportunity with the majority of diamonds sold still un-branded,” the company said in a release late Wednesday night. 

According to Francois Delage, CEO of De Beers Group Marketing, “Forevermark is about the ultimate in selection and standards from the mine right through to the jeweler.”

During the presentations in London at auction house Phillips de Pury, prospective program participants were told that each diamond will be inspected at least five times.

Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of the De Beers group of companies, said, “Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable, more demanding and more concerned about the well-being of the world at large. Forevermark will meet those concerns; it will give assurance and comfort.”

Forevermark, first introduced in Hong Kong in 2004, is a diamond brand program that includes diamonds which are 0.18 carats and above in size, SI2 clarity and above, J color and above and good quality cuts and above meet Forevermark standards, mostly ethical ones. The diamonds are inscribed with the Forevermark logo on the table facet with an identification number that can be seen with a special Forevermark viewer. 
 

De Beers Group Marketing was established in 2007 as a separately managed division within De Beers. Its main mission is to build and develop Forevermark. It is also responsible for driving diamond demand in key markets and maintaining consumer confidence in diamonds.