💎 During a fiery moment at the JCK show, Aleah Arundale boldly challenged De Beers CEO Al Cook:
“No one ever asks where a diamond comes from. Not once. Stop trying to make them care.”
📉 She might be right—at least in the U.S.—but silence doesn’t equal indifference. As analyst Edahn Golan points out, many people vote with their wallets, not their words.
Brilliant Earth thrived by highlighting diamond origins. Canadian “conflict-free” diamonds also once led the trend. So clearly, some people do care.
⚖️ The lab-grown vs. mined debate is ultimately a question of origin. Lab diamonds are cheaper—but to avoid seeming “cheap,” marketers leaned on the eco-friendly pitch. Even when it was exaggerated, it made buyers feel good.
🌍 Meanwhile, natural diamond sellers are shifting strategy. Instead of defending against blood diamond stigma, De Beers is spotlighting Botswana's success story—a nation empowered by ethical diamond trade. It’s less about abstract ethics, more about real impact.
📦 Consumers may say they’ll pay more for ethical products, but they don’t always follow through. Still, origin stories help. They make people think, and with modern targeting, brands can reach those who genuinely care.
😬 But traceability has risks. What if Botswana's political situation shifts? What about Russia-labeled diamonds? Origin is a double-edged sword.
🌐 Even Angola is trying to rehab its image by aligning with the “Botswana model.” Brilliant Earth is already marketing Angolan diamonds as “on the pathway to beyond conflict-free.”
💥 Meanwhile, fear of lab diamonds drives creativity. De Beers launched Ombre Desert Diamonds—natural brownish stones with unique hues—because labs can’t mass-produce them (yet). The aim? Differentiate, not imitate.
⌛ Long-term, brand-driven storytelling—like in the Swiss watch industry—is key. Until then, category marketing may be a temporary fix... but it’s better than bleeding out.