The R&M “Lettre”

Here is how fast things can change in the diamond industry. – In March 2014, Anglo American’s CEO Mark Cutifani, then a year into the job, publicly fretted his company had overpaid for De Beers in 2011.

London – De Beers and its diamond brand Forevermark have launched their call-to-action holiday advertising campaign that is designed to increase consumer demand for diamonds across the board this holiday season. 

New York – Luxury goods conglomerate Richemont now has a “director of entertainment”–an individual whose job it is to advise its brands on how to get their products on TV, in the movies and on the red carpet and to help them sign on celebrities as brand ambassadors.

The Diamond Producers Association (DPA), the organization set up by ALROSA, De Beers, Rio Tinto, Dominion Diamond Corporation, Lucara Diamond Corporation, Petra Diamonds Ltd, and Gem Diamonds Ltd. to support the development of the diamond sector, has appointed creative agency Mother New York as its global strategic marketing partner.

Here are some of this year’s biggest diamond stories: – De Beers is bringing back “A Diamond Is Forever.” – It’s also reviving its “Seize the Day” ads as part of a (quasi-)generic campaign.

Just imagine if she were to have a bat mitzvah. Hong Kong billionaire and fugitive from justice Joseph Lau reportedly purchased the two top record-setting lots at this week’s Geneva auctions.

The hype surrounding Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions in Geneva this week created a buzz in the diamond trade that is otherwise starved for excitement.

This morning, Diamond Foundry premiered, a new California-based lab-grown diamond producer that is backed by Leonardo DiCaprio as well as “10 billionaires,” including the founder of Twitter. DiCaprio, who starred in Blood Diamond, tweeted about the company today.

Geneva – Richemont reported strong sales growth among its jewelry brands in the first half of the year, noting that jewelry now accounts for one-third of its total sales.

Third quarter prices for blue diamonds were up 2 percent, with fancy vivid blue prices up 6 percent.

Milan, Italy – The global luxury industry has surpassed $1 trillion in retail sales value this year, with the category that includes jewelry and watches seeing slight but positive real growth.

Even today, with all the hype about e-commerce, most jewelry is still purchased in brick-and-mortar stores. In a 2014 Deloitte survey, 52 percent of consumer said they preferred to purchase jewelry at stores, 8 percent said online, but 40 percent were undecided.