De Beers Testing 'Forevermark'
By Rob Bates, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 2/1/2002 2:00:00 AM
De Beers is testing whether the Forevermark, the diamond-shaped emblem that caps its TV commercials, can be a brand. A new Web site—www.forevermark.com—is touting the mark to buyers around the world … everywhere but the United States, that is.
Six stores in Hong Kong and Japan now carry stones inscribed with the mark, part of a pilot test run through two Asian sightholders, Tasaka and Chow Tai Fok. De Beers wants the mark to be the diamond industry's "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," assuring consumers their stones are "natural." "The fifth 'C' is confidence, and this gives the consumer confidence," says De Beers spokesman Andrew Lamont.
If the pilot is successful, De Beers will test the mark in the United States, Europe, and India, Lamont says.
The inscriptions use the same technology as De Beers' "Millennium" stones. They are on the stone's table and can be seen only with a special viewer. Sightholders must buy the diamonds from De Beers, polish them, and then ship them back to be inscribed.
A certificate accompanying each diamond calls the Forevermark "an indelible symbol of authenticity and quality. … Each diamond bearing the Forevermark is a natural diamond supplied by the world's leading diamond company, the Diamond Trading Company (DTC). … The highest level of professional and ethical standards have been applied throughout your diamond's journey from the mine to your hand. … What's more, all Forevermark diamonds are beautifully cut and polished by an elite group of International Diamond Masters to optimize their brilliance."
