Millennium Stones a Success De Beers says it’s pleased with sales of its limited-edition Millennium diamonds, its first “branded” product marketed internationally. “It created premiums and good margins for those involved in the distribution,” reports Derek Palmer, De Beers marketing director. While some dealers told JCK the stones sold better in Asia and Europe than in the United States, Palmer maintains that sales were solid in all regions. “We weren’t sure if they were going to celebrate the millennium in Japan, but the market there is driven by brands, and they took to it quite strongly,” he says. Still, there were snags—mainly delays in delivering marketing materials and packaging. “This was all a learning process,” Palmer says. “When we started the project, we had a modest packaging concept. Then we got a little more ambitious and would have liked more