David Kellie, CEO NDC, said the organisation previously saw itself as an “advertiser” but would now shift its focus to publishing year-round content, in addition to funding international advertising campaigns during the holiday period.
A new consumer-focused website, www.naturaldiamonds.com, has been launched featuring articles about celebrity engagement rings, famous natural fancy colour diamonds, sustainability practices in the diamond mining industry, and a diamond purchasing guide.
“It will be a platform for all that is great and good in the industry. We have as many great stories to tell as other industries,” Kellie said.
He predicted that consumers would embrace natural diamonds following the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining, “As the [economic] climate improves, natural diamonds will connect stronger than ever before. Consumers will have a greater respect for all things natural and seek brands that have an honest mission to be truly sustainable. They’ll be purchasing luxury goods with a greater meaning, particularly those celebrating connections between friends and loved ones.”
Kellie added, “We’re seeing good business out of China and other places where markets are opening up. So, it appears that once the consumer feels it’s safe to do so, they will come back. And now it’s about us making sure we have a message for them when they come back.”
The new website includes a ‘Find A Retailer’ search function; retailers can request to be added to the list if they are categorised as a fine jewellery retailer, adhere to “best in class business ethics”, and follow the US Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines on jewellery advertising.
“Our industry is dominated by independent retailers that over a long period of time have built up a closeness with their communities. So it really is just reminding consumers about buying local and all that local businesses do,” Kellie said.
At the time of publication, the vast majority of retailers on the site were based in the US. One Australian jeweller appeared to be listed – though the business was mislocated on the map – and one New Zealand jeweller was listed.
Lab-grown competition
While the DPA previously worked to differentiate natural diamonds from the lab-grown sector – particularly through the Project Assure lab-grown diamond detector program – Kellie dismissed man-made diamonds as “a distraction”.
“It is still a very, very small percentage of the sale of diamonds in the world [and] that’s why we’re not focused on them,” he explained. “The opportunity is far greater for us to focus on the values of natural diamonds.”
He added that the slogan ‘Only natural diamonds’ described the unique feeling consumers get from purchasing natural diamonds over “other luxury goods, like experiences”. “To us, any other luxury good – anything else the consumer can spend their discretionary income on – is a competitor and that’s what we’ve got to focus on,” he said.
As previously reported by Jeweller, the NDC has abandoned the DPA’s previous campaign ‘Real is rare, real is a diamond’. The website www.realisadiamond.com now redirects to www.naturaldiamonds.com while the verified Instagram account @realisadiamond, which has more than 40,000 followers, was still active at the time of publication.
The DPA website www.diamondproducers.com now redirects to www.naturaldiamonds.com/council, where members of the diamond industry can access trade-focused information including marketing materials, educational resources, and Project Assure.
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