Well, I already told you how De Beers started the engagement ring craze and how - via advertising no less - they toyed with the most basic economics rule (the scarcer the good the more expensive - read it all here). But today, as I browsed via the many websites I browse daily - and yes, these include women's magazines, I have no shame in that because I need to keep abreast with all kinds of news - a story stopped me dead in my tracks. Love and The City.
I know what you are thinking - the title is not exceptionally creative (a riff on Sex and The City) and the content is about the many different styles a bride could wear - something most magazines (male and female) are doing lately, by that I mean editorial content which get them percentages of sales where redirected to websites selling the mentioned goods. See the story here.
What really spiked my attention was that the story was "presented by De Beers"... So as De Beers (and other major diamond-providing companies) face the specter of the many problems they face (GenZ not interested in traditional wedding rings, lab-grown diamonds etc....) here they are. As I always tell my students doing a project or research "ma fik tfout min el beb fout min el chebek" (you can't go through the door, go through the window). If you look closely at the different brides, each styled differently, to suit different tastes and what not, the only thing in common is that their jewelry is provided exclusively by De Beers.
But blink and you'll miss it. The magazine only specifies that the story is "presented by De Beers" in a small typography, you'll be lost in an eloquent text by Tara Gonzales, and you'll be looking at what brand this groom wore and which is the supplier or the dress of that bride etc.... Oh, and the rings, bangles, brooches, are by....
Which got me thinking - why doesn't De Beers actually collaborate with one of those very trendy wedding dress designers (Anyone from Vera Wang - who specializes in that segment - to the much-awaited Elie Saab iterations). I mean now that the door is open (or is it the window?) why not go full throttle and make a once in a century collaboration for the ages?