The Forevermark Promise

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BIn 1947, Frances Gerety, a young copywriter at the N.W. Ayer advertising agency in Philadelphia, penned what would become the most famous advertising slogan of all time: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And so De Beers — the name of an otherwise obscure South African mining company — was burned into the American consumer consciousness as the world’s source for diamonds.

From this was born the Forevermark diamond brand. Diamond mining companies from Australia, Russia and Canada now share De Beers’ formerly exclusive space in the diamond market, but De Beers alone promise: Beautiful Diamonds And A Commitment To Sustainability The Forevermark diamond journey begins at the mine, where rough diamonds are extracted from deep within the earth. Each mine produces a wide range of rough diamonds, but only the highest quality rough material will be cut into a Forevermark diamond. Once cut and polished, experts at the Forevermark Diamond Institute in Antwerp, Belgium, carefully inspect each stone again to determine its fit for the brand. Between 5% and 10% are still rejected for not meeting quality standards. is responsible for making the promise already established in consumers’ minds: that a diamond means love, forever. “Promises are powerful, precious and eternal,” says Charles Stanley, president of Forevermark US, Inc. based in Connecticut. “A promise is so precious that only a diamond will do. Believing in the power of a promise is at the core of who we are and who we want to be.” Forevermark diamonds are designed to deliver the promise in the highest manner possible. Only certain carefully selected diamonds are eligible to carry the Forevermark brand inscription; only certain designers and manufacturers may set them into jewelry, and only certain retailers may sell them. A Forevermark diamond must be: • At least 14 points or larger (there are 100 points in a carat). • Cut to a standard of Very Good or better, according to the American Gem Society grading scale. • Graded at an “L” color or above (on a scale from D to Z established by the Gemological Institute of America). • Graded at a clarity value of SI or above — there are 11 clarity grades for diamonds: Flawless (FL), Internally Flawless (IF), Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2), Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2), and Included (I1, I2 and I3).

Stunning 1.25 Forevermark diamond set in custom David Gardner 1.1ctw pave diamond halo setting.

Forevermark by Precision Set, three-stone ring set in 18k white gold. Forevermark by David Gardner solitaire pendent in 18k white gold.

Less than 1% of diamonds mined in the world meet those standards, say Forevermark executives. Diamonds that pass the final inspection are then inscribed (microscopically, on the table facet) with the Forevermark icon and a unique identification number, using proprietary technology that is impossible to alter or duplicate. The microscopic mark — roughly 1/5000th of a human hair — can only be seen with a special Forevermark viewer, not even a standard microscope. Only then are they set into jewelry and sold through authorized Forevermark jewelers.

Promise to the people and the environment

The promise of eternal love that a diamond symbolizes only tells part of the Forevermark story. Forevermark diamonds are guaranteed to be conflict free and responsibly sourced from carefully selected mines in countries that are committed to the highest business, social, economic, and environmental standards.

Former De Beers chairman Harry Oppenheimer was an outspoken opponent of apartheid in South Africa, and upon his death was eulogized by the late Nelson Mandela for his commitment to freedom and justice. Today, the Forevermark promise demands that not only are its diamonds conflict free, but that the mines they come from benefit the communities in which they are operating, in areas such as health care, education and training, investment in community infrastructure, and a commitment to ecological preservation.

For example, the hospital at the Orapa mine in Botswana also functions as the district hospital, serving not only the mine’s employees and their families, but also providing medical care to local communities within a 600 km radius, and De Beers has set aside 200,000 hectares of land around its mines for conservation of wildlife like cheetah, rhinoceros, elephants and more. That’s an area five times greater than the footprint of the mines themselves.

Forevermark diamonds come from mines in countries such as Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Australia and Canada. Forevermark diamond jewelry is sold at 380 leading jewelry stores across the United States and Canada, and in more than 1,300 doors worldwide.