SOLITAIRE - SOLITAIRE #83 JUNE-JULY 2016

ASIA PACIFIC EDITION DIAMOND MASTERS Soie Dior Collection Ferragamo Jewels Lazare Kaplan Messika PLUS Suzanne Belperron Sybarite Jewellery Kate Hudson

83 June — July 2016

LOVE DIAMONDS Damiani Fiori d’Arancio Classic Diamond Cuts Diamonds & Pearls HAUTE HOROLOGY Secret Watches Openwork Dials

The

Diamond Edition

SIGN IN

Waiting For Forever W ON THE DIFFICULT DAYS, WHEN THE WORLD IS ON YOUR SHOULDERS, REMEMBER THAT DIAMONDS ARE MADE UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE MOUNTAINS

hether you are a jewellery aficionado or not, you will have heard the words “A Diamond Is Forever”. An inspired marketing initiative of De Beers at first, it jumped into linguistic mainstream, so much so that a martini-swilling British agent played out a whole movie baxed around the theme.

But have you heard the slogan used lately? I haven’t, and I am wondering why that is the case.

Some jewellers I spoke to expressed concerns that diamonds may have lost their sparkle — their air of inevitable exclusivity. Think Louis Vuitton’s monogram duffel bags, and the legions of everyday people toting them around everywhere — even to the local wet market — and you get their concerns. Others in the trade lament the erratic pricing of diamonds, a result of the breaking up of De Beers’ virtual monopoly.

Diamonds may be forever, but their value may quite possibly not.

Then there are the half dozen or so diamond substitutes, diamond lookalikes, and laboratory created diamonds, all adding to consumers’ confusion. And to top it off, the business side has been affected by the creeping commoditisation of the little sparklers.

Prices have become so transparent, that many diamond dealers have lost reasonable trading margins, and in the process motivation to push for more sales. The notable here being very large sizes of whites, and important coloured diamonds.

Be that as it may — diamonds are still an integral part of the jewellery industry, and an irreplaceable component at engagements and weddings. The idea of ‘forever’ lingers, and is a fitting companion to a bond between people that is supposed to last a lifetime and beyond.

In this, our annual Diamond Edition, we again celebrate the hardest stone, able to melt even the hardest heart. Let it be yours.

Rainer Sigel Publisher

6