Diamonds are forever...

Why the Diamond Engagement Ring?

Throughout the age of time, diamonds were associated with the aristocracy until the descendants of the DeBeers family decided to strengthen the associations in the publics mind that diamonds go hand in hand with romance.

Since "young men buy over 90% of all engagement rings" it was crucial to reach them with a message: diamonds were a gift of love -- the larger and finer the diamond, the greater the expression of love. Similarly, young women had to be encouraged to view diamonds as an integral part of any romantic courtship.

It all started in Hollywood, DeBeers decided to give movie idols, the paragons of romance for the mass audience, diamonds to use as their symbols of indestructible love. DeBeers placed stories in key magazines and newspapers stressing the size of diamonds that celebrities presented to their loved ones, and photographs reinforcing the link between diamonds and romance.

They even incorporated Queen Elizabeth, who went on a well-publicized trip to several South African diamond mines, and accepted a diamond from DeBeers.

Within 3 years the public relations established that the engagement diamond ring is truly forever.