De Beers Showcases Desert Diamonds at JGW Hong Kong, Strengthening Trust
in Natural Diamonds
Building confidence in the natural diamond category with industry
partners, guided by the Building Forever and diamond traceability strategies
·
De Beers Group showcased Desert diamonds
at Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong (16–19 Sept
2026).
·
Largest category-marketing
investment in 15 years, reaffirming commitment to Building Forever
sustainability and diamond traceability.
·
Followed successful debut in
Shanghai (July 2026).
·
CEO Al Cook, EVP Paul Rowley,
GM Lynn Serfaty, and VP Loletta Lai led discussions with global partners.
·
Guests included leaders from
Botswana, South Africa, China, Natural Diamond Council, Tracr, and Chow Tai
Fook.
·
Focus: strengthening consumer
confidence, market balance, and collaboration across the value chain.
·
Natural diamond market stabilising; prices showing recovery.
·
Global production declined
from 170M
carats to ~100M carats.
·
Emphasis on supply management,
detection, grading, and traceability to distinguish natural vs lab-grown
diamonds.
·
Immersive “Show & Tell”
journey blending desert landscapes with Chinese bamboo-weaving craftsmanship.
·
Five narrative chapters: from
earth to adornment.
·
Desert diamonds displayed in
warm earthy hues, highlighting individuality and rarity.
·
Retail partners presented jewellery collections (Chow Tai Fook, Kashikey,
Chow Sang Sang).
·
Tracr digital identity demo
showcased blockchain-based traceability.
·
Conservation zone highlighted
De Beers’ rhino protection efforts.
·
Forums and seminars explored value chain repositioning
and future
jewellery design.
·
GIA exhibition highlighted
scientific uniqueness of natural diamonds; GIA acquired 30% stake in Tracr.
·
De Beers invited media and
fashion community to its Hong Kong flagship boutique for immersive jewellery experiences.
·
Desert diamonds campaign
strengthens consumer
trust, sustainability, and transparency.
·
De Beers positions natural
diamonds as timeless symbols of authenticity, rarity, and cultural resonance.
·
Guided by “A Diamond Is Forever,”
the initiative bridges heritage, nature, and modern design.
[ABS News Service/24.09.2026]
16 to 19 September, De Beers Group participated in Jewellery & Gem
WORLD Hong Kong (JGW), presenting an immersive experience centred on Desert
diamonds. Drawing inspiration from the wonders of nature and the artistry of
human craftsmanship, the showcase created a captivating space that brought the
story of natural diamonds to life.
Following its successful Asian debut in Shanghai in July, Desert
diamonds returned to Hong Kong as De Beers Group's first major beacon
initiative in more than a decade and its largest category-marketing investment
in 15 years. The activation reaffirmed the Group's commitment to strengthening
long-term confidence in the natural diamond category, working alongside
strategic partners across the value chain and guided by its Building Forever
sustainability framework and diamond traceability strategy.
Industry leaders convene to shape the future
De Beers Group Chief Executive Officer Al Cook, Executive Vice President
of Diamond Trading Paul Rowley, General Manager of Natural Diamonds Lynn
Serfaty and Vice President of Natural Diamonds APAC Loletta Lai attended the
Group's breakfast meeting, where they exchanged views with industry partners
from around the world.
Distinguished guests included Lekoko S.
Kenosi, Ambassador of Botswana to China; Lin Qiang, President of the Shanghai
Diamond Exchange; Nosiphiwo Mzamo, Chief Executive
Officer of the State Diamond Trader of South Africa; Amber Pepper, Chief
Executive Officer of the Natural Diamond Council; Jillian Wolk, Chief Executive
Officer of Tracr and Annie Wong, Chief Operating Officer of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery
Group. Together with De Beers Group leadership and other attendees, they
discussed future opportunities and areas for collaboration across the natural
diamond industry.
"We firmly believe that natural diamonds have an enduring future,
and we remain confident in the long-term opportunity presented by the Chinese
market. China has always been one of De Beers Group's most important markets.
For more than half a century, we have built deep and enduring relationships
with retailers, consumers, governments and industry partners. We continue to
invest in China and launched our Desert diamonds category-marketing initiative
in July this year. The campaign has already delivered encouraging results in
the US market and is showing strong momentum in China. Looking ahead, we invite
our industry colleagues to work together to strengthen consumer confidence in
the long-term value of natural diamonds," said
Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group.
"The natural diamond market is gradually stabilising. Supply and
demand are moving towards equilibrium, while diamond prices are showing signs
of recovery. The US market remains resilient and the Chinese market is also
beginning to stabilise, while India, Europe, Japan and the Gulf markets are
providing further momentum for industry growth. Global annual natural diamond
production has declined from a peak of approximately 170 million carats to
around 100 million carats. Effective supply management is essential to
restoring market balance. Looking ahead, the industry must continue to invest
in detection, grading and traceability systems, enabling consumers to
distinguish clearly between natural and laboratory-grown diamonds, while
advancing collective category marketing and industry collaboration." said
Paul Rowley, Executive Vice President of Diamond Trading at De Beers Group.
"Desert diamonds are such a gift. They resonate with Chinese
philosophies of resilience, transcendence and harmony between humanity and
nature, while building a bridge between southern Africa and China. Through the
Asian launch of Desert diamonds, retailer partnerships, social media
communications and media engagement, we aim to further support China's focus on
quality consumption and help more consumers understand and appreciate the
enduring value of natural diamonds," says Lynn Serfaty, Managing Director
of Natural Diamonds at De Beers Group shared her perspective on the emotional
and cultural resonance of natural diamonds in China.
An immersive journey from earth to adornment
Following the breakfast meeting, De Beers Group officially unveiled its
Show & Tell experience, inviting global industry guests on an immersive
journey that combined visual, tactile and emotional storytelling.
Visitors entering the space were transported through the changing light
of a vast desert landscape. Exterior screens depicted rolling sand dunes, while
the interior brought together contemporary exhibition design and traditional
Chinese bamboo-weaving craftsmanship, an element of China's intangible cultural
heritage.
Artist Xu Mingyu created sharply faceted geometric display cases
inspired by the precision of natural diamond cuts. The woven textures echoed
the intricate patterns formed on desert surfaces by the passage of time.
Through this dialogue between ancient Eastern craftsmanship and the untamed
poetry of natural diamonds, the installation connected heritage, nature and
contemporary design.
The Show & Tell experience unfolded across five narrative chapters,
creating a sensory journey from the earth to the wearer's hand.
At the Desert diamonds display, loose natural diamonds were presented
along a spectrum of warm, earthy hues, recalling the layered tones of the
desert landscape. The distinctive colours of Desert diamonds arise naturally
from subtle variations in nitrogen content and plastic deformation, giving
every stone an entirely individual appearance and personality. No two Desert
diamonds are alike, just as every person's story is unique.
In a rapidly changing digital age, younger consumers are increasingly
drawn to authenticity and permanence. Formed over billions of years, natural
diamonds embody this pursuit through their inherent rarity and individuality.
At the exhibition, retail partners presented Desert diamonds jewellery
collections including Chow Tai Fook's Desert Rose collection, Kashikey, represented by Chow Sang Sang,
and alongside classic three-stone and five-stone designs.
Guests then moved to the Tracr area to explore the digital identity of a
registered natural diamond. From mine to retail, the origin and journey of each
diamond can be recorded and traced. A dedicated science and technology zone
featured a range of De Beers Group's detection instruments, enabling guests to
see first-hand how natural diamonds can be differentiated from laboratory-grown
diamonds.
The journey also highlighted De Beers Group's long-standing conservation
work. A dedicated rhino conservation area showcased decades of commitment to
habitat protection, species breeding and relocation, bringing the Group's
Building Forever sustainability commitment to life in a tangible and meaningful
way.
The experience concluded with a multi-sensory exploration of Desert
diamonds. A fragrance experience inspired by the vast desert landscape evoked
the interplay between the beauty of the desert and the brilliance of diamonds,
while interactive quizzes invited guests to discover their own natural diamond
aura.
Advancing trust through collaboration and traceability
During the exhibition, De Beers Group also participated actively in a
series of industry exchange activities, engaging with value-chain partners to
explore the opportunities and future direction of the natural diamond industry.
At the Natural Diamond Value Chain Repositioning and Outlook Forum,
jointly organised by the Natural Diamond Council and the Hong Kong Diamond
Federation, participants from across the industry exchanged insights on the
evolution of the natural diamond value chain and its future prospects.
Meanwhile, at the Brilliant Convergence: Envisioning the Future of Jewellery
Design seminar hosted by the Hong Kong Diamond Federation, Loletta Lai, Vice
President of Natural Diamonds APAC at De Beers Group, joined jewellery
designers and industry representatives to discuss how natural diamonds can
continue to inspire contemporary jewellery design and sustain their appeal in
an evolving market landscape.
In addition, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) presented
"The Beauty of Natural Diamonds" exhibition during the show, inviting
visitors to explore the formation and unique beauty of natural diamonds through
a scientific lens. Through diamond fluorescence, microscopic images of
inclusions and growth features, as well as GIA Diamond Grading Reports, the
exhibition revealed the unique "natural fingerprint" of every natural
diamond. Notably, ahead of this year's exhibition, GIA completed its acquisition
of a 30% shareholding in the Tracr diamond traceability blockchain platform, an
important milestone for the natural diamond industry. This strategic
collaboration supports Tracr's evolution into
independent industry infrastructure, providing dual assurance through diamond
grading and origin traceability, and laying a strong foundation for a more
transparent and trusted future for the natural diamond industry.
Extending the industry conversation into a jewellery experience, De
Beers Group also invited members of the media and fashion community to visit
the De Beers London Hong Kong flagship boutique, where they experienced the
beauty and distinctive appeal of natural diamond jewellery through an immersive
journey. Behind the brilliance of every natural diamond lies a traceable
journey, from its origin at the mine to the careful craftsmanship applied
through sustainable practices. Every stage reflects De Beers Group's unwavering
commitment to exceptional quality and sustainability. Through jewellery try-ons
and expert-led guidance, guests experienced first-hand how natural diamonds are
being reinterpreted in a contemporary fashion context, deepening their emotional
connection with appreciation of the category.
Guided by the enduring belief that "A Diamond Is Forever," De
Beers Group's presence at this year's Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong not
only demonstrated the continuing vitality and broad potential of natural
diamonds in the global market but also created an emotionally resonant natural
diamond journey for industry partners and consumers through the storytelling
platform of Desert diamonds. The initiative brought new depth and warmth to
natural diamond category education.
Looking ahead, De Beers Group will continue to work with industry
partners worldwide, with its Building Forever sustainability framework and
diamond traceability strategy serving as two key pillars in advancing the
natural diamond industry towards a more transparent and sustainable new era.
Through the interplay of art and culture, every natural diamond formed deep
within the earth can shine ever more brightly in its time, continuing a
timeless story of enduring beauty.