“She claims that gifting is one of my love languages,” she says affectionately, gazing at the woman sitting on her right, wiping away a tear from her eye. The camera captures the two in black and white, and the woman adorned with a diamond-pendant necklace, which sparkles brilliantly against the muted backdrop. Traditionally, diamonds are associated with couples taking the leap into marriage. However, in a Jared jewelers advertisement, two long-lost sisters reveal how they decided to commemorate their first meeting with diamonds.
Jared and other diamond merchants feature similar ads. Another Jared advertisement showcases a different pair of sisters sharing an inherited ring, followed by a voice-over urging viewers to “express your extraordinary love” with diamond jewelry. A recent Brilliant Earth ad highlights a mother and daughter proudly displaying their jewelry, with one of them declaring, “You are never too old to play dress-up.” Hallmark even suggests purchasing diamond jewelry for friends on their landing page, as a way to “show appreciation for a relationship that brings so much joy.”
Ever since the diamond industry popularized the diamond engagement ring in the 1940s as an essential prelude to marriage, diamonds have been closely linked to romantic love (primarily heterosexual). The concept was that diamonds were rare and therefore valuable, just like one’s love—though this notion of scarcity was actually fabricated by diamond mine owners to inflate prices. Nevertheless, diamond sellers have made attempts over the years to expand their market. The 2003 “Raise Your Right Hand” campaign by De Beers encouraged women to buy diamonds for themselves, while a campaign in the 1980s attempted to persuade women to purchase diamonds for men. Rebranding brown diamonds, typically used in industrial settings, as “chocolate” diamonds a decade ago was another effort to address oversupply.
Hence, it is not surprising that a new marketing strategy has emerged, encouraging women to buy diamonds as a symbol of friendship and sisterhood. The Kit, a style magazine, recently published an article titled “why buying your best friends diamonds is a feminist act.” In this piece, marketing strategist Eva Hartling explains, “Women used to say, ‘I can’t buy my friend a diamond ring because it should be her husband buying her that.’ The change of mindset came from consumers, and now the industry has caught up.” However, it’s possible that the influence works both ways.
The diamond industry successfully associated diamonds with marriage. Nonetheless, marriage rates in the U.S. have consistently declined since the 1980s, even with a temporary increase post-lockdown in 2021. According to diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky, although the total number of diamonds purchased for engagements has remained steady over the past decade due to population growth, there has been a decline in per capita purchases. Consequently, the diamond industry has recognized this trend and sought to diversify its marketing strategies by promoting diamonds for purposes beyond engagement rings.
Zimnisky also notes a steady increase in women buying expensive jewelry, including diamonds, for themselves. He states, “Twenty-five to 30 years ago, bridal represented upwards of half of global diamond demand. It’s probably a third now, and that self-purchase category was probably less than 10 percent [back then], and now that’s another third.” Consequently, diamond sellers are now targeting women who wish to buy diamonds independently, similar to the “Raise Your Right Hand” campaign.
The rise of lab-created diamonds has further expanded the perceived consumer base for diamonds. Despite the Natural Diamond Council’s emphasis on “only natural diamonds,” lab-created diamonds have gained popularity due to being more environmentally friendly and molecularly identical to natural diamonds. Moreover, they are significantly cheaper as they can be produced in a lab. Zimnisky explains, “If you just go back to 2015, a lab diamond [cost] maybe 10 percent less than a natural diamond; now it’s 90 percent less.”
Loretta Volpe, the chair of direct and interactive marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology, who has experience in marketing for the diamond industry, suggests that the relatively lower price of lab-created diamonds makes them a more reasonable and casual gift among friends. Historically, diamonds have been perceived as grand gestures, reserved for special occasions and requiring substantial savings, often equating to two months’ salary. However, this traditional notion, originally propagated by De Beers, is no longer as significant.
Marketers have likely noticed the shifting perception of friendship in recent years. Experts have emphasized the importance of social connections, while the media increasingly acknowledges the value of friendships and chosen families on par with romantic relationships. This cultural shift may have inspired more people to express appreciation for non-romantic relationships through gifts. Furthermore, the act of giving jewelry as a friendly gift is predominantly associated with women, as jewelry is still seen as a feminine symbol. Volpe believes that it is now more acceptable to express various forms of affection with diamonds, although primarily through items like diamond pendants. Zimnisky concurs, stating that there was once a stigma against such acts but that it has gradually diminished.
Ultimately, buying a diamond necklace for a best friend may indeed be a genuine gesture of love and appreciation. However, the idea that a diamond is the ultimate symbol of love for a sister, friend, or any significant relationship most likely stems from the diamond industry’s desire to sell more diamonds. As Zimnisky remarks, “I mean, it’s a business. It’s not about a tradition; it’s not about anything other than doing what they need to do to make the most money.”
Consumers have shifted their perspectives. Friendship is now regarded as something worth celebrating, and diamond purchasers are not limited to men buying for their future wives. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that no one truly needs to buy a diamond. Whether society prioritizes friendship, romantic love, or self-accomplishment, marketers will attempt to associate their products with those emotions. The recent push to remind women that they can purchase diamonds independently, for themselves or for other women in their lives, is simply the latest strategy from an industry committed to persuading the public that their product holds greater value than it actually does. Therefore, if you choose to buy your friend a diamond, remember that the rarity and beauty lie in the friendship, not the diamond itself.
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