Forevermark Diamonds in Destin, Florida - De Beers' Jewelry Brand and The Art of Clever Marketing.
Were you aware that Branded Diamonds are usually self-certified? Did you know that, as a result of self-certification, most Branded Diamonds usually have gradings that can be off a full 2 color and clarity grades as compared to GIA Certified Diamonds?! GIA is an independent lab and therefore competely impartial. We think that this provides a level of trust which is so important in the selection of a diamond. One must compare apples to apples.
Here's what Beyond the 4C's has to say in their review of Forevermark:
"What Is a Forevermark Diamond?
In my opinion, I would summarize Forevermark diamonds in one word; marketing. On their website, Forevermark promises their consumers that their diamonds are beautiful, rare and ethically sourced. They even claim that less than 1% of the world’s diamonds have the eligibility to become a Forevermark diamond.
From the way their marketing team describes ForeverMark, it may sound like a big deal. However, the truth is, it isn’t. With the Kimberly Process and strict custom laws in place, it would be extremely difficult to find a conflict diamond even if you wanted to buy one. De Beers’s diamonds aren’t special and just about any other diamond you see in reputable stores can be just as rare, beautiful and ethically sourced."
"For those of you who haven’t heard of De Beers, they used to control the world’s diamond supply (and indirectly, control prices) up until the 1990s because of their huge mining operations.
When new mines were discovered around the world, the diamond supply market was changed completely as newer players entered the global mining industry.
As a result of increasing competition and political changes, De Beers core business of selling rough diamonds became affected. In a smart corporate move, De Beers created the Forevermark brand to diversify their business into the retail industry. Interestingly, De Beers chose to position Forevermark as a luxury product brand to compete against well established brands like Tiffany and Cartier."
Beyond the 4Cs goes on to say:
"Perhaps the highlight of Forevermark’s marketing tactics lie in the Forevermark inscription which is performed using “highly confidential patented technology”. Unlike the usual laser inscription process used by gemological labs like GIA, the Forevermark inscription is only 1/20th of a micron deep and is found on the table facet.
To me, this whole thing sounds like a gimmick. From a consumer’s point of view, the inscription doesn’t make the diamond more beautiful or change it in any discernible manner. From a practical perspective, the identification mark isn’t that any much different from those typically inscribed into the diamond’s girdle using lasers.
In fact, the president of Forevermark U.S., Charles Stanley, mentioned that the inscription is part of a product branding and I quote “the Forevermark inscription fundamentally is the visualization of the promise — it is a key part of the brand to help the salesman with the sale.”
"Aesthetic reasons aside, the more important point I want to highlight is that Forevermark diamonds are graded by De Beers’s Forevermark Diamond Institutes.
Instead of sending diamonds to neutral 3rd party labs like GIA or AGS, the diamonds are graded by De Beer’s own Forvermark Diamond Institutes. If you had read my article on the importance of independent certification, you will know that I have no love for such practices.
To be fair, I haven’t been able to critically examine a loose Forevermark diamond under laboratory grading conditions. As such, I cannot verify what kind of standards Forevermark is using or how well their standards compare against GIA’s. That said, the onus is on you to trust what the seller claims the diamond to be with their grading report."
We, at Emerald Lady Jewelry, choose the grading reports of the U.S. GIA Laboratories and are happy to demonstrate why.
