De Beers introduced Desert Diamonds Icons at the annual JCK Las Vegas Show, building on the success of its Desert diamonds beacon campaign, which has already driven increased consumer demand for natural diamonds.
It said in a statement on Friday that Desert Diamonds Icons, launching in September, will focus on four iconic jewellery design classics – stud earrings, the eternity band, the tennis bracelet and the halo pendant – which together comprise 70% of diamond jewellery acquisitions.
The campaign will include training and marketing support for all retailers.
The campaign benefits from the diamond industry’s largest natural diamond marketing budget in 15 years and will use a geo-targeting approach to direct consumers to specific retailers carrying Desert diamonds products.
Meanwhile, De Beers said the Desert diamonds beacon campaign launched late last year has already succeeded in shaping
consumer demand for both natural diamonds in general and coloured diamonds in particular, with natural diamond sales at US independent jewellers increasing 4% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 9% in the first quarter of 2026, while sales of diamonds in the K to Z colour range grew 15% and 19% respectively over the same periods.
“Consumer desire for natural diamonds is strong – but we need to work together as an industry in support of Desert diamonds to unlock the full value of the opportunity,” said De Beers chief executive Al Cook.
“The results from the campaign’s initial run demonstrate how it is already stimulating demand, and with Desert diamonds Icons we are doubling down at a critical moment.”
He said the jewellery retail landscape is also evolving at pace.
“With the sustained falls in price of synthetic lab‑grown diamonds, and large falls in demand for larger synthetic lab‑grown diamonds, there may be challenges ahead for retailers who focus on synthetic lab‑grown diamonds,” said Cook.
“However, with challenge comes opportunity, and the growing success of the Desert diamonds campaign is evident.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
