The DeBeers Group has partnered with five independent female jewelry designers to raise awareness for what it considers the merits of naturally sourced stones.
The diamond giant is calling its new initiative the “Reset Collective,” and its inaugural cast of jewelers includes Jade Trau, Jennie Kwon, Julez Bryant, Sara Weinstock and Zoë Chicco. Together, the designers traveled to Botswana last year to visit De Beers’ facilities there and have created one-of-a-kind pendants inspired by the trip.
De Beers said the focus of the collective’s trip was to learn about the jeweler’s program titled “Building Forever,” which emphasizes how diamond mining can protect the environment, champion local communities and uplift women through “ethical practices.”
The designers’ pendants — which nod to Botswana’s landscape and its people — will be auctioned later this year at a still-to-be-determined date.
Colby Shergalis, senior vice president of the De Beers Group brand, said in a statement that, “Through ReSet, we are connecting a community of jewelry designers to the people and places where our diamonds originate, so the designers can learn more about the journey of a De Beers diamond and the positive impact it makes….The beautiful and unique pendants they created are the result of months of work, in challenging times, spurred on by the memories of the extraordinary connections they made with one another and with the people of Botswana and we look forward to launching the collection.
“Together as the ReSet Collective, we hope that the proceeds from their designs will support very important charities in Botswana and the U.S. — to create a better, brighter and fairer future,” she added.
Trau said her trip with De Beers, “Was life changing for me, so being able to memorialize it in a piece of a jewelry was just the icing on the cake. It empowered and educated me in the rough diamond space, as well as the supply chain, and it makes me feel good about choosing to sell diamond jewelry as my career.”
Weinstock added that: “I wanted to be part of this campaign because I want to highlight to consumers — young and old — the good that the natural diamond industry does and the ethical ways in which diamonds are mined since there are some outdated representations out there.”
In May 2018, as demand and buzz for lab-grown diamonds grew, the De Beers Group launched a lab-grown diamond endeavor called Light Box. However, the value of those stones has largely seen a steady decline in the time since.
In the past year, De Beers has walked back on its lab-grown diamond interests — issuing an insight report last fall that focused entirely on the merits of natural stones.
De Beers is member of the Natural Diamond Council — a lobby group of the world’s largest diamond producers that aim to improve public perception of naturally sourced diamonds, particularly among Millennial and Gen Z consumers.