De Beers and Titan Unite to Boost Natural Diamonds in India

De Beers has announced a long-term collaboration with Titan Company’s Tanishq jewelry brand to help promote natural diamonds in India through marketing, education and consumer outreach.

The partnership comes as India surpasses China to become the second-largest market in the world for diamond jewelry, representing 11% of global demand, De Beers said Wednesday. Both the miner and the jeweler see room for further growth in the sector.

“The opportunity in India for diamonds is massive, given the very low penetration of studded jewelry [as opposed to gold jewelry] and the rising per-capita incomes in the world’s most populous country,” said Ajoy Chawla, CEO of Titan’s jewelry division. “In an increasingly man-made world where virtual living is becoming the norm, people crave authentic brands, real experiences, and value natural, wholesome products.”

The companies plan to leverage De Beers’ diamond expertise and Tanishq’s understanding of the Indian jewelry market to educate consumers and train Tanishq’s retail staff to communicate more effectively with their clients about natural diamonds.

The two firms will also build a marketing campaign to expand the natural-diamond customer base and introduce the product to first-time buyers, the miner said, adding that the parties were discussing a possible collaboration on traceability as well.

Image: Rough natural diamonds. (Ben Perry/Armoury Films/De Beers)