De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds highlighted the importance of a greater focus on education in the diamond sector in 2020 following the success of ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ – a collaborative exhibition and private sale with Christie’s hosted from November 8-12. 
De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds President, Jonathan Kendall, said: “The ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ exhibition really showcased consumer desire to understand more about fancy colour diamonds, diamond grading and the inherent differences between natural diamonds and laboratory-grown diamonds. Those purchasing significant pieces for investment or personal collections are no longer satisfied with just being told. They want the authenticity of understanding what they are looking at, what makes it special and how that is achieved in nature.” 

Kendall continued: “In such a specialised industry, a diamond company’s reputation relies on the knowledge and insight of its people. We all share the responsibility of educating consumers about natural diamonds, which means we must offer in-depth knowledge that adds value beyond a simple internet search. De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds will prioritise commercially focused educational courses and create platforms for industry newcomers and, crucially, trade veterans in 2020. It’s vital for businesses in the industry to recognise that education is so much more than just a training tool to get new members of staff up-to-speed.”

De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds will develop its educational presence in the UK market in 2020, focusing on its online Diamond Foundation Course, intermediate Synthetic Diamond Detection Course and more specialised Polished Diamond Grading Course. Learning can be completed at a variety of international locations or delivered in a customer’s own premises for group training.  

“Our one-day Synthetic Diamond Detection Course has been incredibly popular in 2019 and we expect this will continue into 2020,” Kendall said. “Knowledge of synthetic/laboratory-grown diamond detection is needed at all stages of the diamond pipeline, including within High Street retailers. We were pleased to deliver this course to professionals at the London Diamond Bourse recently, but our goal in 2020 is to update and educate independent retailers. They are in the strongest position to pass along the correct terminology and myth-busting information to consumers and the importance of education in this area is increasing all the time.”

At the ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ exhibition, De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds specialists, including diamond graders and educators, were on-hand to guide visitors through interactive fancy colour diamond grading demonstrations. A mini laboratory allowed customers to test their skills by correctly assigning a colour grade to a ‘mystery’ stone and plotting inclusions and assessing cut quality via a microscope. Elsewhere, visitors were invited to view a De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds table inscription – a proprietary in-house inscription process that supports grading security and consumer confidence.  

With De Beers Group and Christie’s sharing a history spanning the centuries and a dedication to expertise, knowledge and scholarship in the diamond sector, the exhibition provided insight into these extraordinary stones. Rare diamonds, gemstones and mineral specimens in the sale were curated by Christie’s Jewellery Private Sales and its Natural History Department. De Beers Group would like to thank Uni Diamonds for its help with event logistics and the photography of the diamonds. 

De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds highlighted the importance of a greater focus on education in the diamond sector in 2020 following the success of ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ – a collaborative exhibition and private sale with Christie’s hosted from November 8-12. 
De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds President, Jonathan Kendall, said: “The ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ exhibition really showcased consumer desire to understand more about fancy colour diamonds, diamond grading and the inherent differences between natural diamonds and laboratory-grown diamonds. Those purchasing significant pieces for investment or personal collections are no longer satisfied with just being told. They want the authenticity of understanding what they are looking at, what makes it special and how that is achieved in nature.” 

Kendall continued: “In such a specialised industry, a diamond company’s reputation relies on the knowledge and insight of its people. We all share the responsibility of educating consumers about natural diamonds, which means we must offer in-depth knowledge that adds value beyond a simple internet search. De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds will prioritise commercially focused educational courses and create platforms for industry newcomers and, crucially, trade veterans in 2020. It’s vital for businesses in the industry to recognise that education is so much more than just a training tool to get new members of staff up-to-speed.”

De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds will develop its educational presence in the UK market in 2020, focusing on its online Diamond Foundation Course, intermediate Synthetic Diamond Detection Course and more specialised Polished Diamond Grading Course. Learning can be completed at a variety of international locations or delivered in a customer’s own premises for group training.  

“Our one-day Synthetic Diamond Detection Course has been incredibly popular in 2019 and we expect this will continue into 2020,” Kendall said. “Knowledge of synthetic/laboratory-grown diamond detection is needed at all stages of the diamond pipeline, including within High Street retailers. We were pleased to deliver this course to professionals at the London Diamond Bourse recently, but our goal in 2020 is to update and educate independent retailers. They are in the strongest position to pass along the correct terminology and myth-busting information to consumers and the importance of education in this area is increasing all the time.”

At the ‘Rare Treasures of the Earth’ exhibition, De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds specialists, including diamond graders and educators, were on-hand to guide visitors through interactive fancy colour diamond grading demonstrations. A mini laboratory allowed customers to test their skills by correctly assigning a colour grade to a ‘mystery’ stone and plotting inclusions and assessing cut quality via a microscope. Elsewhere, visitors were invited to view a De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds table inscription – a proprietary in-house inscription process that supports grading security and consumer confidence.  

With De Beers Group and Christie’s sharing a history spanning the centuries and a dedication to expertise, knowledge and scholarship in the diamond sector, the exhibition provided insight into these extraordinary stones. Rare diamonds, gemstones and mineral specimens in the sale were curated by Christie’s Jewellery Private Sales and its Natural History Department. De Beers Group would like to thank Uni Diamonds for its help with event logistics and the photography of the diamonds.