The Death of Bling

Campaigns began 70 years ago to instill Americans with the idea that the promise of an engagement is made with a diamond ring, and then later with the idea that the bigger and shinier the diamond is that is given, the greater the expression of love from the giver. This image of the diamond as the ultimate and really, the only true symbol of romance was created by massive publicity campaigns by De Beers, which involved giving large diamonds to movie stars and publishing photographs of them with their husbands in all women’s magazines, and getting diamonds into the movies themselves and then later television. They also made sure that magazines would publish articles discussing diamonds given to celebrities and especially, to include the size of the diamonds.
This is a practice that continues today. The fuss over engagements of stars like Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce are more focused on the size and estimated cost of their diamond rings than they are on the impending marriage to another human being. De Beers has spread this mania for diamond engagement rings to Europe and even Japan, where previous marriage rites had remain virtually unchanged for 1500 years, but now a diamond ring is considered the essential sign of marriage.

De Beers, originators of the classic slogan, “A diamond is forever”, is certainly one of the most successful slogans ever, and has moved into the territory of rappers in an effort to promote the modern image of diamonds being the symbol of success. The craze for “bling”, a term we now all accept in common speak, has been actively nurtured by the company, but now the emphasis on conspicuous consumption is backfiring on the diamond industry. The recession has ushered in a time for belt-tightening, both in actual spending terms and in appearances, and the frothy bubble of diamond bling is an obvious bust.
The fashion shows for Spring couture and for Fall prêt-a-porter had more jewelry on the runway than ever, but these styles were extra large and design-heavy, focused on high-impact forms rather than luxury, indicating that hopefully the death of the high-flash, big cash bling era will usher in a more democratic and artful period in jewelry.