Is it really true that DeBeers invented diamond engagement ring tradition?

[Black Jade]

I always hear people say this and see this all over the web. That it was the late 1940''s and one of their advertising execs thought up the phrase ''a diamond is forever'' and that people have used diamond engagement rings in the U.S. ever since because of this (and because they put diamonds in movies, etc. etc.) The reason I wonder about it though is, I know so many people with antique and vintage diamond engagement rings in their family which were from WAY before the late 1940''s. Edwardian and Art Deco rings certainly pre-date the date when this was supposed to have happened. There are so many diamond engagement rings from the World War II period, even though people had no money and there weren''t a lot of material things around--those really tiny diamonds set in gold (all the platinum was going to the war effort) in the illusion settings that are often so pretty. How does this match up with the diamond engagement ring as a DeBeers invention?

Black Jade

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 8/23/2008 7:08:54 PM
Author:Black Jade
I always hear people say this and see this all over the web. That it was the late 1940''s and one of their advertising execs thought up the phrase ''a diamond is forever'' and that people have used diamond engagement rings in the U.S. ever since because of this (and because they put diamonds in movies, etc. etc.) The reason I wonder about it though is, I know so many people with antique and vintage diamond engagement rings in their family which were from WAY before the late 1940''s. Edwardian and Art Deco rings certainly pre-date the date when this was supposed to have happened. There are so many diamond engagement rings from the World War II period, even though people had no money and there weren''t a lot of material things around--those really tiny diamonds set in gold (all the platinum was going to the war effort) in the illusion settings that are often so pretty. How does this match up with the diamond engagement ring as a DeBeers invention?

Black Jade

pretty much tru - there are many discussions here - a fair number of people do not like what they did, others depend on it - and some, me included think it is time to change the mass market approach and make diamonds a bit more special again
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-diamond-game-shedding-its-mystery.7781/
there are many threads - that is just one -0 not saying it is good ofr bad

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Giving a jewel to mark a special occasion is a very old tradition.

And I am sure that many couples had diamond engagement rings in the beginning of the 20th century. I remember re-cutting one that was gifted just before the departure of the Titanic, where the couple later missed their Titanic-trip because of some stupid mishap.

Then again, the advertising campaigns of De Beers'' were extremely efficient in turning an existing tradition into a ''must'' or ''should do''.

Live long,

 

[jewelerman]

Giving a token of engagement is hundreds of years old....a diamomd is forever ...came from a need to create a demand for diamonds after the war...in marketing circles its is considered on of the most successful marketing campainers in modern history...it should be...it changed how our society thinks about the engagement ring tradition.. now a must have instead of a luxary.Before this it was still popular to give a ring of engagement...especially among the upper classes and eventually the growing middle classes who had extra income and could buy factory produced jewelry that looked like the jewelry worn by celebraties and Royals.The diamond wasnt the most popular stone for an engagement ring...in the late victorian and early edwardian periods women didnt wear diamonds before 5pm....so plain bands were worn with bands set with pearls,turquoise,garnets, and opals or all the formentioned grouped together...the Regards ring was popular during the victorian period as a ''promise'' ring.