Hope more firms get this marketing angle...Your Diamond Ring Now Comes With a Resume and Passport
2019-06-27 15:00:00.3 GMT
By Yuliya Fedorinova and Thomas Biesheuvel
(Bloomberg) -- Ever wondered where that sparkly stone on
your finger was dug up? Who polished it and where? The world’s
top diamond producer wants to answer all your questions.
Russia’s Alrosa PJSC is rolling out a program that will
allow jewelry buyers to track their diamond’s history in detail,
using an identity number and electronic and video passports, as
part of efforts to boost demand for the company’s products and
appeal to younger customers. Alrosa has selected an initial
2,000 polished diamonds for the program, head of sales Evgeny
Agureev told reporters in Moscow.
Diamond miners and retailers around the world are trying to
develop new ways to reassure consumers that the stones they sell
are free from many of the negative associations that have
haunted the industry for so long. The industry is also grappling
with softer demand for rough diamonds.
Last year, De Beers unveiled a blockchain system to track
diamonds through their long and obscure journey from mine to
jewelry shop. Tiffany & Co. said earlier this year it will begin
sharing the provenance of its diamonds with consumers in an
effort to be more transparent, saying the region or country of
origin will be displayed alongside a selection of diamond rings
it sells.
In Alrosa’s program, each stone will have an ID that will
enable buyers to track its history on a website. The electronic
passport will include the region where the stone was mined, how
big it was before polishing, the name of the person who cut it
and even his or her job experience.
