~From 1888 to 2000 De Beers held an effective monopoly in virtually every aspect of the diamond business.
~Up until 1938 the diamond engagement ring was NOT wanted or expected by most brides. Here in the US only well-off brides-to-be were given diamonds; in Europe it just wasn't the thing to do.
~In 1938 the owners of De Beers hired N. W. Ayer and Son, the then-oldest advertising agency in the US, to help them come up with a plan to promote diamonds in the States, equating them with romantic love. They were very successful. (Understatement)
~The slogan, "A Diamond is Forever", was written in 1947 by Frances Gerety, a young copywriter at Ayer's. In 2000 it was named the Best Advertising Slogan of the 20th Century by Advertising Age magazine. It is still in use today.
Through four very different stories of love and betrayal, J. Courtney Sullivan has created an intimate tale of diamonds and their very human owners, interweaving the history of the diamond business, advertising and De Beers with brillance and clarity. (See what I did there?!) So, ask yourself: Why do I think diamonds=love? Answer: Because N. W. Ayer & Son told me so. And I can't say I'm sorry they did! Read The Engagements. You will LOVE it, and you won't even have to give it a diamond.
xxooTBC
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