Engagement Ring Origin: The History of De Beers Diamond Jewellers?

Diamonds come a long way, travelling from 150 km below the earth's surface to become the jewel you eventually purchase. Just like diamonds, the diamond giant, De Beers, has also come a long way. Although, the De Beers diamond & engagement ring history does not start 3.3 billion years ago, like the one of the diamonds.

Let’s go back to the year 1870 and the founding of De Beers diamonds. That year, 17-year-old Cecil Rhodes, an English vicar's son with a heart and lung condition, moved to South Africa. His brother, Herbert, owned a cotton farm in Natal, a British colony, where Cecil started work. The land was unsuitable for cotton, however, and the venture failed.

The South African earth also contained diamonds. A few years earlier, 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs had found a white stone at the Orange River in Hopetown. Nobody around him realised it was a diamond. Only later did a friend of his neighbour discover that his toy was a diamond weighing 21.25 carats.

The Rhodes’ also caught “diamond fever” and in 1871 decided to try their luck in Kimberley (then still called New Rush). They earned a reasonable living renting and selling water pumps to miners. With a large part of the income, Cecil began systematically buying up farmers' claims and investing in mining like a proper businessman.

He also bought the prospect at the Orange River, from two brothers, Johannes and Diederik De Beer. Although the De Beer brothers had found diamonds on their land, as devout Christians, they showed no interest in them. They did not want to be swept along by diamond fever and decided to sell their land.

The wide availability of diamonds caused overproduction and the diamond market collapsed. At that time, diamonds could be purchased for the same price as semi-precious stones such as topaz or turquoise. This worked out well for the De Beers marketing strategy. The company wanted to create scarcity to control the price of diamonds. Many mine owners could barely keep their heads above water, and Rhodes was able to take advantage of this.

Rhodes wanted to merge all companies in the South African diamond sector, in order to maintain a fixed, high price. He succeeded in 1888 and was made head of De Beers Consolidated Mines. In order to manage the supply better, he created other fake companies. Rhodes' monopoly caused quite a stir among the miners.

By 1890, De Beers controlled 90 percent of global diamond production. This also brought the company political power. When a large diamond was found a year later, the miners demanded a first refusal on purchasing it. The prime minister set up a commission, which favoured De Beers as the best buyer. No great surprise, since the prime minister was none other than Cecil Rhodes.

The rough diamond was the size of an egg and weighed 599 carats. The Antwerp gem cutter Gabriel Tolkowsky then produced a stunning diamond of 273.88 carats. The Centenary Diamond is not only unique for its weight, but also for its colour and clarity. It is one of the clearest diamonds of its size. It is also flawless. This is rare in ordinary diamonds, let alone for a diamond weighing 599 carats.

Due to fierce competition from other dealers such as BAUNAT, De Beers had to modify their strategy. They developed a new brand, with synthetic diamonds and a lower price that appeals to younger customers in particular. In addition, they also focus more on retail jewellery, especially in China.

With brands such as BAUNAT, you can be confident you're not buying synthetic diamonds, or even blood diamonds. BAUNAT buys its diamonds directly from the source, eliminating intermediaries and enabling us to offer jewellery online 30% to 50% cheaper.

So, why is it best to buy diamond jewellery from BAUNAT? Firstly, we only work with the highest-quality materials. For the precious metals, this means 18 carat gold and 950 platinum. The diamonds and other precious stones are of course of the highest possible quality.

We also offer a designed to order service, starting out from a budget of €4,000. Working with our experts you can design diamond jewellery entirely how you want it. If you have any questions about our jewellery or about certain styles and trends, our experts are always on hand to give advice.

It is beyond doubt that De Beers has had a significant impact on the diamond industry, and therefore engagement rings. With their stunning icon, the Centenary Diamond, they have long been an established figure. If you would like to know more about other important diamonds, read on below.

• The Sancy Diamond        
• The Hope Diamond           
• The Heart of the Ocean           
• The world's largest diamond collections          
• What is so exceptional about the Koh-i-Noor diamond?