Just like the rest of us, Céline Assimon, CEO of De Beers Jewellers & De Beers Forevermark, hopes that the existence of natural diamonds will surpass generations.
De Beers has long been committed to its Building Forever campaign, with goals set well into 2030. The company has a significant list of goals in each pillar, starting with further compliance on the Best Practice Principles (BPPs) Assurance Programme — a strict set of standards (established by the group) that ensures all De Beers Group natural diamonds are conflict-free, abide by international human rights frameworks and labour regulations, alongside further rigorous ethical, social and environmental requirements.
Last September, De Beers took part in their first exhibition in Singapore at the debut of The Jewellery and Gem World Singapore (previously known as the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair). Céline Assimon, CEO of De Beers Jewellers & De Beers Forevermark, was in town to discuss the company’s sustainability practices in the diamond industry, and how digitisation is changing the jewellery market.
What changes have you observed in the jewellery economy in this age of digitisation?
An advantage of having things accessible online is that clients are able to discover a collection before visiting the boutique — or in some cases, not having to come down at all. It’s a great way to do your homework as an educated buyer.
Clients are able to pick what they want to see, get information on the storytelling, and when they do come to the store, they’re really immersed because they get to see the pieces with their own eyes. As a brand, it keeps us on our toes to be more precise with information and deliver better content.
But an experience at the store is more of a blind experience, where our teams can really focus on sharing the details and stories with you. A few of my industry peers see this as a new way of looking at business, even though it wouldn’t be classified as an omni-channel approach, but “phygital”.
You can do everything right, but you can never know where or when a transaction can happen nowadays. You’d always think a client will always leave the store with your jewellery, but now we can have them delivered to your doorstep.
It really is fascinating to see the new age of consumer behaviour.
How is De Beers keeping up with the demands of Millennials and Gen Z customers?
Gen Z is far more responsive when it comes to spending a premium to have a sustainable and traceable product. Hence, being the ensurer of provenance is an area where we’re well-equipped in because we have the right machines to test diamonds and certify that they’re natural.
There’s a lot of appetite in the young generation when it comes to this because if they’re going to be investing a significant part of their income, they want the assurance that the natural diamond will retain its value.
In my role, I work closely with the creative studio when it comes to setting trends and meeting market demands. Nowadays, we see a preference for gender-less offerings.
Yet, it’s uncommon to see older men wear stacked bracelets and rings. Hundreds of years ago, jewellery was worn more by men than women.
Today, people are revisiting jewellery as a way to express their personality.
What’s your next priority?
While our expertise in natural diamonds is unquestioned, I am working on addressing the heritage of the brand. De Beers is a jewellery house that is full of creativity and innovation.
We need to continue pushing the boundaries and think that in five or ten years from now, what will a jewellery piece look like? Is there anything new we can bring to the industry?
In our new high jewellery collection, The Alchemist of Light, we worked with new materials, namely anodised titanium and coated aluminium. Its properties make sense — they’re lightweight. We could afford to design them in big volumes and they’re still comfortable to wear.
You don’t need to take off your earrings after a couple of hours — you can still go dancing with them; I wish my Jimmy Choo’s were as comfortable as these earrings.
We need to be bold because we’re building capsule collections for collectors. Perhaps in 2050, these pieces would be regarded as a time capsule that’s representative of the world at this time.
We need to be a testament of something that’s happening, and that needs both trust and preservation of tradition.
What is the most important thing that you have learned in your role?
Being true to yourself and to your personal values. I’ve always been outspoken.
I love working with people, and being part of their story. The human touch in my job is very important.
This is strange to say but the pandemic made me perform faster in my role than if we had not been through it. I was only a year into my role when I worked on my first high jewellery collection for the brand.
It was a big project that comprised 60 pieces, and the timeline we were working on was about a year and a half ahead. We were all forced to really pay attention, because people were really fragile.
If you’re honest with your team, and you share both your doubts and beliefs, it builds on that connection.
