Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** In this piece, industry consultant Peter Smith argues that while origin can enhance the emotional appeal of natural diamonds, it should not be the primary argument for their value.
Peter Smith is an industry consultant, speaker, sales trainer, and author. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
Origin can be a powerful factor—it can make us feel good about our choices and about helping communities—but it should never be what we lead with when making the case for natural diamonds.
When we lead with country of origin, and the myriad philanthropic benefits that can come from making such purchases, that’s rationalization dressed up as emotion.
In fact, I would suggest that we do an unintended disservice to the causes we proclaim to support by misattributing origin to the lead story.
I see diamond branding as the successful creation of a full suite of finished diamond products, from engagement rings through jewelry for any and all occasions thereafter.
If they choose to spend their money on a diamond brand, it holds that we ought to be able to service their ongoing diamond jewelry needs with that brand thereafter.
Virtually everything today is branded and none of it is remotely recognizable without the context of the labels, packaging, and the various brand attributes that accompany them. What, for example, does Nike clothing look like when the swoosh is removed?
It shouldn’t be controversial to accept that there can be no branding without the packaging and labels. When you add the context of a Tiffany, a Cartier, or some of the best independent retail environments in our industry, the various elements of a differentiated brand experience begin to fall into place.
That said, it does not have to be visually differentiated any more than the aforementioned water, wine, and banana brands are when we remove the labels and packaging.
Our industry is replete with suppliers and retailers who are willing to defend their “diamonds-are-a-commodity” position to the death. They are also so deeply embedded in their own culture of selling diamonds for the lowest prices possible, they can’t begin to see the forest for the trees.
I’ve witnessed organizations taking beautiful diamonds, and even smart and sensible suites of finished jewelry, and still somehow managing to find a way to misfire.
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is a principal partner at The Retail Smiths, a consultancy for jewelry vendors and retailers. He is the author of four books, including the recently released “Essentially Human, On Sales and Salespeople,” and he teaches sales behavior master classes. He can be reached at [email protected].
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Columnists
Peter Smith: Diamond Branding and the Origin Paradox
Columnists
Jul 07, 2026
Peter Smith: Diamond Branding and the Origin Paradox
A podcast prompted Smith to share his views on where origin fits into the natural diamond story and the viability of branded diamonds.
Peter Smith
[email protected]
I listened to an interesting podcast recently featuring diamond journalist, Avi Krawitz, and Sean Dunn, president of J.R. Dunn Jewelers in Florida.
The two engaged in a thoughtful and spirited debate about diamonds and they raised some important questions in their conversation, some of which I agreed with, and others that had me talking back to the video.
The two topics that captured my imagination were the relevance of a diamond’s origin and the question of diamond branding.
With respect to origin, and not intending to be flippant, I was reminded about how when I grab a banana for breakfast in the morning, I don’t care where it was grown.
If it’s a Chiquita or Dole, and you tell me that it comes from Guatemala, and my purchase helps kids go to school, I’ll be delighted to hear that news, but it’s not why I buy bananas.
In fact, I believe we have the origin story backwards.
The psychology is clear in establishing that we buy emotionally and we rationalize after the fact.
And while origin feels like an emotion because it concerns other human beings it is, moreover, a rationalization.
While origin can be a celebrated exclamation point on a customer’s decision to buy a diamond, it is not a compelling enough reason to have done so, and it should never be used to start that conversation.
For instance, people buy Rolexes for emotional reasons. Those reasons might include the construction of their own personal brand story, or to mark a touchstone occasion.