De Beers is a London jewelery company with a strong heritage of diamond expertise. Their first store opened at 45 Old Bond Street, so they appropriately named their new engagement ring design ‘Old Bond Street’, in honor of that heritage.
About the company
De Beers was established in 1888 when the company began exploring for and mining diamonds. In 1939, the company introduced the “4 C’s”, which stand for cut, clarity, color and carat, to determine a diamond’s value. In 1947, they introduced the famous slogan ‘A diamond is forever’.
In 2001, the company opened as a partnership between The De Beers Group of Companies and Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). The store opened at 45 Old Bond Street, London, in 2002. Since then, the company has gone global, with the first international store opening in Tokyo in 2003, followed by stores in New York, Hong Kong and Beijing.
De Beers has designed countless exquisite diamond jewelry rings and its most recent offering is a new diamond engagement ring launched in March 2014. De Beers claims the De Beers Aria is inspired by the true harmony of love. However, the heart of the company remains in London, and the new design, ‘Old Bond Street’, is a true London engagement ring.
The ‘Old Bond Street’ London Engagement Ring
The ‘Old Bond Street’ uses a classic design to accentuate the exceptional cut of the diamond. It is in a solitaire setting and the stone is held in a unique V shape, giving the diamond maximum light output.
The ring is also simply called the classic DB solitaire ring. In London, engagement ring designers are constantly discovering new cuts, settings and precious stones, but in this case, De Beers has kept the diamond pure and simple. Its perfect proportions and refined setting make the diamond catch the light and give the appearance of almost lifting the stone towards you. The ring is made of platinum and is 2.1mm wide. De Beers defines the ring as “timeless and elegant”, meticulously designed and crafted with a four-pointed round brilliant solitaire.
Although the solitaire diamond is beautifully simple, a wide selection of color and clarity grades are available. The starting price is around £1,250.00, with De Beers pricing each solitaire diamond based on the 4C’s valuation.
An engagement ring from London supporting a global charity
The company is associated with the charity ‘Women for Women International’, and their ‘Moments of Light’ campaign aims to assist women in war-torn regions, both financially and emotionally. They provide job skills training, business assistance, and education to help women who have experienced trauma in their lives.
According to the De Beers website, the CEO of Women for Women International is quoted as saying: “The change from De Beers’ Moments in Light campaign is real and impactful. Women supported will learn new skills and gain the confidence to enable to rebuild their lives and the lives of their families and the entire community.
In its support for vulnerable women around the world, the ‘Old Bond street’ London engagement ring is not only a British product, but also gains global significance.