“A Diamond is Forever”: The Unforgettable De Beers Tagline That’s Still Shining

Diamonds haven’t been rare commodities since 1870. But, for a long time they were viewed as symbols of wealth, power and decadent romantic dreams—a stone too precious and expensive to attain, if you weren’t part of the wealthy elite.

That all changed when the jewelry retailer De Beers and the shrewd creatives at N.W. Ayer & Son unveiled the brilliant “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign. The tagline forever changed public attitudes about diamonds being reserved only for the rich. And ended up creating a diamond demand by convincing people that no marriage is complete without a diamond ring. In 1999, Ad Age named “A Diamond Is Forever” the number one slogan of the century.