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SCMP Style Reporter

The diamond industry is increasingly being shaped by AI, according to Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group. But it’s not the AI you’re thinking of.
“For us, AI stands for ‘authentic individuality’,” he told Style at the Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong trade show earlier this month. “More and more people want purchases that are as individual as they are – something that’s rare and something you can trace back to where it’s from. You can trust that it’s genuine and is going to hold its value.”

This is the territory – authenticity, uniqueness and storytelling – on which the world’s leading diamond company has very much pitched its tent. Lab-grown diamonds continue to plummet in price and are now effectively competing with other, less precious stones, rather than with natural diamonds. Cook believes natural diamonds will continue to hold a unique position precisely for that reason.

“Across the world, we’re seeing synthetic products attempting to substitute for natural ones. There’s lab-grown meat. When you go online, you’ll see three AI videos for every real one. After the initial excitement, people go back to what’s authentic, individual and meaningful.”
He has an optimistic take on the future of the diamond industry, which he says is based squarely on the data. While Covid prompted a boom in diamond sales, as people were unable to travel and were looking for ways to cheer themselves up – and look good on Zoom calls – there was a market decline after the pandemic subsided. In 2025, however, there was a pickup in demand, and that has only grown during 2026.

Another reason for optimism is the Desert diamonds campaign launched by the company in 2025. It has helped to shift the focus away from the pure white diamonds that have traditionally dominated the market, particularly where bridal jewellery is concerned, and towards a broader spectrum of hues, from warm whites through to champagne tones, amber shades and cognac colours. The campaign has also been a storytelling triumph, creating a link in customers’ minds between the diamond that adorns them and the deserts of southern Africa that host many of the world’s diamond mines – and in the process creating an entirely new diamond category. A major boost has been the enthusiastic adoption of Desert diamonds by numerous celebrities – most prominently Taylor Swift, who has frequently been seen sporting them, including on her engagement ring.

“It started with a marriage of technology and design,” Cook says. “Customers are seeking authentic individuality – that means individual colours: golden, champagne, honey. That made us create Desert diamonds. But it’s coupled with technology that allows us to tell the stories of the African deserts from which they come. It’s a beautiful marriage of origins in Africa and individuality.”

The company is also keen to acknowledge consumers’ growing interest in where their diamonds come from and how they are produced.
“You need to be able to trace what you’re doing from mine to store, which we’re doing with our Tracr platform,” Cook says. “You need certification by a respected agency. You need verification – using technology to check that what you’ve got is correct. You’ve got to have a fantastic story.
“A diamond is something no one needs and everyone wants. We constantly need to tell the stories of diamonds.”


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The De Beers Show & Tell presentation at last week's Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong trade fair. Photo: Handout

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group. Photo: Handout

An 11.83-carat heart-shaped Desert diamond on display at the Jewellery & Gem World trade show in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

De Beers Group’s Desert diamonds display at the 2026 Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong, featuring Chow Tai Fook’s Desert Rose Collection. Photo: Handout

A three-stone Desert diamond ring on display at De Beers Group’s Show & Tell at Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Desert diamonds on display at De Beers Group’s Show & Tell at Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

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Rihanna wears "Desert diamonds" to the 2026 Met Gala. Photo: WireImage

De Beers Desert diamonds. Photo: Handout

Desert diamonds are natural stones with warmer hues. Photo: Handout

Desert diamonds are a new take on warm-hued natural gems. Photo: Handout

Doja Cat wears Desert diamonds. Photo: Handout

Bridesmaids actress Rose Byrne wears Desert diamonds to this year’s Oscars. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Desert diamonds from De Beers. Photo: Handout

De Beers is investing in digital platforms that explore the geological journey of natural diamonds. Photo: Handout

De Beers jewellery using Desert diamonds. Photo: Handout

De Beers Group launches Desert diamonds campaign in China to spark new fine jewellery trend

Shi Wei, China’s first F1 Academy driver, stars in the Desert diamonds campaign for De Beers Group. Photo: Handout

De Beers Group launched its Desert diamonds campaign at West Bund Orbit in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

Lynn Serfaty, general manager, natural diamonds at De Beers Group, introduces the Desert diamonds campaign. Photo: Handout

A desert-coloured diamond on display at the De Beers Group event in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

A jewellery set made with desert diamonds at the De Beers Group event. Photo: Handout

Style Edit: A Diamond Is Forever presents The Forever Gifts: A Natural Diamond Series

Actress Charmaine Sheh examines a 297-carat rough diamond at last month’s The Forever Gifts workshop, hosted by A Diamond Is Forever and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Loletta Lai, De Beers’ vice-president of natural diamond marketing for APAC, presenting A Diamond Is Forever’s The Forever Gifts workshop at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong last month. Photo: Handout

A rough natural diamond from South Africa. Photo: Handout

Diamond detection instruments can be used to swiftly distinguish natural diamonds from synthetics. Photo: Handout

Loletta Lai, vice-president of natural diamond marketing for APAC at De Beers. Photo: Handout

Artist Annette Fernando. Photo: Handout

Jodine Bolden, director of education and training at the De Beers Institute of Diamonds. Photo: Handout

A piece of kimberlite carrying a 22-carat rough diamond. Photo: Handout

Fine jewellery by Hong Kong’s Claudia Ma, at Lane Crawford. Photo: Handout

The De Beers Institute of Diamonds’ Jodine Bolden presents a masterclass on natural diamonds. Photo: Handout

Why rough, uncut gemstones are feted for their raw beauty

Uncut gems are having a moment as seen in these creations by Massimo Izzo. Photo: Handout

Massimo Izzo double finger ring. Photo: Handout

Ruth Tomlinson Aquamarine Encrusted drop earrings. Photo: Handout

De Beers Talisman medal and small hoop earrings. Photo: Handout

Ruth Tomlinson Raw Diamond Cluster pendant. Photo: Handout

Fuli x SunChin peridot ring. Photo: Handout

De Beers Talisman large band. Photo: Handout

Ruth Tomlinson Sapphire Asymmetric Cluster ring. Photo: Handout

Style Edit: De Beers drops lab-grown diamond jewellery to focus on natural stones

De Beers downgrades its previous interest in lab-grown diamonds for jewellery, to double down on natural diamonds, in all their colours and grades. Photo: Handout

Asscher-cut and cushion-cut natural diamonds, and clarity grading for natural diamonds. Photos: Handout

Diamond clarity gradings, now only applicable to natural diamonds. Photo: Handout 

Engagement rings – from sketches to stone selection to the finished article. Photo: Handout

A De Beers employee in Botswana sorts through rough diamonds with a loupe. Photo: Handout

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Cook says natural stones’ provenance and rarity as well as warm Desert diamond colours are reshaping the jewellery industry as lab-grown prices fall


Cook says natural stones’ provenance and rarity as well as warm Desert diamond colours are reshaping the jewellery industry as lab-grown prices fall.


Style Edit: De Beers Group CEO Al Cook on natural diamonds, Desert hues and traceable luxury

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Cook says natural stones’ provenance and rarity as well as warm Desert diamond colours are reshaping the jewellery industry as lab-grown prices fall

Cook says natural stones’ provenance and rarity as well as warm Desert diamond colours are reshaping the jewellery industry as lab-grown prices fall