De Beers site adds e-commerce sparkle
The retail arm of diamond supplier De Beers, which until now only offered its luxury jewelry in three posh U.S. shops, has begun selling its rings, necklaces and bracelets through its U.S. web site.
The site lets visitors refine searches by type of jewelry, price, type of metal used in the setting and the number of carats in the diamonds. Among the rings for sale is a rough diamond in a stainless steel setting for $550 and a one-cart diamond ring for $12,700. More expensive rings, including one priced at $41,000, are displayed on the site but can only be purchased at De Beers stores.
The site allows customers to make appointments at stores and includes a locator for the 20 De Beers retail shops around the world. There are three stores in the U.S., in New York City, Las Vegas and Beverly Hills. Previously, the U.S. web site only provided information about De Beers jewelry, but did not offer items for sale.
“For a contemporary retailer it is a must to reach customers over the Internet,” Guy Leymarie, CEO of De Beers Diamond Jewellers, said in a statement. “I am convinced that we are the first luxury jeweler to sell diamond engagement rings online, and that we will most certainly be followed.”
Online jewelry sales are growing quickly in the U.S., increasing 32% to $4.5 billion in 2006, according to an annual survey of U.S. e-commerce by retailer group Shop.org and research firm Forrester Research. They project 18% growth in the category this year.
De Beers, a South African company that has dominated the diamond trade for decades, entered retailing in 1999 with the formation of De Beers Diamond Jewellers, a joint venture with luxury goods supplier LMVH Mo¸t Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
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