Natural Diamond Council Seals China Partnership

RAPAPORT... The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has teamed up with Chow Tai Fook to promote mined stones in China, marking the trade organization's first collaboration with a retailer."Chow Tai Fook is a leading enterprise in China's jewelry industry, with massive influence," David Kellie, CEO of the NDC, said Thursday. "By joining hands with Chow Tai Fook in the China market, we hope to ignite the 'natural diamonds dream' among young consumers."Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook will "fully support" the NDC's promotional and educational campaigns related to natural diamonds in China, the council noted. The NDC, meanwhile, will expand its support to the sector by providing advertising and marketing material.Chow Tai Fook is greater China's largest jewelry retailer, with more than 4,500 stores, mostly in Hong Kong and on the mainland. The company has a "professional team of sales experts to help us communicate the values and significance of natural diamonds, and boost the desirability and consumer confidence in these natural gifts," said Chan Sai-Cheong, its managing director for mainland China."Through this strategic partnership, we would like to leverage Chow Tai Fook's extensive sales network, stellar reputation, and strong support to reach a much wider consumer community even more quickly and deeply through our content," added Mabel Wong McCormick, NDC managing director for greater China.The NDC, formerly the Diamond Producers Association, focuses on category marketing for the industry, deriving its funding from the largest mining companies. Its rebrand in 2020 shifted its emphasis toward production of content about natural diamonds through a new website, Only Natural Diamonds.Image: Chow Tai Fook store in Chengdu, China. (Shutterstock)