New Ana De Armas Ad Spotlights Diamond Trends

RAPAPORT... The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has signed actress Ana de Armas to be its global ambassador for the second consecutive year as it prepares for the September launch of its next advertising campaign. In the NDC ads, De Armas - who stars in the upcoming bond film No Time to Die and plays Marilyn Monroe in Netflix's soon-to-be-released biopic Blonde - will spotlight an 11-piece collection from emerging designer Malyia McNaughton. The collection will be available for manufacturers and jewelers to use in their fall and holiday presentations, the organization announced late last week. "We have the intellectual property for the jewelry, and it will be free for manufacturers and retailers in the natural-diamond industry to replicate," explained CEO David Kellie in a recent interview with Rapaport News.Releasing the jewelry to the trade marks a departure from the NDC's inaugural campaign last year, which came shortly after it rebranded from its forerunner, the Diamond Producers Association. The pieces used in the 2020 ads were not designed exclusively for the NDC, largely due to limitations during the pandemic and the tight timeline after the relaunch, Kellie noted. For this year, the idea is for the entire industry to get on board with the trends presented in the campaign. Manufacturers Rosy Blue, KP Sanghvi and Leo Schachter are among those who have committed to producing the collection, the NDC noted. The council will also provide its official retail partners with exclusive access to campaign materials for use, it said.The collection centers around themes identified in the 2021 fall trend report the NDC unveiled in April, according to Kellie. Those include heavy metal chains, diamonds and pearls, hoop earrings, gender-neutral jewelry, and the classic marquise-cut diamond engagement ring.Brooklyn-based McNaughton is one of six designers from the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community chosen to join the NDC's Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative. The yearlong program launched in January in partnership with Lorraine Schwartz gives participants $20,000 in credit, along with mentorship and access to resources across the supply chain to help create and market their creations.The campaign revolves around the theme "Love Life," building on the broader "For Moments Like No Other," idea the NDC launched last year. "The upcoming 'Love Life' campaign was shot in Europe and will depict a series of frames celebrating cherished life experiences like travel and relationships after a year of solitude," observed the organization, which is funded by diamond-mining companies to drive category marketing about natural diamonds. "The new 11-piece NDC collection will adorn Ms. de Armas as she explores loving life again in a post-pandemic world."Image: Four pieces from the Malyia McNaughton collection, showcasing diamond trends the NDC identified, including heavy metal, loop earrings, gender-neutral jewelry and marquise engagement rings. (Natural Diamond Council)