14K White Gold Channel Set Diamond Band

A 14 karat white gold channel set diamond band, the band comprising 12 round diamonds weighing approximately 0.35 carats. The diamonds range from g-h in color and are si2 in clarity. While diamond engagement rings may seem like the traditional and indeed obvious choice for the soon-to-be-wed couple, this tradition in truth dates back less than 100 years, and involves far more contrived marketing and ingenious strategical work on the part of the world’s largest diamond distributor than one might expect. The first ever recorded use of a diamond in an engagement ring appears in the 1477 account of the marriage of archduke maximillian of austria to mary of burgundy. While faceted stones were used frequently in engagement rings for the elite of the time, the diamond enjoyed no special status as an engagement stone until 1477, and even then its popularity only lasted for a few years and only among the highest reaches of society and royalty.   it was not until 1947 that the diamond became inextricably linked with betrothal, eternal love, and marital fidelity. In the 1930s and 1940s, the de beers diamond group found themselves in a precarious position; between the 1880s and the early 20th century, de beers controlled more than 80% of the world’s diamond supply and yet had virtually no one to sell to as the great depression gripped america and much of the rest of the world beginning in 1929. The looming question at de beers group, then, was: what can the world’s largest source of diamonds do to turn this intrinsically worthless commodity into a perennial necessity that most of the world cannot imagine living without, even in times of great financial duress? The answer came in the form of the most famous and successful marketing campaign of all time; “a diamond is forever”. This now ubiquitous slogan was the product of years of brainstorming, with the slogan ultimately being created for de beers by mary frances gerety. The turn of phrase traded on the idea of the diamond as a symbol of matrimonial durability and endurance (the diamond being the hardest naturally occurring substance on the planet), as well as a symbol of purity (engagement diamonds typically being as colorless and as flawless as the purchaser can afford).     all of this has resulted in today’s carefully crafted illusion that the diamond has always been the go to stone for engagement rings, and a girl’s best friend. As you make your selection with us, we hope you feel a sense of this history in these images.