From rarity to meaning: NDC CEO on why natural diamonds still matter

Industry experts, artists and scholars gathered in Beijing on June 17 for a cultural art salon examining the relationship between time, memory and natural diamonds. Titled The Shape of Time, the event was organized by the Natural Diamond Council, or NDC, at The Guan: Beijing Central Axis Local Culture Museum along the Beijing Central Axis. With its focus on urban history, cultural memory and inheritance, the museum provided a fitting setting for discussions on how objects formed by nature acquire human meaning.

The salon explored the natural origin of diamonds, their emotional significance and their legacy through industry sharing, scientific interpretation and artistic dialogue, highlighting how natural diamonds are defined by time, grounded in nature, enriched with meaning and carried forward through legacy.

Amber Pepper, CEO of the NDC, said that the future of the natural diamond category will depend on trust, transparency and a clearer understanding of what natural diamonds represent.

"My vision as I joined the Natural Diamond Council was for us to inspire culturally relevant desire for natural diamonds, grounded in their unique values and positive social effect, while advancing industry integrity through education and consumer protection," Pepper said.

Her remarks come as the natural diamond industry seeks to strengthen consumer confidence amid shifting market conditions and growing debate around product disclosure and category transparency.

For Pepper, the conversation about natural diamonds is not a pricing debate, but a cultural one.

"As artificial intelligence generates infinite imagery and infinite replication, real-world rarity becomes psychologically more valuable," she said. "The more artificial the digital world becomes, the more emotionally valuable what is real becomes."

A natural diamond, she noted, is older than civilization, older than language, older than human memory itself. Formed over billions of years beneath the Earth, its origin gives it a depth of meaning that cannot be manufactured.

"In a world where so much feels temporary, people are searching for what feels lasting. In a culture flooded with replication, they are searching for what feels singular," Pepper said. "And that is where natural diamonds still hold extraordinary power — if we have the courage and clarity to tell that story properly."

Pepper said the distinction between natural and synthetic diamonds remains one of the most important issues facing the industry. Consumers deserve clarity, she said. They should be able to understand the difference in origin, value, rarity and meaning, and make informed choices with confidence. The NDC's role, she added, is not to attack alternatives, but to protect the truth of what natural diamonds are through education, responsible disclosure and consistent terminology.

Countries such as Botswana, Angola, Namibia and Canada are, in her words, "not supply points; they are origin stories". That connection to people, places and the Earth is something no synthetic alternative can replicate, she said.

According to Pepper, self-purchase is now the single largest segment in the women's natural diamond jewelry market, both by volume and by value. "Young consumers are looking for meaning. They want to make choices that feel authentic, personal and expressive," she said.

She describes this change as something deeper than a market trend."It's not just consumption. It's autobiography," Pepper said. "We are not waiting to be given a diamond. We are deciding what we deserve."

According to Pepper, natural diamonds are increasingly chosen not only for traditional milestones such as love and marriage, but also for personal achievement, independence, transformation and legacy for the moments people want to preserve with something authentic and lasting.

"In a fast-moving world, people still need symbols that hold meaning over time," she said. "Natural diamonds connect nature, emotion and memory."

This, she believed, is the foundation on which the industry must build, not from fear of disruption, but from what she calls "eyes-open optimism". The desire for natural diamonds has not disappeared, she said, adding that it has endured."Because this was never just a product category. It is a human category. It lives inside love, memory, identity, achievement, commitment and permanence."