Publications
Publications
- August 2018 (Revised August 2018)
- HBS Case Collection
The De Beers Group: Launching Lightbox Jewelry for Lab-Grown Diamonds
By: Benjamin C. Esty
Abstract
In May 2018, the De Beers Group shocked the diamond industry when it announced it was launching a new fashion jewelry brand of laboratory-grown (synthetic) diamonds. The reaction was swift as people sought to understand the company’s motivations: was it a “huge gamble” or a “Machiavellian masterstroke”? What was the objective of the new product launch, would it succeed, and how would this new business affect the Group’s core business of selling natural (mined) diamonds? This case is intended to be used in conjunction with and to follow a related HBS case: “The De Beers Group: Exploring the Diamond Reselling Opportunity” (HBS no. 717-430).
Keywords
Diamonds; Differentiation; New Business; Strategy Development; Strategy Execution; Scope; Adjacency; Core; Commoditization; New Product Launch; Mining; Retail; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Disruption; Value Creation; Product Launch; Segmentation; Expansion; Competitive Advantage; United States; United Kingdom
Citation
Esty, Benjamin C. "The De Beers Group: Launching Lightbox Jewelry for Lab-Grown Diamonds." Harvard Business School Case 719-408, August 2018. (Revised August 2018.)