Pandora taps Pamela Anderson for its latest lab-grown diamond campaign.
In an ambitious move to diversify its jewelry offerings and break away from long-standing traditions in the diamond industry, Danish brand Pandora is broadening its lab-grown diamond selection with a star-studded campaign.
Spearheading this expansion with three distinct collections, the jeweler has enlisted a diverse array of individuals to serve as the faces of its “Diamonds for All” campaign, including actress Pamela Anderson, musical artist Vinson Fraley, actress Amita Suman, model Sherry Shi, American Sign Language interpreter and performer Justina Miles, and former model and Vogue creative director at large Grace Coddington.
“This is an important moment in diamonds and we see an expansion of what is possible in terms of people being able to enjoy and love these beautiful stones,” articulated Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, Pandora’s Chief Marketing Officer.
According to Gasco-Buisson, the campaign’s message is inclusivity: “They have their unique personalities. They come from different places, they have different life paths, and we think they all contribute to style and culture in a unique way. Together they reflect the sentiment of diamonds for all kinds of people for all occasions and for all dreams.”
Breaking away from the limitations of its popular charm bracelets, the expansion is part of a larger rebranding effort steered by the Baron + Baron agency and visualized through the lens of renowned photographer Mario Sorrenti. According to Gasco-Buisson, the aim is to elevate Pandora’s profile as a “full jewelry house” in consumer perception, consistent with its long-term strategy for growth.
Gasco-Buisson says the new lab-grown collection “celebrates breaking out of conventions.”
“There’s a lot of tropes around how diamonds are perceived and who are they gifted to, and one of our commitments from the beginning of Pandora is that we really want to bring amazing jewelry to everyone,” she said.
Alexander Lacik, Pandora’s CEO, characterized the company’s foray into lab-grown diamonds as a learning journey. “We are learning our way into this, this is also why we started small,” he told WWD. Unlike other companies that have approached lab-grown diamonds with caution, Pandora believes in openly embracing the technology. “We have taken the opposite view, saying why don’t we try and own that territory from a conceptual standpoint,” Lacik added.
Feedback from existing customers indicated that while they appreciated the cost-effective diamond options and Pandora’s branding, the existing designs lacked universal appeal. To remedy this, the new collections aim for a wider reach. Building on the initial Pandora Infinity collection, which featured 36 designs, the brand plans to introduce an additional 57 items.
Among the new collections, the 22-piece Pandora Nova line will debut the brand’s exclusive four-prong setting focusing on brilliant and princess-cut diamonds. On the other hand, Pandora Era offers variations on classic styles, and Pandora Talisman is designed to resonate with the brand’s iconic charms.
Pricing for these new collections will range from approximately $290 for a sterling silver Pandora Era ring with a 0.15-carat lab-grown diamond to an upper limit of $4,450 for designs in the Pandora Infinite line. Initially launching in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, the lab-grown diamond category will further extend its reach to Mexico and Brazil by the end of October.
“Our commitment is to make [diamonds] available to more people,” Gasco-Buisson, told British Vogue. “We want everybody to be able to wear diamonds at any time of the day, every day, if that’s what they wish. An increasing number of people are saying, ‘Wow, I can get an identical, just as beautiful, just as sparkly diamond [with the] same standards on the four Cs – colour, clarity, carat and cut – but now perhaps I can afford a bigger stone.’”
As Pandora makes headway into the lab-grown diamond sector, the jeweler’s innovative approach and wide-ranging collections signal its intent to reframe both its brand and the traditional diamond market.
“If we were to change all the [world’s] diamonds to lab-grown diamonds, it’s [the equivalent of] changing all the cars in New York City to electric vehicles,” Gasco-Buisson says of the six million tonnes of CO2 that would be saved annually. “That’s a major impact – I see us playing a meaningful role.”
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