DPA released a new poll.
When buying luxury goods such as diamonds, millennial women are looking for authenticity and long-term value, according to a new study commissioned by the Diamond Producers Association.
The poll of nearly 1,000 millennial women found that nearly 9 in 10 (89 percent) look for authenticity in such items. This tendency was even greater among high-earning millennials, with 85 percent saying they would be embarrassed knowing that they owned a knock-off, especially for luxury items.
Millennial women seek long-term value – emotionally and financially – from such purchases. Seventy-five percent saw diamond jewelry as an investment in themselves and 82 percent saw it as a long-term investment. Among the highest-earning millennials ($150,000+) these numbers these numbers were higher, at 94 percent and 91 percent, respectively.
The DPA said these statistics help explain why millennial self-purchase of diamonds continues to grow. A recent De Beers report stated that self-purchase by U.S. millennials accounted for 31 percent of all non-bridal diamond sales in 2015, compared with 25 percent in 2013.
“Millennial consumers in particular are defining luxury beyond price,” said Deborah Marquardt, chief marketing officer for the DPA. “When evaluating luxury purchases, they seek items that are genuine, unique and not mass-produced, and have inherent meaning and value. This preference speaks directly to the diamond promise – in an increasingly artificial world diamonds remain authentic, rare and precious.”
Luxury goods offer modern women a way to visually express their self-confidence, with 66 percent of millennial women saying they feel more confident in themselves when wearing diamond jewelry, according to DPA.
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On behalf of DPA’s “Real is a Diamond,” the survey was conducted online by KRC Research from July 10 to July 14 among 995 millennial women between the ages of 18-34 in the U.S. with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
