(PRESS RELEASE) ROCHESTER, NY — Rare & Forever, a brand of natural diamonds that are hand-selected for their highest quality and consistency, announced the hire of Chris Croteau as its vice president of marketing and sales. Croteau will lead Rare & Forever’s efforts to modernize the diamond industry by providing top quality products and a rich, personalized shopping experience that engages and educates today’s diverse mix of diamond buyers.
Croteau recently served as Store Director for CD Peacock Jewelers, a prominent international jeweler, and for many years as senior director of sales, North America for the Hearts On Fire Company, a diamond jewelry design and manufacturing company that like Rare & Forever diamonds is known for its high quality diamonds. In his new role with Rare & Forever, Croteau will leverage his experience and expertise to create inclusive digital and print marketing and sales strategies to increase awareness of the brand’s unique quality and consistency and win customers’ trust.
“Chris’s extensive experience with over 16 years at Hearts and Fire makes him a perfect fit for this important role at the helm of Rare & Forever’s brand team,” said Andrew Rickard, vice president of operations for RDI Diamonds, the supplier of Rare & Forever diamonds. “He will lead the day-to-day operations of the brand and be instrumental to its continued growth as a trailblazer in our rapidly evolving industry.”
Accelerated by the global pandemic, the diamond industry has transformed in the past years. Younger buyers are now the majority and their buying habits vary considerably from earlier generations. Rather than shopping for deals, they often seek value, carefully researching purchases on the Internet and often buying from local businesses they can trust. Despite lockdowns and economic turmoil that slowed jewelry sales, research shows that the majority plan to spend the same or more on diamonds as they did before the pandemic, and 70 percent continue to see diamonds as an integral part of marriage engagements. To win their business, jewelers are looking for new ways to connect with them and to appeal to their values.
“I understand the value of offering the highest quality diamonds and appealing to today’s customers by winning their trust,” said Croteau. “I’m excited to help Rare & Forever reinvent the jewelry business by leveraging new ideas and technology to provide customers with diamonds and services they can feel good about.”
Rare & Forever diamonds are an exclusive collection of natural diamonds that are hand-selected for their highest quality and consistency. They are screened for BGM and brilliance and graded with proprietary, AI technology. The collections are only available through authorized jewelers, local businesses that buyers know and trust, offering assurance and confidence that buyers cannot get online. For more information, visit Rare & Forever.