When was the line "A Diamond Is Forever" first used as a slogan in advertising?

This simple slogan was launched in 1947, and is still in use today. The De Beers Diamond Company has used this unforgettable slogan in what is definitely one of the longest running ad campaigns of all time. De Beers has relied on the simple black-and-white advertisements to convey a feeling of timelessness in selling their pricey diamonds.

Perhaps the 1971 James Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" also helped to secure this slogan ("A Diamond is Forever") as a mainstay in society.

The woman who actually coined this famous advertising line "A Diamond is Forever" was Frances Gerety (1916–1999). She worked as a young copywriter for N. W. Ayer & Son.

To its great credit in the year 2000, Advertising Age magazine named "A Diamond Is Forever" the best advertising slogan of the 20th century.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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21 Comments

William Laughlin

Frances Gerety was NOT A MAN! In fact, her full name was Mary Frances Gerety. The spelling alone should tell you that. A man spells his name as Frank Sinatra did; Francis, with an "i", Albert Sinatra. Frances, with an "e", Gerety was a woman. Frances with an "E" is the feminine form of the name, Francis is the masculine form.

Keith Richard Mears

William Laughlin, Where does the answer make that confusion, it clearly states that Frances Gerrity was a woman?

Kath Thomson

Although Gerety penned the slogan in 1947 it didn’t appear in advertising until 1948. So the correct answer to the question is 1948.

Kath Thomson

Chris Brown, yoi are right. The slogan was made in 1947 but appeared in advertising in 1948

dmarkc

Thought it was a warning label.

dougwerner

Only one is forever and that's God.

Mary Gini Fudge Chapman

Research shows 1948, not 1947. Get your act together.

Chris Brown

Actually, it was 1948 In 1948, Gerety was assigned to create a slogan that encapsulates the security and eternal romance of owning a diamond. Gerety scribbled the slogan “A Diamond is Forever” on a piece of paper late one night. The next morning, she presented the slogan to her associates at N. W. Ayers..

Jerry Edwards

The novel by Ian Fleming was written in the mid fifties, and was surely coined from a previous quote. Therefore, a double chance should have given you a pretty good go at getting this one right. It did just that for me. Now I know where the saying was originally from.

Karin Johansson

Mark G. Feeney, i think it was corrected after William did comment!!

Karin Johansson

john duckett, woman*, women is two or more.

Mark G. Feeney

William Laughlin, who called her a man? The answer clearly states she was a woman.

Special Patrol Group

In 1947 when at a routine morning meeting, Frances Gerety, a young female copywriter, suggested a new tagline. Her male colleagues weren’t particularly impressed. Her new line “A Diamond is Forever” was the summation of her thinking and was the turning point in the campaign. Despite those early misgivings “A Diamond Is Forever” first appeared in a 1948 ad and has appeared in every De Beers engagement advertisement since then.

earlepg

I'm very surprised that those four words took so long to be put together when that sentiment has been voiced for so long.

billyboy915

Keith Richard Mears, He was probably correct when he made that comment FOUR YEARS AGO! In the 3 years between his comment and yours, I'm fairly confident in assuming a correction to the text was made. It's important to keep chronology in mind.

billyboy915

john duckett, He was probably correct when he made that comment FOUR YEARS AGO! In the 3 years between his comment and yours, I'm fairly confident in assuming a correction to the text was made. It's important to keep chronology in mind.