Reimagining Rough Diamond Sales for a Digital Future

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, PRODUCT DESIGN, UX

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global travel and halted physical diamond viewings, De Beers faced an existential challenge to their $5bn traditional mining business. I led a cross-functional design team to rapidly digitise their customer experience, transforming an entrenched, manual process into a scalable, mobile-first B2B ecommerce platform.

Challenge

De Beers’ sales model revolved around physical ‘Sight’ events, where customers would inspect rough diamonds in person. With travel restrictions in place, $5bn in projected sales were at risk. Initial attempts to digitise had failed due to cultural resistance, poor data presentation, and lack of customer trust in the online experience.

Approach

User research across global markets revealed three priorities: richer imagery, optimised data, and mobile-first design.
Co-created a new UX vision with customers, De Beers stakeholders, and internal teams, using research playback sessions and early prototypes to gain alignment.
Iteratively tested new formats for product data, scan imagery, and purchase workflows - including “Buy It Now” pilot events for lower-grade stones.
Proved confidence in the platform, with customers confirming that the stones they received matched the digital representations.

Outcomes

Successful online events, validating the new data and imagery standards.
Created new digital revenue models, including customer-built parcels, resale marketplaces, and premium subscriptions for guaranteed supply.
Explored future-facing concepts such as a VR-based diamond browsing experience.
Laid the groundwork for a unified platform now powering De Beers’ core B2B sales and emerging D2C experiments.
Ongoing transformation program targeting $200m in incremental value by 2030.

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