| De Beers now known as the Diamond Trading | | | | market. By 1940 De Beers started working with |
| Company (DTC) has been the primary force in | | | | big advertising firms and developed the theme "A |
| the diamond industry for many years. It was born | | | | Diamonds Is Forever." Thus diamonds became |
| from heavy competition out of South Africa in | | | | part of modern romance. |
| the late 1800s. Their mission was to manage the | | | | Earnest Oppenheimer's family has been running De |
| supply and demand of diamonds worldwide. | | | | Beers since his death in 1957. First his son and |
| In 1970 the abundance of diamonds found in | | | | now his grandson, Nicholas Oppenheimer, who has |
| South Africa caused the price of diamonds to fall, | | | | been chairman of the company since 1997. |
| which threatened to ruin the market. In the middle | | | | De Beers is the world's largest diamond company. |
| of this crisis Ceil Rhodes developed a plan to | | | | It owns the majority of South African mines and |
| control the supply and balance the market. So, | | | | also owns and operates mines in Botswana and |
| Rhodes and his business partners founded De | | | | Namibia in partnership with their governments. |
| Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888 and by 1990 | | | | They are also developing a new mine in Canada |
| they owned 90 % of the worlds diamonds. | | | | and exploring other mining opportunities all around |
| A few years after Rhodes death in 1902 Earnest | | | | the world. |
| Oppenheimer became chairman of De Beers in | | | | In 2000 De Beers became known as the Diamond |
| 1929. Oppenheimer created a structure to | | | | Trading Company (DTC), which is now the |
| manage the flow of rough diamonds to the world | | | | Supplier of Choice in the global distribution channel. |