Reframing Luxury: How the Diamond Industry Shifts Consumer Perception from Ethical Concerns to Status Symbolism

Diamonds have traditionally been marketed as symbols of love, eternity, and prestige, mostly through emotionally charged marketing efforts by major companies such as De Beers. However, growing consumer awareness of ethical concerns about diamond sourcing, including issues of conflict, environmental degradation, and labour methods, has put further pressure on the industry to match emotional branding with sustainability. This thesis looks at how emotional and ethical appeals are strategically used in diamond industry advertising, and how these opposing messages impact customer perceptions, rationalisation, and purchase intentions. The study used a mixed methods approach, combining a qualitative thematic analysis of five recent De Beers advertisements with a quantitative survey of 235 consumers. The study uses the Theory of Planned behaviour, Bourdieu's Theory of Distinction, and symbolic interactionism to investigate the connection between emotional symbolism, ethical consciousness, and consumer behaviour. Thematic analysis identified five central narratives: (1) Timeliness as Cultural and Emotional Imperative, where urgency and erotic humour in the "Seize the Day" (2023) campaign frame diamond gifting as an impulsive emotional ritual; (2) Becoming Worthy of Love, in which "Worth the Wait" (2024) repositions diamonds as markers of personal growth and emotional resilience; (3) Emotional Presence and Generational Continuity, where "Forever Present" (2024) extends diamond symbolism to self-love, friendship, and legacy; (4) Conservation as Corporate Legacy, highlighting environmental stewardship in "The Diamond Route" initiative through quantifiable claims; and (5) Building Ethics into the Brand Core, where "Building Forever" (2020-2023) institutionalises CSR via traceability, STEM equity, and biodiversity pledges. The quantitative component used factor analysis and multiple regressions to test four hypotheses concerning the effects of emotional symbolism and ethical awareness on consumer attitudes and behaviour. Emotional symbolism significantly predicted consumers' willingness to overlook ethical concerns in emotionally salient scenarios, while ethical awareness strongly predicted ethical purchase intentions. The findings reveal how emotional branding can suppress ethical scrutiny through symbolic association, and how institutional CSR framing replaces individual ethical empowerment. This research contributes to debates on ethical consumerism, emotional branding, and symbolic capital in luxury markets. It reveals how emotion can function as both a persuasive tool and a mechanism of ethical disengagement, with implications for marketing strategy and sustainability discourse in the diamond industry.