De Beers Announces First-Ever Celebrity Global Ambassador

De Beers, the name synonymous with diamonds, announces Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as its first Global Ambassador. Nyong’o stars in De Beers’ new brand campaign, De Beers: Where It Begins, which tells the story of the only global luxury brand that starts at the source, from discovering rough diamonds to producing fine jewellery. 

Speaking exclusively to Only Natural Diamonds, Nyong’o said of being the first De Beers ambassador, “It is always exciting to be the first at anything, and I am very proud of this unexpected achievement! The really substantive bonus, though, is working with De Beers on Building Forever, which is their sustainability framework. One focus of that is creating opportunities for women and girls in southern Africa, an effort clearly very close to my heart. De Beers was very clear that they were interested as much in what I stand for off-screen as in my work on screen, and that was key for me.”

The campaign sees renowned Australian photographer and director Lachlan Bailey follow Nyong’o in the discovery of a rough diamond to its magical transformation into fine jewellery. 

According to De Beers, “as Nyong’o embarks on her journey, she discovers the power that only a De Beers natural diamond jewellery creation holds: turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, a moment into forever, and herself into a magnetic woman with limitless potential.” The campaign celebrates De Beers’ passion for sourcing nature’s rarest treasures and revealing their exceptional beauty through remarkable craftsmanship.

As part of the partnership, Nyong’o will also support De Beers’ Building Forever commitment, which aims to advance women and girls in the areas where its diamonds are discovered, including engaging 10,000 girls in STEM and supporting 10,000 women entrepreneurs. Nyong’o told Only Natural Diamonds of her role with De Beers, “De Beers is doing a lot of work that is important to me, including protecting the natural world and ensuring that the communities where they work are thriving and growing. My particular focus is their work advancing and investing in women and girls. It’s an ambitious goal, but working together, I am very optimistic we will meet that challenge.”

De Beers said, “As a powerful woman who cares deeply about the world around her, Nyong’o is the ultimate representative of De Beers’ Building Forever commitment to people and the planet. As a brand that is part-owned by the citizens of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, De Beers thinks differently about what value is and how it is created.”

‘Building Forever’ is De Beers’ blueprint for creating a positive and sustainable impact that will endure well beyond the discovery of diamonds. To do this, De Beers set twelve ambitious goals concentrating on four clear pillars where they can make a meaningful impact – leading ethical practices, partnering for thriving communities, protecting the natural world, and accelerating equal opportunity. De Beers is determined to achieve these goals by 2030

“I’m honored to be the first Global Ambassador for De Beers. This campaign brings to life the transformative power that I feel when I wear De Beers’ diamond creations and the pride in knowing where they come from and the good they do. Even more importantly, my partnership with De Beers allows me to extend my advocacy for women and girls around the world,” says Lupita Nyong’o. 

“With her rare magnetism and elegance, Lupita Nyong’o is a testament to the power of boundless possibilities. Embodying modern and responsible luxury, Lupita is an inspiration for all of us. De Beers is proud that Lupita has joined our Building Forever commitment to people and the planet, and we stand with her as she embarks on an exciting chapter in her career,” says Marc Jacheet, De Beers CEO of Brands. 

Only five years after her acting debut, Nyong’o became the first Kenyan and Mexican to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has starring roles in 12 Years A Slave, Star Wars, Us, Black Panther, and Wakanda Forever, and an Emmy-winning role as the narrator of her children’s book, Sulwe. In 2020, Forbes named her one of Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.

When asked how natural diamonds make her feel, Nyong’o said, “well, there is something profound about wearing an object that was formed literally millions of years ago in the earth’s mantle. No more of it will ever be made by our planet. Wearing something so elemental and so resilient makes me feel both humbled and empowered, beautiful and confident, and ultimately very magnetic.”

The De Beers: Where It Begins campaign launches globally with integrated media activations across multiple touchpoints on November 3rd.