De Beers Group Marketing survey puts diamond jewellery top of the festive season gift list

Forty-three percent of women across the Gulf States desire diamond jewellery above any other gift including luxury watches, designer clothing, fragrances and even overseas holidays.

And, women will be happy to know, men surveyed also placed diamond jewellery as their first preferred gift and as 'the ultimate gift of love' when gifting women. The same survey goes on to reveal that men in the region have the highest diamond gifting intent which stands at 71%, with a notable increase seen for Saudi men, which stands at 75%.

Middle Eastern preference for giving diamond jewellery is higher than those anywhere else in the world.

Statistics show that men tap into their partner's love of diamonds specifically over the end-of-year festive season. According to De Beers Group Marketing, Middle East diamond sales increase during the holiday season, which incorporates the Adha holidays as well as the mini wedding season in the Middle East, placing many wedding anniversaries at the end of the year.

"Each diamond is a singular creation with its own unique billion-year history. Every diamond that will ever be discovered was created deep within the earth, millennia ago - no more will be created yet, the diamonds that exist today, will last forever," says Anan Fakhreddin, Director of the Diamond Promotion Service (DPS) at De Beers Group Marketing.

With this is mind, De Beers Group Marketing have developed a specific range for the Middle East called Amante, that allows males to symbolically express the sentimentality they may find difficult to put into words.

"The symbolism behind diamond jewellery allows a man to prove his love and commitment beyond the traditional means."

The Amante range allows the diamonds to pass on the sentimentality that a male may find difficult to express in words. It allows him to prove his love and commitment beyond the traditional means since love and understanding is an essence of marriage in the Gulf region and across the globe.

"Each component of the range carries unique symbolism. The Amante diamond solitaire ring or pendant is a sign of expression and recognition from a husband to his wife, expressing to his partner that their relationship is invincible and powerful, defying the erosion of time and the pressure of life," says Fakhreddin.

"The two stones on the diamond studs represent the feeling of being together forever in a strong and eternal bond, and the Amante three-stone ring or pendant strives to recapture the heart of a partner. Each diamond representing a moment in time - yesterday, today and forever-after, expressing a man's recognition that his wife is the perfect and only partner for life."

Throughout history mankind has cherished the diamond. For the Greeks they were the tears of the gods, for Hindus they were sacred protectors and spiritual guardians, for the Romans they were shards of the stars. As every age has its own unique beliefs about the diamond, so each stone has its own unique character.