You probably know about De Beers. It's the privately held company that Cecil Rhodes founded in the late 1800s that virtually controls the exploration and mining of diamonds. And by controlling their mining activity, they significantly influence the value of diamonds, including the one your son gave his bride-to-be for her engagement ring.
They employ nearly 25,000 and their revenues exceed $7 billion a year.
Recently they opened a small boutique gallery in Dallas' NorthPark very near Neiman-Marcus on the concourse to Barneys and Nordstrom.
If you are in Dallas, you must schedule a trip to see it because its store design concept is what appears to be a halogen white-light show, white-light reflecting off of the teeny slats of mirrored blinds that hang across the show windows. White-light strips that go up and down inside each interior show case. And the store walls and fixtures of monochromatic black, gray, silver, etc. Clerks dressed in solid black.
I love the store design. Interestingly, though, it appears to be so intimidating that traffic is looking, admiring, then passing it by. It'll be interesting to see if the public eventually shines up to De Beers' sixth U.S. retail store.
I hope it does.
DALLAS
214 503-8563
Our 43rd Year Selling Texas
Copyright 2008 - William S. Cherry
