The DeBeers campaign linked diamonds to engagements way back in the 1930s - a tradition that survives to date, making work on the brand an all time favourite for Grey's Daniel Foo The best ads affect culture, turning ideas into global norms, accepted truths that nobody thinks to question. And if you’ve received a diamond engagement ring, you’ve just (possibly unknowingly) taken part in a century-old advertising campaign. Perhaps it’s because I recently got engaged and subsequently married, but I now have a newfound appreciation for the DeBeers diamond engagement ring advertising campaign – which has become my favourite of all time. History books say Romans were the first to give their wives rings attached to keys as a symbol of betrothal. It wasn’t until 1477 that the Archduke Maximilian of Austria commissioned the very first recorded diamond engagement ring for Mary of Burgundy. And while people did occasionally propose with rings or precious stones, it was a practice ...