GemEx Systems of Mequon, Wis., is offering $1.5 million in advertising to a select number of retail jewelers who will promote its new Guide Light Performance Analysis diamond report. The GemEx BrillianceScope measures the light performance of a diamond, allowing for a "what you see is what you get" analysis report.

"[The report] does two things," says Bob DuBois, GemEx vice president of marketing. "First, the consumer instantly becomes clear on the 'cut' issue. Second, the presentation regarding 'cut' goes back to discussing light performance as they actually see it and imagine it, vs. talking about a whole lot of numbers and letters.

"As long as I've been in the industry, I've heard that 'the romance is gone,' and 'all they are talking about are numbers,' " he adds. "When consumers see a technology that's easy to understand and that deals with how light performs in a diamond, they gravitate to it quickly. Now there's a mental picture of how beautiful the diamond will actually be."

GemEx will engage in heavy cooperative advertising with retailers to draw consumers into stores. The campaign will include press releases; television, radio, and print ads; and point-of-sale counter cards.

About 200 retail outlets will have BrillianceScope Viewers or, in a few cases, BrillianceScopes. Diamonds with Light Performance reports can be acquired from traditional wholesalers who stock them, or by sending existing inventory to be examined. Each Light Performance report can be electronically retrieved, so a wholesaler can send the report via the Internet to a retailer who is interested in purchasing a diamond with a report. The retailer can decide whether the stone is right for his store before the diamond is shipped.