Diamonds in the Rough

Why finding the right name is so similar to finding the right diamond.

Before buying the perfect diamond for your loved one, you are sure to take your time and look at a number of different styles, colors and sizes in the jewelry store. But what did it take for that jeweler to have a quality selection to show you?

Firstly, the mining company had to prospect to find where to dig, often in some remote region of the world. Then they had to move a lot of alluvial dirt and rocks, and bring it to the surface for further procession. After washing and sorting, they are left with plain pebbles, some of which are not even diamonds, some of which don’t even sparkle yet.

Only the best of these are selected automatically, and then further sorted by hand, to produce a precious few to be cut and polished. After carefully being individually hand-cut by a master craftsman, they are valued and in due course distributed (under great secrecy) to your local jewelry store. It takes time. It takes care. It takes knowledge. It takes money. But when it makes some heart soar, it is no longer a shiny pebble. It is a diamond of love.

In a very similar fashion, to find the right name for your favorite company or product, you have to know where to look for possible names. You have to wade through a lot of false clues, and you have to process a lot of words, roots, themes and images to just find a few to present (in great secrecy) to upper management.

Master wordsmith craftsmen can then polish and refine these names, embodying them with the right tones, themes, origins and mentally imagery. It takes time. It takes care. It takes knowledge. It takes money. But when you heart soars (and your lawyers agree), it is no longer just another word. It is the name of a future business with a unique brand value.

 

P.S. How do those famous diamonds themselves get named? If you know, please send us some information so we can share it too.

 

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See his industry naming commentary (where he takes a critical look at names) via the blog on this site