Sally Morrison, a former vice president of publicity for Miramax Films and the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), is the new director of the Diamond Information Center, the public relations arm of De Beers’ Diamond Trading Company.

Morrison replaces Joan Parker, who headed the DIC for nearly 30 years but recently left to oversee publicity for the new De Beers retail chain. The job has a range of responsibilities, including getting publications to write about diamonds, having stars wear them on award shows, and damage control on issues like conflict diamonds.

Morrison tells JCK she took the post because she loves the product.

“It’s an incredibly fascinating business,” she says. “It has its own mystique, its own glamour, its own history. But it’s also a complex business, and there will be a steep learning curve for me. Our goal is to keep diamonds as fashionable a product as possible and make sure they are seen as enduring gifts of love.”

Morrison hopes her Hollywood background will mean more diamond-studded celebrities.

“I hope part of what I bring to the table is some long and deep relationships with people in Hollywood,” she says. “We want to make sure stars continue to wear diamond jewelry.”

Morrison, originally from Great Britain but a longtime resident of New York, earned an MA and BA in English literature at Wadham College in Oxford.