RAPAPORT...
Antwerp
• Demand is good. Some shortages in clean goods in VS and up across the board in colors, sizes and shapes.
• Larger stones in 3 carats and up are doing well.
• The prices for 2-caraters are picking up slowly.
• SI, piqué goods in 30, 40, 50 and 70 are weaker.
• Fancy shapes in VS-SI in the better colors are very strong.
• It’s been confirmed that growth is resuming in sales of rough and trade in general.
ChinaThe majority of goods selling in the market are:
• 10-per-carat, good make, VS+/H-I, selling at approximately $620 to $660. • 6-per-carat, good make, VS+/H-I, selling at approximately $830 to $870.
• 4-per-carat, good make, VS+/H-I, selling at approximately $1,040 to $1,080.
• 3-per-carat, good make, VS+/H-I, selling at approximately $1,300 to $1,400.
The market also accepts:
• 10-per-carat, good make, VS+/I-J, selling at approximately $550 to $580.
• 6-per-carat, good make, VS+/I-J, selling at approximately $780 to $830.
• 4-per-carat, good make, VS+/I-J, selling at approximately $900 to $950.
• 3-per-carat, good make, VS+/I-J, selling at approximately $1,250 to $1,350.
• Small goods in 0.01 to 0.02 carat and 0.04 to 0.07 carat in VS-SI are in good demand.
• 0.25 to 0.50 carat in G-H/VS are in very good demand.
• Fancy shape demand increased for pear, oval and princess shapes in 1 carat up in J-K/ VVS-VS with good make.
Hong Kong
• Large stones, especially 5 carats, are in very strong demand with 3-caraters also moving well.
• 2-carat sizes weaker, but can be sold if prices are attractive.
• Demand is normal for 1 to 1.50 carats but there is oversupply in 1-carat sizes.
• 0.50 and larger with GIA dossiers are in demand, especially 0.80+.
• Smaller pointers are weak.
• 1/5 to 1/10 for the China market continue to be in high demand.
• Demand is good for 1/100 to 1/200 and smaller Indian goods.
• Fancy cuts in good models are moving well in all sizes.
India• Trading activity improved toward the end of March but buyers say they do not have enough choice to make a good selection. The main concern for the polished market is the volatile tendency of the dollar, which has put brakes on polished sales. Demand is still strong for
-2 in the range of $200+ category. There is an extreme shortage of goods in this category.
• Movement is better in VVS-VS/I+ in the stars category.
• Activity is good in melee goods in I2+/I+.
• Movement good in 0.08 to 0.18 carats in the $300 to $450 range and demand is good in the 1/6, I1+/I+ category.
• Movement is good in 1/5, 1/4 and 1/3 in piqué goods. Movement is also good in 1/5, SI1+/H+.
• 0.50 carats have better movement in I1-I2/I+ and VVS/H+ goods.
• 0.70 carats are in good demand but 0.80 carats+ are difficult to source in most categories.
• 0.90 carats are in very strong demand with supply shortages in the SI1+/I+ category.
• 1 carat is in good demand for collection and piqué goods but there are shortages for premium sizes.
• 2 carats have average movement in collection goods.
• 3 and 4 carats in good demand; some shortages in supply.
• 5 carats+ in very strong demand with extreme shortages.
• Demand is strong for princesses, marquises and pears in collection goods across the board.
Israel• Demand is good for big stones, particularly 6 carat+.
• Pear and heart shapes in big sizes 3 carat+ are faring particularly well.
• Overall demand is strong for fancy colors in 3 carat+ as well as fancy color pears 1 carat+.
• Demand is slow for small sizes, but strong for 10- to 50-point square shapes.
• Supply is good for low colors J-L from Hong Kong in VS1+.
Japan• The market in general is weak. Indian buyers got active when the yen weakened.
• As the bridal market continues to lag, pointers are weak.
• The Platinum Guild International’s (PGI) “Propose Again” campaign is being very well received.
• Demand for larger sizes of 3, 5 and 10 carats is strong. Larger stones are becoming scarce.
• It is suspected that high-color, better-quality-material stones — smalls, melees, stars — are being shipped to Hong Kong to be set in jewelry in Mainland China and then exported to the U.S.
Russia
• Smolensk Kristall sales in the first quarter of 2007 grew 49 percent year-on-year to reach a record $96.9 million.
• ALROSA sold 83 out of 85 offers of rough, worth more than $18 million, in its 21st special-size diamond auction, which ended March 23.
U.S. Retail• Bridal and solitaires go larger, moving from one-half carat to 1 carat, with additional demand for one-and-a-half to 2 carats.
• Compound centers are strong.
• Yellow gold is getting more popular with customers 35 and older.
• Round, radiant, Asscher and emerald cuts do well in the Midwest.
U.S. Wholesale
• Trading activity has slowed.
• Polished prices are uneven.
• Rough prices fluctuate.
• Bigger and better goods are mixed.
• 3-caraters and up are hot.
• Stones below 1 carat are better.
• Fancies are stable across the board.
• 2- to 3-carat fancies are weaker.
• Princesses continue to get calls.
• Cushions are healthy.
• Asschers, emeralds and radiants are even.
• Pears and ovals continue to grow.
• Hearts and marquises are typically sluggish.
• Fancy colors remain in demand.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2007. To subscribe click here.