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Diamond Prices Stable After Year of Declines
1 ct. RapNet Diamond Index -5.3% in 2019
Jan 7, 2020 5:00 AM
By Rapaport
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RAPAPORT PRESS RELEASE (Revised), January 7, 2020, Las Vegas… Diamond market conditions improved in December as US and Chinese holiday demand helped raise sentiment. Polished prices stabilized and improved for sizes under 1 carat, supported by shortages of G+, VS2+ goods. High-end qualities (F+, VVS+) of 3 carats and larger diamonds remain weak.
The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 1-carat diamonds slid 0.2% in December and 5.3% for the full year. The index for 0.30- and 0.50-carat stones firmed in the fourth quarter following steep declines earlier in the year.
RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™)
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December |
4Q 2019 |
FY 2019 |
| RAPI 0.30 ct. |
1.7% |
8.7% |
-7.5% |
| RAPI 0.50 ct. |
1.2% |
3.4% |
-4.9% |
| RAPI 1 ct. |
-0.2% |
-0.7% |
-5.3% |
| RAPI 3 ct. |
-0.5% |
-0.7% |
-16.5% |
© Copyright 2020, Rapaport USA Inc.
The market in 2019 was supply-driven, as noted in the Diamond Price Statistics Annual Report that appears in this month’s issue of Rapaport Magazine.
An oversupply of diamonds set a negative tone, leaving the trade with numerous diamonds that were difficult to sell. Inventory levels declined in the fourth quarter, but there were a lot of lower-quality goods still available at the end of December.
The year also saw a change in consumer patterns. Multi-channel jewelry shopping and online diamond trading gained momentum. That gave buyers access to larger inventories and more information about the goods, enabling them to cherry-pick the best-quality stones and leaving the trade with large quantities of less desirable merchandise.
The industry in 2019 also endured tight manufacturing profits, a reduction in bank credit, and cautious Far East demand resulting from uncertainty about the US-China trade war and Hong Kong protests.
There is some optimism for the new decade. The industry can expect lower rough supply, market consolidation, further changes to the way diamonds are bought and financed, greater use of technology, an emphasis on ethical sourcing, and segmentation of lab-grown and natural diamonds into distinct markets, as the December 2019 Rapaport Research Report predicts.
To navigate these trends and bring about an upswing in diamond prices, the industry must invest in marketing and develop more efficient processes and inventory management. Diamond jewelry sales must outperform the last decade’s and should exceed $100 billion by 2030.
To learn more about the Rapaport Research Report and to subscribe, click here.
Rapaport Media Contacts: media@diamonds.net
US: Sherri Hendricks +1-702-893-9400
International: Alex Shine +1-718-878-5138
Mumbai: Prashant Bhojani +91-97694-66855
About the Rapaport Research Report: The Rapaport Research Report provides subscribers with in-depth analysis about key themes affecting the diamond market. It also presents exclusive analytics on diamond prices for a variety of categories, based on sales and inventory data from RapNet® – The Diamond Market.
About the Rapaport RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™): The RAPI is the average asking price in hundred $/ct. of the 10% best-priced diamonds, for each of the top 25 quality round diamonds (D-H, IF-VS2, GIA-graded, RapSpec-A3 and better) offered for sale on RapNet® – The Diamond Market. www.RapNet.com has daily listings of approximately 1.3 million diamonds valued at approximately $7.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.diamonds.net.
About the Rapaport Group: The Rapaport Group is an international network of companies providing added-value services that support the development of ethical, transparent, competitive and efficient diamond and jewelry markets. Established in 1976, the Group has more than 20,000 clients in over 121 countries. Group activities include Rapaport Information Services, providing the Rapaport benchmark Price List for diamonds, as well as research, analysis and news; RapNet – the world’s largest diamond trading network, with over 15,000 members in 97 countries and daily listings of approximately 1.3 million diamonds valued at approximately $7.4 billion; Rapaport Laboratory Services, providing GIA and Rapaport gemological services in India, Israel and Belgium; and Rapaport Trading and Auction Services, the world’s largest recycler of diamonds, selling over 500,000 carats of diamonds a year. Additional information is available at www.diamonds.net.
Image: A diamond ring (Shutterstock)
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Tags:
Alrosa, De Beers, diamond, Diamond prices, diamonds, Jewelry, Martin Rapaport, Rapaport, RAPI, RapNet
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