Mumbai: The new year started on a relatively positive note, with price movements recorded during the period of October through December 2020 providing reasons for optimism. Retail demand trended positively, having first been propped up by an uptick in consumer optimism with the relaxation in COVID flight restrictions during the third quarter, and then healthy holiday season demand, which helped stabilize and ultimately improve average prices for diamonds.
Prudent upstream strategies by De Beers and Alrosa, which reduced pressure on diamond manufacturers while protecting the price of rough diamonds, coupled with marketing initiatives by the Natural Diamond Council, which focused on the need to reinforce personal relationships during times of stress and crisis, helped mitigate stress in the pipeline while fueling consumer demand. This restored a sense of calm in the diamond industry.
On average, price changes during the quarter were moderate but in a positive direction.
The average price of Round Diamonds increased by 0.79%, while the average price of Fancy-Cut Diamonds rose by 1.15%. As expected, the growth was not uniform in either of the two categories, with quite significant differences in the various size groups within each category.
The largest price gains included smaller stones and 5-caraters, while 4-caraters fell by 2.75% on average. Prices in the popular 1-carat category improved only slightly, by 0.21%.
With Fancy-Cut Diamonds, the picture was quite different:
The highest growth in Fancy-Cut Diamonds was registered in the larger stone categories, with 5-ct stones showing a whopping 4.37% appreciation.
As we dig deeper into the numbers, we see sometimes volatile price adjustments in the various color and clarity groups. Higher color/clarity combinations showed strong growth, while lower colors and clarities tended to decline in value.
More detailed information about the movements of diamond prices within each category can be found on NDP’s web portal (https://www.naturaldiamondprices.com) or on UNI’s platform (www.UNI.diamonds).
