Prices
of pink fancy-color diamonds outperformed other major color categories during
the second quarter, the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) said.
Prices of pinks rose 0.4% quarter on quarter for the three months ending June
30, according to the FCRF, which released its quarterly Fancy Color Diamond
Index (FCDI) last week.
By contrast, prices of blue fancy-color diamonds declined 0.3% compared with
the first quarter, while yellows slid 0.8%, the organization said. The overall
index for fancy-color diamonds slipped 0.1%.
The fancy-vivid-pink category saw a price increase of 1.3%. Within that
division, 2-carat fancy-vivid pinks rose 2.8%, while those weighing 3 carats
climbed 2.6%. However, prices of 1-carat pink diamonds dropped 0.7%, with
1.5-carat stones falling 0.2%.
The rise in pink prices is likely attributable to media coverage surrounding
the upcoming closure of Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Australia, which is famous
for its pink diamonds, noted Alan Bronstein, president of the Natural Color
Diamond Association.
While blue diamonds weighing between 1 and 3 carats saw increases, the overall
price was dragged down by a 0.9% decline in the 8-to-10-carat category, FCRF
explained.
The downturn in prices of yellow fancy-color diamonds was led by a drop for
stones weighing 1 to 3 carats, with 1-carat yellows falling 2.7%. However,
prices of 8-carat fancy-yellow diamonds increased 2.1% in the second quarter,
compared with a decrease of 4.8% in the first three months of the year.
The weak demand that has persisted in the market overall is also likely
affecting prices of colored diamonds, the FCRF said.
“The recent price declines in the white goods created an overall negative
psychological effect on all diamonds,” explained FCRF advisory board member
Eden Rachminov. “This is probably the reason we also witnessed a decline of
0.1% in the Fancy Color Index.”
The index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy-color diamonds in Hong
Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.
John Bassett
John,
Such a great site! A friend of mine referred me to it and then I realized we have done business in the past on several occasions. So happy that I tracked you down. Still have the Antwerp hookups? Of course you do. So beyond happy I found your new site!
Please call to catch up and do some business. You have my phone and e-mail now.
B-