Polished Diamond Prices Keep Slipping Downwards (Updated)

(IDEX Online News) – Global diamond prices keep their slow declines, according to the IDEX Online Polished Diamond Index. The Index closed at 1039.9 on Monday, setting below 140 for the first time since June 18, 2011.

Diamond prices started turning downwards in mid-August, after the close of the IIJS show in Mumbai. Loose diamond sales at the show were below expectations, against a backdrop of falling stock markets around the world.

From their peak in August 17, the index declined 4.6 percent, declining 1.5 percent in the last 18 days.

The average price of 5-carat Rounds lost 2.7 percent of their asking price, half carat Rounds declined 2.6 percent, while one and two carat Rounds softened 1.1 percent in the 30 days to October 18.

Bucking the trend, the price of some diamond categories keep rising, most notably 1.00 carat Emerald cut (E-G / VVS2-SI1) goods, rising 1.1 percent.

While suffering from declines since August, month-over-month, the average price of 1-carat Princess cuts (D-I / VVS1-SI2) increased by 0.2 percent and 4-carat Rounds (D-I / IF-SI1) maintained their price (+0.1%).

The IDEX Online Polished Price Index is calculated in real-time from actual asking prices of more than 400,000 diamonds from the global diamond industry.

(Update includes corrections in the price changes of specific items in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6. We apologize for the error.)