(IDEX Online) - Prices showed further sign of stabilizing during December - especially larger rounds - as consumer demand increased during the holiday period. Jewelry spending in the US was up 4.0 per cent for the period from 1 November to 24 December, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. But it remains a mixed picture among bread-and-butter goods, with no clear trend in either direction. Rounds again fared markedly better than fancies overall, as they did in November.

It still feels like we're on the brink of a recovery, but it's a slow-burn recovery. Signet, the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, reported another quarterly drop in revenue, down 3.1 per cent in Q3 2025, but that's an improvement on -7.6 per cent during the previous three months.

Rough supplies are being squeezed and manufacturing activity in India remains well below capacity, which is nudging some prices up. But the much-anticipated Chinese bounce-back hasn't happened and lab growns remain an increasingly popular choice for many consumers.

 

Rounds

We are again seeing swathes of green (price increases), among 3.00-cts to 5.99-cts goods, as we did in November. The trend is clearly upwards among larger goods, despite a small smattering of price drops. Among smaller goods there was little movement in either direction, a stark contrast to many months of wholesales decline. Under 0.49-cts were pretty much static, 0.50-cts to 2.99-cts saw a fairly even mix of prices rising and falling, with more activity among larger goods.

 

Fancies

Fancies again fared less well than rounds. Price increases dominated among some larger goods (3.00-cts to 5.99-cts) as they did with rounds, but less so. Smaller goods saw movement in both directions.

 

Rounds

0.18-0.22 ct. I / VS2-SI2 -5.5-6%

0.23-0.29 ct. I / VS2-SI2 -5-5.5%

0.30-0.39 ct. K / I1 +1.5%

0.40-0.44 ct. N / SI1-2 -6-6.5%

0.45-0.49 ct. D / IF-VVS1 +1.5-2%

0.50-0.69 ct. D-F / IF-VS1 +1.5-5.5%, L-N / VVS1 -3-3.5%

0.70-0.79 ct. D / IF-VVS1 +1.5-3.5%, M / IF-SI3 -2.5-4%

0.80-0.89 ct. D-E / VVS1-2 -2-5%, D-F / IF +1%

0.90-0.99 ct. F-G / IF -1.5-7%

1.00-1.24 ct. D / IF-VVS2 +1-3%

1.25-1.49 ct. D / IF-VS2 +1-4%

1.50-1.99 ct. F / VVS1-SI1 +1-3%, G-J / VVS1 -1.5-3%

2.00-2.99 ct. D / IF-VS2 +1-3.5%, I-K / VVS2-VS1 +1-3%

3.00-3.99 ct. G-K / VVS2-VS1 +1-2.5%, I-L / SI3 +1.5%

4.00-4.99 ct. F-H / IF-VS1 +1-3.5%, J-M / IF-VVS2 +0.5-2%

5.00-5.99 ct. F-N / IF-VVS2 +0.5-3.5%

 

Fancy Cuts

0.18-0.22 ct. E / VVS1-2-SI2 -3.5-4%

0.23-0.29 ct. H-J / VVS2-VS1 +4-6.5%, F-G / SI1-3 -5-7.5%

0.30-0.39 ct. I / IF-SI2 +3.5-5.5%, L-N / IF-VS1 -6.5-12%

0.40-0.44 ct. J-K / SI1-2 +5-6%

0.45-0.49 ct. H-K / SI3 +5-5.5%

0.50-0.69 ct. L / VVS2-VS1 -4%

0.70-0.79 ct. D / VVS1-2 +1-2.5%, D / SI2-I1 -2%

0.80-0.89 ct. E / VVS1-2 -2%, H-I / IF +1.5-3%

0.90-0.99 ct. F-H / SI3 -3-3.5%

1.00-1.24 ct. D-E / IF-VS1 +1-4%

1.25-1.49 ct. D-E / VVS1-2 +1-4%, F-I / IF 1.5-4.5%

1.50-1.99 ct. D / VS2-SI3 +1-4.5%, D-F / VVSs2 0.5-1.5%

2.00-2.99 ct. E-F / VVS1-VS1 +1-4.5%, H-I / VS2-SI1 1-2.5%

3.00-3.99 ct. E-F / VVS2-SI1 +1-4%, D-K / SI3 +1.5-5%

4.00-4.99 ct. E-K / SI3 +1.5-3.5%

5.00-5.99 ct. K-N / IF-VVS1 +2.5-6%, D-H / SI1 0.5-4%