(IDEX Online) - Post-holiday prices showed further signs of stabilizing during January - especially larger rounds. That's despite the markets remaining generally quiet. Fancies fared less well, in line with performance in recent months.

Manufacturing in India remains well below full capacity, with weak demand for diamonds forcing some facilities to switch to jewelry.

Caution about lab growns persists. There is a growing recognition within the natural diamond industry that it needs to tell its story more convincingly in response to plunging lab grown prices.

 

Rounds

There were further signs of relative stability, with none of the wall-to-wall price drops of recent months. Price rises continued to dominate among the more volatile 4.00-cts to 5.99-cts goods, as they have done in recent months, across almost all colors and clarities. There was also notably less activity overall in goods, at least up to 1.99-cts

 

Fancies

Fancies again fared less well than rounds. Rounds saw price rises dominate, while fancies saw another month in which price drops dominated. There was more activity in goods over 2.00-cts, and some clusters of price increases, but the overall trend was still downwards. There was little activity in goods under 0.70-cts.

 

Rounds

0.18-0.22 ct. F / VVS2-VS1 -3.5%

0.23-0.29 ct. D-F / SI3 -4.5-5.5%

0.30-0.39 ct. D / IF +2%

0.40-0.44 ct. N / VVS1-VS2 -5-5.5%

0.45-0.49 ct. D / IF-VVS1 +5.5-6%

0.50-0.69 ct. E / IF-VS1 +1.5%, N / VVS2-SI1 -4-8%

0.70-0.79 ct. E-G / IF-VVS1 -1.5-6% 

0.80-0.89 ct. D-F / VVS1-VS2 -1-3.5%

0.90-0.99 ct. F-I / SI3 +3-3.5%

1.00-1.24 ct. D-G/ VVS1-VS1 -1-5%

1.25-1.49 ct. D / VVS1-VS2 +1-3.5%

1.50-1.99 ct. F-G / IF-VVS2 +0.5-4%

2.00-2.99 ct. D-G / IF +1-4%, G / VS2-SI3 -1-1.5%

3.00-3.99 ct. D-H / SI3 +2.5-3.5%, G-H / VVS1-2 -1-1.5%

4.00-4.99 ct. K-N / IF-VS1 +1-2.5%, H / IF-VS2 -0.5-3%

5.00-5.99 ct. D-E / IF-VVS2 -1%

 

Fancy Cuts

0.18-0.22 ct. D / VS1 +3.5%

0.23-0.29 ct. J / SI1-2 +8.5-9%

0.30-0.39 ct. D-G / VS2 +3-3.5%

0.40-0.44 ct. J / IF-VS2 -3.5-4%, I-K / SI2 +5-12%

0.45-0.49 ct. M / VS2-SI2 +6-6.5%

0.50-0.69 ct. J / IF-VVS2 +2.5-3%

0.70-0.79 ct. D-E / IF +2-3%, D / VS2-SI3 -1.5-2%

0.80-0.89 ct. G / VVS1-SI2 -1.5-5.5%

0.90-0.99 ct. D-E / IF-VS2 -1-3.5%

1.00-1.24 ct. D-E / VVS2-VS2 -1.5-2.5%

1.25-1.49 ct. D-F / VS1-2 1.5-5.5%

1.50-1.99 ct. G-H / VVS1-VS2 +1-2.5%, D-E / VS2-SI2 1-2.5%

2.00-2.99 ct. D-F / IF-VVS1 1-2.5%

3.00-3.99 ct. F-H / VVS1-VS2 +0.5-4%, I-J / IF-VVS2 0.5-3%

4.00-4.99 ct. F-G / VVS2-SI1 +1-4.5%, E-H / IF-VVS2 1.5-3.5%

5.00-5.99 ct. L-N / IF-VS2 -1.5-4%, E / IF-VS1 +1.5-3%