07.11.2018 - UPDATES

Prices Rise for Pink and Blue Diamonds

Pink and blue fancy-color diamonds saw price increases in the third quarter, while yellows dipped, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).

The organization’s Fancy Color Diamond Index for pinks grew 0.4% versus the previous quarter, while prices of blues rose 0.7%, the FCRF said Thursday. Rates for yellow fancy-color diamonds dropped 1%, with the overall index down 0.1%.

“The price of fancy yellow[s] is influenced by the general mood of many diamond traders that carry a mixed inventory of colorless and yellows,” explained Eden Rachminov, a member of the FCRF’s advisory board. “Due to the slowdown in the colorless business, and to compensate in their general turnover, these traders slightly lower the prices of yellows.”

Prices of blue diamonds weighing 1 carat rose 4.7% versus the previous quarter, while pinks remained stable. Yellow diamonds decreased 2.2% in that size category, while prices of 1-carat, intense-yellow stones grew 1.1%.

Compared with a year ago, prices of blues climbed 6%, with the fancy-vivid-blue category recording an 8.5% jump in the past 12 months. Pink fancy-color diamonds lost ground with a 0.5% year-on-year decline, while prices of yellows fell 1.6%. The index for all fancy-color diamonds increased 0.4% versus the same period of 2017.

The index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy-color diamonds in Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv, the FCRF said.

Image: A pink diamond. (Fancy Color Research Foundation)