As the year draws to a close, we at Mercury Diamond stopped to take a look at the state of polished diamond prices over the past year. We noticed that prices have been lingering for some time and decided to look at what some of the other diamond indexes in the market show. No surprise here, we all show pretty much the same scenario.
Familiar with the relationship status ‘It’s Complicated’?
That is a good two word description of the diamond jewelry holiday selling season so far. As you may recall, diamond jewelry sales were sluggish during the 2017 holiday season, but ended with a last-minute rush by consumers. That happened during the last two weeks of December.
Prices of smaller goods recovered in November, responding to rising demand. Larger goods, however, suffered from further price declines. The Mercury Diamond Global Tracker™ (MDGT™) averaged 110.1 in November 2018, down 1.30% from October. Polished diamond price increases are a typical cyclical trend in November, as holiday season purchases drive demand.
In the past few months, we have witnessed polished diamond prices decline. They are sliding downward at a slow pace, with an occasional small rise before sliding again. So far this year, overall polished diamond prices lost 2.9%, according to Mercury Diamond Global Tracker™ (MDGT™). The majority of the decline took place in the third quarter of the year – 1.3%.
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) is semi-governmental organization, set up by the Indian Ministry of Commerce in 1966. GJEPC serves as the umbrella organization of India’s precious gems and jewelry industry. It was one of a number of Export Promotion Councils launched by the Indian Government to boost the country’s exports, as India’s economy began making forays into the international markets.