The mood in the diamond market is hesitant and there is a strong feeling of anticipation in the air. It’s hardly surprising when you consider the recent publication of a decrease in round polished diamond prices, coupled with Indian factories having reduced their production levels to reflect demand and rumours making the rounds that De Beers and Alrosa are set to reduce their prices.
The recent holiday season provided us with a great opportunity to ponder the past year and assess the impact of 2014’s major developments, with a view to improving our overall performance in the year ahead.
The diamond industry is an international industry that reaches across the borders of our global world. It bridges across cultures, nations, religious beliefs, languages and ways of life. The information we share comes from many and diverse sources and spreads around the world to spark the industry.
Many people believe natural diamonds are rare, while others doubt it. So how rare are diamonds in reality? Sceptics claim the rarity of diamonds is a De Beers fiction. They couldn’t be more wrong. Few countries have diamond resources. Of these few resources only a few are commercially viable and the commercially viable one are home to very few high quality diamonds. Added to that, the natural process through which diamonds are created takes so long that the rarity of diamonds is only increasing.
The diamond sector has a Volatility Index. Unlike the S&P 500 VIX (Volatility Index) it cannot be accurately measured. But it is very much felt in the gut feelings of diamantaires and it can become a fear factor.