Rapaport Research Report: The Pricing Roller Coaster

The premium for US-based diamonds relative to those in India has increased since tariffs came into play — but so has volatility, according to the latest Rapaport Research Report.

Goods located in America have become more sought-after than before President Donald Trump introduced import duties in April.

However, stateside inventory has also become much more sensitive to external factors, displaying trends that were previously typical of the Indian market.

The September edition of the report analyzes why US-based merchandise on the RapNet platform tends to be more expensive than stones labeled as being in India and how this fluctuates as the market strengthens and weakens.

It also explains why the tariffs have shaken up this reality, creating wider-than-usual gaps between asking prices in the two countries alongside sudden swings as the situation developed.

The issue focuses on a range of round categories in the 0.50-, 1- and 2-carat sizes, presenting graphs to illustrate the geographical price gap over time. It also investigates why the US-India price difference narrowed in the weeks since the White House announced a possible exemption from tariffs for diamonds.

The Rapaport Research Report includes the regular section providing exclusive RapNet data for 0.30-, 0.50, 1- and 3-carat stones, including average prices, discounts, inventory by country, and search volume. In addition, it presents the volume of goods moving onto and off the RapNet platform, and the average time it takes them to do so.  

If you are a subscriber to the Rapaport Research Report, click here to download the full edition.  

If you are not yet a subscriber and would like to receive the report as soon as it’s published, you can sign up here.

Image: David Polak