Market Comment

News: Hong Kong show slow. Chinese buyers cautious in weak economy. Indian attendance low due to festivals and market slump. G7 mulls ban on Russian diamonds. US sanctions Grib. Indian trade nervous as Ukraine govt. agency names SRK as “war sponsor”; company denies claim. Alrosa cancels Sep. and Oct. sales to ease oversupply. De Beers keeps rough prices steady at Sep. sight, with secondary-market buyers bidding -20% on some boxes. Petra FY revenue -42% to $325M, loss of $102M vs. profit of $88M last year. Mastercard predicts holiday jewelry sales -0.3%. Rapaport offices will be closed on Monday, Sep. 25, for the Yom Kippur holiday. Rapaport “Trade Warning” webinar to be released next week.

Fancies: Market slower than before. Prices falling, but less sharply than for rounds. Longer Ovals, Pears, Radiants and Cushions bringing higher prices than shorter stones. Goods with medium and short ratios weak. Prices of square Cushions falling amid low demand and high inventories. Marquise prices holding up following drop in supply. 0.30 ct. doing well. Orders low for 0.70 to 1.20 ct. diamonds. VS-SI losing strength, except in 1.20 to 1.49 ct. Well-cut stones seeing shortages. Excellent shapes commanding premiums. Retailers offering broader product ranges as consumers seek alternative cuts. Oversizes trading at higher prices than usual. Off-make, poorly cut fancies illiquid and hard to sell.