Market Comment

The diamond trade’s trusted bulletin for pricing, trends and news

Weekly since 1980

June 12, 2025

News:

Las Vegas fairs reflect split market. Luxury show strong, with retailers and consumers buying high-end jewelry. JCK mixed. Jewelry solid. Steady demand for 2 ct. and larger rounds. Long fancies hot. Round goods under 1.20 ct. sluggish. Large retailers postponing orders until tariffs become clearer. Exhibitors with pre-tariff inventory had advantage. Overseas companies that shipped goods through temporary importation under bond (TIB) unable to sell directly. Retailers shifting back to natural as synthetics margins fall. Good trading at Antique and Couture fairs. Prices and flexibility stable at De Beers sight. Debswana pauses part of Botswana production. Indian market quiet. Martin Rapaport captivates large crowd at JCK breakfast.

Fancies:

Long fancy shapes such as Oval, Marquise and Emerald doing better than rounds in 2 ct. and larger. High-quality Marquise, long Radiants and long Cushions in short supply. Long Cushions easy to sell and trading at 20% to 25% premium over square Cushions. Solid US interest in elongated Ovals of good shape and quality in D-I, VS-SI categories. Oval and Pear, 0.30 to 0.49 ct., F-I, VS diamonds in demand. Ovals 5% to 10% more expensive than Pears in US market. Very well-cut fancy shapes difficult to find and commanding premiums. Fancies with bad proportions are illiquid.

Country Comments

United States
United States

Las Vegas shows reflect positive consumer demand, with tariffs having minimal impact on spending. Retailers stocking diamond jewelry, especially in the high-end segment, but only buying loose diamonds for specific orders; they want to avoid buying the latter for stock in case tariffs end up lower. 2 ct. and larger diamonds robust, with fancies performing better than rounds. US polished dealers happy with the shows.

Belgium
Belgium

Market mixed, with some signs of improvement. Dealers waiting for updates on tariffs and hoping things will get better after that. Steady orders for 7 ct. and larger diamonds, which are in short supply. Not many Belgian exhibitors at Las Vegas shows.

Israel
Israel

Israelis report average JCK show with good demand for large fancies. Overseas companies had harder time than usual, as they couldn’t directly sell the items they’d shipped in via temporary importation under bond (TIB).

India
India

Market quiet, as many dealers are in US. Exhibitors reporting solid trading in larger, higher-quality diamonds at JCK, especially in fancy shapes. Domestic Indian demand lower than before. Industry awaiting news on US-India tariff agreement.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Activity slow. Not much buzz about next week’s Jewellery & Gem Asia Hong Kong show. Chinese retail weak, with jewelers reassessing their strategies.

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