Pinks Top Fancy-Color Price Index

Prices of fancy-color diamonds grew 0.1% in the first quarter compared with the previous three months amid a strong market for pinks, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF). 

Pink fancy-color prices gained 0.2%, with fancy-vivid pinks leading the charge, up 0.8%, FCRF said Monday. Within that category, the top performers were 1-carat diamonds, with a rise of 2.1%, and 1.5-carat stones, which advanced 1.9%. 

Prices of yellow fancy-color diamonds slipped 0.1% from the previous quarter. The strongest in the category was the 8-carat, fancy-vivid-yellow, which “outperformed,” gaining 1.1%, FCRF noted. Meanwhile, blue fancy-color prices fell 0.4% overall. The top performer in the blue segment was the fancy-intense, 2-carat blue diamond segment, which improved by 0.6%. 

Over the past 12 months, the 1-carat, fancy-vivid-pink saw the highest rise, up 12%, while the 10-carat fancy-blue experienced the largest decline, dropping 4.6%. Since the FCRF first began collecting data in 2005, pink diamonds have increased by 399%, blue diamonds have grown 249% and yellows gained 59%, it said. 

“Seeing the fluctuations of most financial markets and the underperformance of colorless diamonds, it’s reassuring to witness colored diamonds as an island of stability in this financial climate,” said FCRF data supplier David Shara. 

Image: A pink diamond ring. (Sotheby’s)