Polished diamond prices rallied in December, with most size categories showing gains for the full year, Rapaport group said in a release. Steady demand, supply scarcities and high rough prices buoyed the market, it noted.
The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 1-carat diamonds rose 5.3% in December and 17.4% for 2021 overall.
RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™)
| December | 4Q 2021 | FY 2021 | |
| RAPI 0.30 ct. | 1.2% | 0.8% | -0.8% |
| RAPI 0.50 ct. | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| RAPI 1 ct. | 5.3% | 6.0% | 17.4% |
| RAPI 3 ct. | 5.1% | 10.9% | 18.7% |
© Copyright 2022, Rapaport USA Inc
Sentiment has been positive following the strongest holiday season the diamond trade has seen in over a decade, Rapaport added. Jewellery sales grew 32% year on year for the period spanning 1st November to 24th December, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse.
Dealers were busy late into the season. Jewellers required goods for the last-minute Christmas rush, and the industry was anticipating steady post-holiday trading. Finding the right merchandise remains the biggest challenge at present despite the build-up of midstream inventory, it said. The number of diamonds listed on RapNet was 59% higher on 1st January than a year earlier.
Manufacturers maintained polished price levels in part because of high rough costs. Rough prices climbed by an estimated average of 23% during 2021, putting a squeeze on manufacturing profit margins. De Beers and Alrosa kept prices unchanged in December and saw relatively small sales during the month, Rapaport noted.
Rough sales will likely spike in January. Manufacturers expect the major miners to increase their prices as polished trading picks up in the first quarter, a time when jewellers and dealers typically replenish goods they’ve sold during the holiday season. Far East demand is also supporting the market ahead of the Chinese New Year on 1st February.
Jewellers are carefully managing inventory levels amid uncertainty about economic prospects in the first half of the year, especially with Covid-19’s Omicron variant continuing to spread. They’ll be looking to build on the momentum of 2021, which will support stronger activity throughout the pipeline in 2022, Rapaport predicted.