Pink Diamonds Show Strongest Price Growth

Prices of pink fancy-color diamonds outperformed other major color categories during the second quarter, the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) said. Prices of pinks rose 0.4% quarter on quarter for the three months ending June 30, according to the FCRF, which released its quarterly Fancy Color Diamond Index (FCDI) last week. By contrast, prices of blue fancy-color diamonds declined 0.3% compared with the first quarter, while yellows slid 0.8%, the organization said. The overall index for fancy-color diamonds slipped 0.1%. The fancy-vivid-pink category saw a price increase of 1.3%. Within that division, 2-carat fancy-vivid pinks rose 2.8%, while those weighing 3 carats climbed 2.6%. However, prices of 1-carat pink diamonds dropped 0.7%, with 1.5-carat stones falling 0.2%. The rise in pink prices is likely attributable to media coverage surrounding the upcoming closure of Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Australia, which is famous for its pink diamonds, noted Alan Bronstein, president of the Natural Color Diamond Association. While blue diamonds weighing between 1 and 3 carats saw increases, the overall price was dragged down by a 0.9% decline in the 8-to-10-carat category, FCRF explained. The downturn in prices of yellow fancy-color diamonds was led by a drop for stones weighing 1 to 3 carats, with 1-carat yellows falling 2.7%. However, prices of 8-carat fancy-yellow diamonds increased 2.1% in the second quarter, compared with a decrease of 4.8% in the first three months of the year. The weak demand that has persisted in the market overall is also likely affecting prices of colored diamonds, the FCRF said. “The recent price declines in the white goods created an overall negative psychological effect on all diamonds,” explained FCRF advisory board member Eden Rachminov. “This is probably the reason we also witnessed a decline of 0.1% in the Fancy Color Index.” The index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy-color diamonds in Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv. Image: Pink and yellow fancy-color diamonds. (Fancy Color Research Foundation)