US and global diamond market – Current outlook

The US economy is certainly not at its very best but this didn’t cause the stagnation of US diamond market. On the contrary, even despite relatively high prices, there is a constant demand for round, 0.75-carat to 2.00-carat, F-H diamonds.

Fancy colored diamonds are also becoming increasingly popular, mostly because it is very difficult to find enough high end fancies for the richest clientele as they are always in short supply.

Christmas is not that far away and this is traditionally a peak time for diamond sales in United States. It is expected that U.S. retail sales for the Christmas season 2011 could increase by 3 percent compared to 2010.

On the global level there have been several reports about very weak trade of polished diamonds from Belgium, Israel and India because of the extremely cautious economic environment marked by price uncertainties.

China is expecting to see significant sale rise in October 2011 because National Day Golden Week holiday begins on October 1. It is also expected that by end of this year diamonds will experience decrease in prices and this is the main reason why Chinese retail buyers weren't going for large inventory purchases.

The last quarter of 2011 will decide whether the year 2011 will receive good final grade for global diamond industry. Many experts expect it to be better than the previous year but with the global economic uncertainties there is still plenty of uncertainty in the air.