FCDI Q4 2016
Driven by demand for blue diamonds, fancy color diamond prices up slightly in 2016
Blue fancy color price rise offset by continued decline in fancy yellow diamond prices
New York, February 2, 2017: Demand for blue diamonds increased substantially during 2016, while demand for yellows continued to fall. For the full year 2016, the Fancy Color Diamond Index rose by 0.4%, driven by price increases for blue and pink diamonds of 5.5% and 1.4%, respectively, and offset by a 4.0% decline in prices of yellow diamonds.
According to wholesale pricing data collected by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), on average prices for fancy color diamonds remained unchanged in the Q4 2016. The overall trends were similar to the ones identified in the first three quarters. For more than 18 months, transactional data has pointed to two clear pricing trends: consistent demand-driven price increases for blue fancy color diamonds, partially offset by continued price declines in lower-cost, commercial yellow fancy color diamonds.
In the fourth quarter of 2016 prices of blue diamonds increased 1.5%, while pink diamond prices remained largely unchanged. Prices of yellow diamonds declined by 1.4%, more than during the third quarter of the year. Overall, prices in the fancy color diamond category were slightly down during Q4, while prices of white diamonds decreased significantly during the same period, as a result of the India liquidity crisis. According to RAPI™, 0.50 and 1.00 carat white diamonds declined by 4.8% and 3.0%, respectively, between October and December 2016.
| Category | Q4/16 vs. Q3/16 | Q4/16 vs. Q4/15 |
| All fancy color diamonds | (0.2%) | 0.4% |
| All fancy yellow diamonds | (1.4%) | (4.0%) |
| All fancy pink diamonds | (0.2%) | 1.4% |
| All fancy blue diamonds | 1.5% | 5.5% |
The strongest price performers during Q4 2016 were the fancy vivid blue in the 10ct, 1ct and 2ct categories, appreciating by 5.6%, 4.8% and 4.3%, respectively. On the other side, price declines between 1-2% were identified across most yellow categories, including “fancy”, intense and vivid. Nevertheless, rare yellow diamonds (namely unique intense and vivid yellow) did not see price declines.
The Fancy Color Diamond Index is calculated based on live pricing inputs from a large sample of the world’s leading traders of fancy color diamonds in Asia, United States and the Middle East. The Index is published by the non-profit Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), and tracks pricing data for yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds.
FCRF Advisory Board chairman Jim Pounds said, “Blue fancy color diamond prices are at their all-time peak due to a combination of very thin supply and a healthy demand. Overall, high quality, and well cut vivid blues and pinks do not exist in sufficient volume to create price stability”. He added: “Highly saturated yellow rough diamonds, especially vivids, have recently achieved high prices in tenders, likely representing improved demand that will impact prices.”
FCDI Q3 2016
Demand for natural blue diamonds drives continued fancy color diamond price increases
Fancy vivid blue price appreciation more than offsets ongoing softness in commercial fancy yellow diamond prices
New York, November 3, 2016:
Analysis of wholesale pricing data, conducted by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), reveals that fancy color diamond prices continued to climb at a moderate pace in the period between July and October 2016, very similar to the data reading during the period of April to June 2016. For more than a year now, transactional data testifies to two opposite pricing trends in fancy color diamonds: consistent demand-driven price increases for pink and more notably blue diamonds, partially offset by continued price declines in lower-cost, commercial yellow diamonds.
Prices of blue and pink diamonds increased 1.2% and 0.5%, respectively, in the third quarter. Prices of yellow diamonds have declined by 0.1%, more than during the second quarter of the year. Overall, prices in the fancy color diamond category climbed by 0.4% for the period. During the same period, prices of white diamonds continued sliding, a multi-year trend by now. According to RAPI™, white diamonds declined by 4.3% between January and October 2016, with significant declines during October (including 2.3% for 1 carat diamonds).
| Category | Q3/16 vs. Q2/16 | Q3/16 vs. Q3/15 |
| All fancy color diamonds | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| All fancy yellow diamonds | (0.1%) | (1.6%) |
| All fancy pink diamonds | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| All fancy blue diamonds | 1.2% | 3.2% |
The strongest price performers during Q3 2016 were the fancy vivid blue and fancy pink categories across all carat sizes, appreciating by 6.7% and 3.1%, respectively. On the other side, price declines between 1-3%were captured for all yellow categories, including fancy, intense and vivid. Trader interviews reveal that certain intense and vivid yellow diamond shapes such as rounds, pears and emeralds, did not experience price declines.
For the trailing 12 months through October 2016, the Fancy Color Diamond Index appreciated by 0.9%, driven by prices increases for blue and pink diamonds of 3.2% and 1.7%, respectively, and offset by a 1.6% decline in prices of yellow diamonds.
The Fancy Color Diamond Index is calculated based on live pricing inputs from a large sample of the world’s leading traders of fancy color diamonds in Asia, United States and the Middle East. The Index is published by theFancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), and tracks pricing data for yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds.
According to FCRF Advisory Board chairman Ephraim Zion, “high quality, rare fancy color diamonds, especially well cut vivid blues and vivid pinks, have continuously demonstrated their price resilience, as their supply is very limited, effectively neutralizing the effect of economic conditions on consumer demand”. He further commented that “it is encouraging to see some stabilization in the prices of commercial fancy yellow product, as inventories mainly in the US are running low after a long period of sluggish demand”.
FCDI Q2 2016
Fancy color diamond prices rise slightly in Q2 2016
Fancy blue and pink diamond price increases partially offset by commercial fancy yellow price drops
New York, August 15, 2016: According to data collected and analyzed by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), fancy color diamond prices edged up in the period between April and June 2016, after a relatively soft first quarter. Overall, price performance during Q2 was broadly in line with long-term trends in which continued demand-driven price increases for pink and blue fancy color diamonds are partially offset by continued price declines for lower-cost, commercial yellow fancy color diamonds.
Blue and pink fancy color diamonds saw a 1.1% and 0.7% price increase, respectively, in the second quarter. Yellow fancy color diamonds saw price declines of 0.5%, less than during the first quarter. Overall, prices in the fancy color diamond category rose by 0.4% for the period. In sharp contrast, according to RAPI™, white diamond prices declined across the board during Q2 2016, declining between 0.7-5.6% with the 3-carat category again being the worst performer.
| Category | Q2/16 vs. Q1/16 | Q2/16 vs. Q2/15 |
| All fancy color diamonds | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| All fancy yellow diamonds | (0.5%) | (3.5%) |
| All fancy pink diamonds | 0.7% | 1.7% |
| All fancy blue diamonds | 1.1% | 4.1% |
In terms of specific color and size categories, the strongest performers during Q2 2016 were fancy intense and vivid blues and fancy vivid pinks across all carat sizes. Most notably, the fancy vivid blue category saw an 8.6% price leap during the period, driven by the 1ct and 5ct size brackets. In contrast, the fancy yellow grade category declined by 3.7%, mainly driven by sluggish demand for the 3ct and 5ct sizes.
On an annual basis, when compared to Q2 2015, the Fancy Color Diamond Index was up 0.5%, with blue and pink fancy color diamonds up 4.1% and 1.7%, respectively, and fancy yellow diamonds down 3.5%.The Fancy Color Diamond Index is calculated based on live pricing inputs from a large sample of the world’s leading traders of fancy color diamonds in Asia, the United States and the Middle East. The Index is published by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), and tracks pricing data for yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds.
FCRF Advisory Board chairman Eden Rachminov commented that “unsurprisingly, fancy intense and fancy vivid color diamonds of all colors enjoy robust demand in the market, driven mainly by supply scarcity that is not likely to change in the foreseeable future”. He added that “the situation is different with commercial fancy yellow goods, which is being adversely affected by sluggish U.S. demand”.
FCDI Q1 2016
Fancy Color Diamond Index: Blue fancy color diamond prices rose 1.7% in Q1 2016
Yellow fancy color diamond prices decline by 1.8%, driven mainly by 1-3 carat fancy yellow.
New York, May 4, 2016: The Fancy Color Diamond Index for the first quarter of 2016 showed fancy blue diamond prices rising by 1.7%. During the same period, fancy yellow diamonds saw price declines of 1.8%, while fancy pink diamonds saw a 0.3% price increase.
Overall prices in the fancy color diamond category remained largely unchanged for the period. In comparison, according to RAPI™, white diamonds prices were mixed during Q1 2016, with the 0.5-carat and 1-carat categories growing by 5.2% and 1.4% respectively, and the 3-carat category declining by 2.9%.
The strongest performing price categories during Q1 2016 were fancy intense blue and fancy vivid blue across all carat sizes, as well as fancy vivid pinks 5ct and up. The fancy yellow category, especially in small carat weights, was responsible for most of the category price declines.
The Fancy Color Diamond Index during Q1 2016 indicates that most trends identified during 2015 are being sustained. The decline in fancy yellow diamond prices echoes the first 3 quarters of 2015, although it is a departure from Q4 2016, when fancy yellow diamond prices rose 1.1%.
| Category | Q1/16 vs. Q4/15 | Q1/16 vs. Q1/15 |
| All fancy color diamonds | (0.1%) | 0.6% |
| All fancy yellow diamonds | (1.8%) | (3.3%) |
| All fancy pink diamonds | 0.3% | 1.7% |
| All fancy blue diamonds | 1.7% | 4.8% |
On a year-on-year basis, when compared to Q1 2015, the Fancy Color Diamond Index is up 0.6% with fancy blue and fancy pink up 4.8% and 1.7%, respectively, and fancy yellow down 3.3%. As in Q4 2015, across all color segments, fancy intense and fancy vivid diamonds demonstrated robust price increases, which were offset to some extent by price declines of color diamonds in the “Fancy” category.
The Fancy Color Diamond Index is published by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), and tracks pricing data for yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds. The Fancy Color Diamond Index is based on input from leading fancy color diamond traders in three key global trading centers – Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv. The Index is continually and selectively expanding its data supplier base. In the past quarter six new data suppliers were added, bringing the total to 26.
FCRF Advisory Board chairman Eden Rachminov commented that “mine supply of highly coveted fancy vivid blues and pinks continues to be scarce, while demand for this category continues to grow. This trend is likely to continue well into 2016 as dealers are holding firm on prices in view of the demand-supply imbalance”.