The most pressing fundamental issue for the global diamond industry today is the decline in consumer demand. Hopefully, this is changing, as US retail sales of fine jewelry have posted several consecutive rises recently, signaling a turn for the better. In August of this year, fine jewelry sales increased 2.4% year-over-year, the fourth consecutive month of increases. Fine jewelry sales …
Diamond Business - Page 5 of 7
A constant examination of the global diamond business from mining to retail. Using industry data and analytics, it is explained in context with clarity.
What is the Diamond Industry?
The diamond industry is a fascinating sector, with a rich and, at times, controversial history. To satisfy global consumer demand for diamond jewelry, the diamond industry invests in exploration and has developed new ways to extract diamonds from the ground.
It employs sophisticated ways to assess rough diamonds without the need to first cut them open, and has developed state-of-the-art technologies to plan diamond polishing. In addition, the industry has sophisticated ways to grade diamonds, and a complex way for determining a diamond’s value.
The diamond industry also includes design and jewelry manufacturing. Some are ultra-modern, and others very traditional. In all cases, they address consumer demand and tastes.
Are Diamonds Expensive?
Diamonds come in all sizes and clarities, and in many colors. The rarer a diamond, the higher is its value. Some are very pricy, and some are less so. There is a diamond for every budget.
Along the value chain, miners, polishers, jewelry makers and retailers do not have a wider margin than their counterparts in other sectors.
Surprised? Read the following insight posts and reports to learn more about the economics of the diamond industry.
What Are the Components of the Diamond Industry?
The diamond industry includes:
- Exploration
- Mining
- Rough diamond sales
- Diamond polishing
- Polished diamond wholesaling
- Jewelry making
- Retailing
- Consumer demand
The following posts provide insights into how exactly the diamond industry works, the ways miners sell rough diamonds, how diamond polishers tackle changing demand in a lengthy polishing process, and the financial issues that all parts of the diamond industry face.
For a deeper look into this topic, please see below:
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Consumer Expenditure on Jewelry Sinks
A review of US consumer expenditure on fine jewelry in the past year is sobering at best. Americans are spending a lot less on jewelry, and this is a near across the board trend. In every demographic, nearly every segment of the demographic spent less on jewelry, and at times every segment spent less. Overall, the average US household spent …
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How Sightholders Take Care of Business – A Market Report
From retailers in Middle America to jewelry manufacturers in India, from polishers in Israel to rough traders in Antwerp and miners in Africa – the global diamond industry seems tired, pessimistic and gloomy. Everyone in the pipeline is seeing their sales decline and their turnover shrink, with improvement resting on a distant horizon – constantly receding. It seemed that no …
The Diamond Austerity
In July, diamond miners will offer fewer goods, but in August – this saga will be of a greater magnitude. A diamond austerity plan is needed.
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Is the Diamond Market Screeching to a Halt?
From top to bottom, the diamond market is changing, and in most places the change is anything but positive. The upcoming Sight, business failures in India and Israel and the languishing retail market all have issues. Not all is bad though, there is some good news as well. Rough Diamond Market: Worry about the Next Sight The upcoming Sight is …
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Yikes! Jewelry Losing Market Share (and Consumer Interest)
Since October 2014, sales by specialty jewelers have been declining, while total retail sales in the US have been expanding, leading to a steady, yet constant loss in fine jewelry market share. Clearly, when given a choice, American consumers prefer spending their money on products other than jewelry. However, even in the recent past, this was not always the case. …
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Buying and Crying, the Longest Diamond Recession
Sometimes, when talking with Sightholders, they have a strong, even passionate opinion about their Sight supplies, prices and the state of the market. This happens at times of instability. At other times, their views are quite moderate, yielding to the market and everything that is happening in it at the moment. However, during a turbulent period, it is very rare …
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The Jewelry Retail Challenge: Think H&M
As we all know, the jewelry retail sector is struggling and facing many challenges: from declining consumer interest to limited marketing, from competing categories to unclear propositions, from confidence-eroding scandals to difficult pricing. Even benchmarking performance and prices is not widely available. And these are just internal issues. The question is no longer if the jewelry retail landscape is challenging, …
10 Things Learned at the Las Vegas Trade Shows
The Las Vegas trade show not only spotlighted where the problems are in the diamond industry, they also showed where positive change activity is taking place, possibly signaling the way for the rest of the industry. The JCK Las Vegas and Couture shows started with a certain degree of promise, and even though they suffered from low foot traffic, they …
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Economic Indicators – Just What Are They Indicating?
Economic indicators for the US jewelry market are showing a long term downward trend and price is not the reason for lost consumer demand.
