The Q1 2020 issue of the Golan Diamond Market Report reviews transaction polished diamond prices, changes in midstream inventory & demand, and updates on prices and demand in the LGD market. All that, plus an exploration of consumer attitudes.
Diamond Manufacturing
The economics and activities of diamond manufacturing. A sensible place to start a background journey into the midsection of the diamond value chain.
What is Diamond Manufacturing?
It is the series of actions that transform a rough diamond into a polished diamond ready to be set in a jewelry item. It is an activity that not only transforms a rough stone into a polished diamond, the transformation process is also where the most value is added to a diamond.
The polishing process takes place in the midsection of the diamond value chain, commonly referred to as the midstream. Here is the place where knowledge, skill, and cutting edge technology come together, and are of the outmost importance for the diamond value chain.
What Happens in Diamond Manufacturing?
Diamond manufacturing involves:
- Rough diamond purchasing
- Rough diamond assessment
- Sophisticated technological tools
- Cutting
- Polishing
- Grading
- Wholesale of polished diamonds
Where are Most Diamonds Manufactured?
The majority of diamonds are polished in India. Manufacturing also takes place in Belgium, Israel, China, and Thailand.
Issues Related to Diamond Manufacturing
This section of the diamond value chain is not just the key transformation spot for diamonds, it is also the most vulnerable part of the diamond value chain. It is heavily reliant on complex financing and suffers from the thinnest margins of all sections of the diamond industry.
It also bears the greatest risk. Diamonds can break during the polishing process. The thin margins and difficult profitability means that business and can easily fall into losses. Most manufacturers are in a volume business, which does not lend itself to improved profitability.
For a deeper look into this topic, please see below:
Lack of Confidence Hurts Diamond Prices
Wholesale polished diamond prices declined in February as diamond manufacturers lose confidence in the short-term prospects
Polished Diamond Prices Rise in January
Wholesale polished diamond prices rose in January in response to improved demand and lower wholesaler inventories. Wholesale prices of 1-carat round diamonds rose 3.7% MoM in January. US jewelry sales popped up 4.4% YoY in December, capping a slow year with sales rising just 0.7%.
The Golan Diamond Market Report – Q4 2019
The Q4 2019 issue of the Golan Diamond Market Report reviews transaction polished diamond prices, changes in midstream inventory & demand, takes an in-depth dive in to the activity of the main diamond centers, with updates on prices and demand in the growing LGD market. All that, plus an exploration into consumer attitudes towards diamond jewelry and engagement rings, checking who is interested in LGD around the world.
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Diamond Industry Financing Is Shrinking. This Is What It Means
Diamond industry financing has considerably declined over the last couple of years, hitting a 15 year low. The industry views this as unfavorable; yet, this can be debated. A recent $3 billion “savings” provided it with a rare opportunity to realign.
The Golan Diamond Market Report – Q3 2019
After an extended period of stunted demand in the consumer, wholesale, and manufacturing sectors of the global diamond value chain, at the end of the third quarter, there are a few small signs of improvement. Following the deep decline in the second quarter of the year, US jewelry sales surprisingly picked up in July, although, cyclically, it is a month …
Did a Troubled 2017 Promise Growth in 2018?
Is the diamond industry moving forward? Is it on a growth track? Is it taking steps that would lead it to capture market share from other luxury goods, greater share of wallet, or at least improve its margins? Looking at 2017, it was somewhat better than 2016, which in turn was an improvement over 2015. Yet an uneasy feeling is …
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What Set Up the Latest Bankruptcy?
I’ll open with a confession: I don’t know where I’m going with this text. I usually start writing knowing what I want to say, and with a conclusion in mind. The conclusion is a destination. But not today. The thing is that it’s not just me – it’s the industry too. We don’t know where we are going, and that …
KP: Production Value Plunges, China Caves, and Manufacturers Focus
A look at the recently released Kimberley Process (KP) figures for 2016 reveals several interesting trends affecting the global diamond industry. First is that the top five producing countries have lost some of their market share as diamond production plunged, fewer rough diamonds are going through China, and yet this is still a very concentrated industry from a country perspective. …
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A Market in Chaos
What an unusual period we are in. Looking back a month, everything appears to be upside down. Rough diamond imports were out of sync: values were up, but not volumes. Polished diamond exports ahead of JCK were lopsided. Polished diamond prices eased instead of rising, but rough prices increased. Are these signs of a normal market, or of a diamond …
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