Fancy-Color Index Sees Decline in 2020

RAPAPORT... Prices of fancy-color diamonds slipped 0.7% in the first nine months of the year, remaining relatively steady despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) said."The [Fancy Color Diamond Index] displayed a general stability in relation to this chaotic period," the FCRF noted last week.The index for yellows slipped 0.3% for the three months ending September 30, compared with prices for the same category in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the FCRF. Both blue and pink fancy-color diamonds decreased 0.8% for the same time frame. The FCRF usually compares prices on a quarter-on-quarter basis, but was unable to publish results for the last two quarters as most jewelry businesses were shut due to the pandemic.The strongest decrease in the yellow category was in the 5-carat, fancy-intense division, which slid 2.4% from the fourth quarter of last year, while 8-carat, fancy-intense yellows showed the most significant increase, rising 1% during the period. The pink category saw both the largest price drop, with 10-carat fancy-vivid pinks declining 3.5%, and the highest price rise, as 1.50-carat fancy-vivid pinks climbed 1.5%."While diamond trading is not yet fully back to pre-Covid-19 'normalcy,' we are clearly seeing an increasing fancy-color diamond transaction activity as a result of governments easing regulatory restrictions," said FCRF advisory board member Oren Schneider. "We are looking forward to further improvement in the business environment leading into 2021."The index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy-color diamonds in Hong Kong, New York, Geneva and Tel Aviv.Image: Fancy-color diamonds. (Fancy Color Research Foundation)