(IDEX Online) - During the third quarter of 2018 prices of fancy color blue and pink diamonds rose by 0.7% and 0.4% respectively in all sizes and saturation levels, according to the Fancy Color Diamond Index published by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).
At the same time, overall fancy color diamond prices showed no significant change and increased by only 0.1%, the FCRF said. Yellow fancy color diamonds showed a decrease of 1.0% in prices during the same period. Fancy vivid blue diamonds continued to outperform, rising 8.5% in the past 12 months and 1.1% in Q3 2018.
A distinctive difference in price trends was seen in the 1 carat category; pink diamonds remained stable, blue diamonds increased by 4.7%, yellow diamonds decreased by 2.2%, while intense yellow 1 carat diamond prices increased by 1.1%, the FCRF reported.
On a year-to-year basis, when compared to Q3 2017, the Fancy Color Diamond Index increased by 0.4%, with blue prices up 5.9% and yellow and pink prices down by 1.6% and 0.5%, respectively.
FCRF Advisory Board member Eden Rachminov said, "In my opinion, the price of fancy yellow is influenced by the general mood of many diamond traders that carry a mixed inventory of colorless and yellows. Due to the slowdown in the colorless business and to compensate in their general turnover, these traders slightly lower the prices of yellows."