A trend that has become apparent over the past year is that the diamond industry has been increasingly accepting of fluorescence in diamonds, on condition that it does not impact the luster or beauty of the stone, UNI says in its latest Natural Diamond Price Trends Analysis.
In fact, research conducted by various gem labs, including HRD Antwerp, even shows that with blue fluorescence in the mid-color range you tend you see an improvement in the color grade, and hence also in the price.
What’s particularly striking is that we are seeing prices of fluorescent diamonds drawing closer to those of non-fluorescent diamonds, UNI reports:
“We had begun our analysis looking at prices in general, separating rounds from fancy cuts to get a better understanding of how prices have changed over time in the D to L color range. We then decided to look at the stones from a more detailed perspective, comparing the diamonds with no fluorescence to those in the medium through very strongly fluorescent categories.
“What we noticed is that while price movement for non- fluorescent in the round and fancy-cut categories was varied, a common trend for fluorescent diamonds in both categories was upward, closing the gap with non-fluorescent stones (See Figure 1).
Figure 1.
“If we break this down to white and near-colorless diamonds, we can see that the increase in fluorescent prices is noticeable across the board (See Figure 2).
Figure 2.
“But to really understand the trend, we had to dig deeper. We also needed to look at the impact on diamonds below and above 1 carat (See Figure 3).
“Here we noticed that larger fluorescent diamonds have demonstrated a more comprehensive price correction, although it should be noted that smaller fluorescent diamonds (from 30 points to 0.99 carats) have perennially remained closer and tighter in price to their non-fluorescent counterparts.
Figure 3.
“We also noticed that the increase in fluorescent diamond prices is more accentuated with diamonds that are near-colorless – G, H and I colors (See Figure 4).
Figure 4.
“Our analysis lends credence to the growing body of evidence that both that retailers and consumers are discovering that fluorescence in a diamond can be considered as something unique and beautiful. The recent focus on this category by Alrosa, which is now deliberately marketing fluorescent diamonds, and the revision by GIA to explain fluorescence as a unique property of natural diamonds, are both key reasons for this change.
“This unique phenomenon of light within diamonds must be better explained to the consumers, and studies such as the one conducted by HRD Antwerp, as well as future research projects that will be conducted, will improve the positioning of fluorescent diamonds in the natural diamond product range.
“In general we are encouraged to see how the prices in general have improved, both for fluorescent and non- fluorescent diamonds. These are all great signs that the natural diamond industry is moving in the right direction, and is much healthier today than in pre-COVID times.
“UNI will continue to track this topic and others. We look forward to providing you with more interesting analyses, hopefully showing how our industry is growing stronger.”
