Are diamond prices running low these days, or is that hype?

[Coryd]

Hello! This is my first post, although I''ve been lurking here on and off for years. I remember that last fall and this spring there were a lot of news articles that said that diamond prices were going to go very low because of the recession, and that they were likely to be the lowest in our lifetimes because the diamond mines are going to be played out in twenty years or so, driving prices up.

What I want to know is whether this is translating to lower retail prices per carat in the under 1 ct and 1 ct range. I am considering stones that are 0.76 and 1.02 ct. Is this all hype, or are per-carat retail prices really low and I should hurry up and buy before the economy recovers?

 

[strmrdr]

Here is the chart showing the recent past...
As far as the future prices will go up eventually but who knows when and how far.

https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-pricing-history-chart.asp

 

[Phoenix]

I don't think prices are running low. I had a jeweller offering to buy my 3.02ct RB F VS2 for $60k recently, and that's from a jeweller! So he must have another client looking for something like this and he must be planning to mark it up. I was seriously considering his offer but then when I searched around for a replacement or something slightly larger (Yes, I still want to keep my 3carater in addition to getting another bigger one - some PS'ers may know this

), I couldn't find anything like mine for that price or similar.

 

[Black Jade]

Lots of people aren''t buying jewelry right now, so although the price may not be listed as lower, I think it is easier to try to make a deal, once you have shopped around and found where the best prices are for what you want. I have read that the only jewelry category still going strong right now is engagement rings and that the amount that men will spend for an engagment ring in the current economy has gone down. It''s gone down 15% since last year.
http://www.luxist.com/2009/06/20/engagement-rings-changing-in-the-recession/
People are cutting either the size, or the color/clarity.
In a climate like this, it doesn''t hurt to ask.
As to what diamonds will do longterm, I don''t think anybody knows--if you want one now (and have the cash) get one now.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

I bought a ring with small diamonds down the side the other day.. 3 days later, the price has gone up 75 bucks.