IDEX Publishes 2017 Diamond Pipeline – The Calm Before The Storm

(IDEX Online) – IDEX is publishing the 2017 Diamond Pipeline in the May edition of IDEX Magazine.

Produced by Pranay Narvekar and Chaim Even-Zohar, the authoritative annual analysis looks at the latest developments in the diamond world, and provides insights about future directions.

"In 2017, the diamond industry witnessed a period of relative calm and a semblance of balance," the report states. "While midstream profitability improved, it’s debatable whether profitability levels are yet sustainable. The supply of diamonds increased as new mines started up, and producers who had held back sales in the last couple of months of 2016 (due to the demonetization in India affecting the small-scale polishing sector) sold down their excess inventories.

"All of this meant that the price of polished dropped slightly during 2017, as the increased demand was not able to keep pace with additional supplies. Moreover, the increased supplies of both undisclosed and disclosed lab-grown diamonds adversely impacted the demand for natural ones. This further weakened the market’s ability to maintain firmer polished prices.

"However, this current situation might only be the calm before the storm. The industry is heading into a period where the next few years will see some of the fundamental operating principles of the industry undergo changes."

Click here to read the article in this month's edition of IDEX Magazine.

Click here to download the PDF of the 2017 Diamond Pipeline.