Diamond prices have fallen to the lowest point this century.
Wholesale prices for natural diamonds are roughly 30% to 40% lower than the peaks in 2021. In the retail market, the price of a typical mainstream 1-carat natural round diamond falls between $3,530 and $3,860. Such a quote would have been almost unimaginable just three years ago, when comparable rough diamonds were more than one-third higher than they are now.
The collapse in prices is the result of three forces acting at the same time: excess supply, weakening demand, and a surge in lab-grown diamonds that have the same chemical composition but cost 70% to 85% less. The problem with lab-grown diamonds is that they are nearly indistinguishable from natural diamonds to both the naked eye and under instruments, yet they are much cheaper.
Natural diamonds have fallen even more sharply. Wholesale prices for lab-grown diamonds have dropped by more than 75% since 2022. Looking only at March 2025, lab-grown diamonds of comparable quality fell by 29.9%, while natural diamonds during the same period fell by just 4%.
China accounts for more than 60% of global output of synthetic diamonds. In the first half of this year, exports of lab-grown diamonds rose 65.3% year over year. Once a supply can be replicated, it becomes hard to sustain the narrative—this is worth comparing side by side with Bitcoin.
Any scarcity that can be manufactured ultimately has to be priced at cost.
#比特币 #大宗商品
Wholesale prices for natural diamonds are roughly 30% to 40% lower than the peaks in 2021. In the retail market, the price of a typical mainstream 1-carat natural round diamond falls between $3,530 and $3,860. Such a quote would have been almost unimaginable just three years ago, when comparable rough diamonds were more than one-third higher than they are now.
The collapse in prices is the result of three forces acting at the same time: excess supply, weakening demand, and a surge in lab-grown diamonds that have the same chemical composition but cost 70% to 85% less. The problem with lab-grown diamonds is that they are nearly indistinguishable from natural diamonds to both the naked eye and under instruments, yet they are much cheaper.
Natural diamonds have fallen even more sharply. Wholesale prices for lab-grown diamonds have dropped by more than 75% since 2022. Looking only at March 2025, lab-grown diamonds of comparable quality fell by 29.9%, while natural diamonds during the same period fell by just 4%.
China accounts for more than 60% of global output of synthetic diamonds. In the first half of this year, exports of lab-grown diamonds rose 65.3% year over year. Once a supply can be replicated, it becomes hard to sustain the narrative—this is worth comparing side by side with Bitcoin.
Any scarcity that can be manufactured ultimately has to be priced at cost.
#比特币 #大宗商品
