Fancy pink diamond prices rose slightly in the first quarter of the year, outpacing its blue and yellow counterparts, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).

Overall prices decreased by 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter largely due to a drop in yellow diamond prices. Pink diamonds increased by 0.5 percent from Q4 2018 while prices of blue and yellow diamonds were down 0.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, results of FCRF’s Q1 2019 Fancy Color Diamond Index showed. FCRF tracks pricing data for yellow, pink and blue fancy colour diamonds in Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.

FCRF Advisory Board member Oren Schneider commented, “At a time of diamond market uncertainty, fuelled by growing white diamond inventory and the emergence of lab-grown diamonds, most categories of fancy colour diamonds are showing continued pricing stability, with the pink segment posting slight price increases.”

The slight increase in pink diamond prices was led by the 3-carat and 5-carat vivid pink categories, which increased by an average of 3.1 percent. Prices of 1-carat fancy intense blues meanwhile rose 3.9 percent in Q1 2019 while 1.5-carat fancy blue category showed an increase of 3.4 percent. Prices of fancy vivid blue diamonds of 1.5 carats were up 1.3 percent. The overall blue segment however decreased by 0.2 percent on average. 

Despite a drop in overall yellow diamond prices, the 1-carat fancy yellow category saw an upturn of 1.2 percent, a recovery from a 1.6 percent drop in 2018. 

Year-on-year, the Fancy Color Diamond Index showed an increase in blue and pink diamonds by 2.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, and a dip in the price of yellow diamonds by 3.5 percent.