Which diamonds are most sold?

[amigobg]

Hi everyone, the forum is wonderful and the information which posted amount the years is very useful but I didn't found one questions that I wondering about...

Which diamonds are most sold and can be easily traded with the regular people. I mean for example with middle clarity VS2, SI1..2, from 0.5 to 1.5 ct, price under 5k, etc, not too rare, bigger or too expensive diamonds that can be bought by few people.

What is your opinion and experience?

 

[whitewave]

Round I would say is the easiest.

 

[dk168]

Round I would say is the easiest.

I would add Modern Brilliant to that, as the likes of OECs are not that common outside the PS community - I have never seen an OEC in UK unless they are pre-owned antiques in very posh jewellery shops!

DK

 

[amigobg]

I think that round diamonds are most preferred as well, but what about the clarity and weight? For example if you plan to buy diamond with investing purposes, which will choose? Higher quality or biggest weight.

 

[AprilBaby]

Highest quality but remember, diamonds are not a good investment.

 

[kenny]

Which diamonds are most sold?​

Most sold?
Diamonds bought by the ignorant unwashed masses, poorly cut, highly included, without a grading report, and overpriced.

UHG! Why would you want that?

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

Fancy colored diamonds

 

[Bron357]

Most people would choose round brillant. In terms of size I imagine between .50 carat and 1 carat the most common size however there are literally tens of thousands of diamonds that size for sale at any time.
selling diamonds “second hand” of any size or shape isnt easy. You buy at retail and sell as pre owned and lose money.

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, amigobg!

Here is a handy tool for diamond pricing, and you can filter by shape:

A Guide to Round Cut Diamond Prices | PriceScope

Discover retail prices and statistics for Round Diamonds from 15 major vendors. Up to date information with the latest Diamond Prices for Round Shaped Diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

The most commonly purchased stones are probably MRBs, in the size range of about a carat. Colour and clarity would be harder to pin down but I assume something like G VS2 would move easily.

However, the supply of 1ct G VS2 MRBs is pretty steady, so a retail consumer trying to sell theirs is probably going to have to take a significant loss. That loss is mitigated over time, so if you hold your stone for 10, 15, 20 years you may end up still turning a profit on it, though you'd have to adjust for inflation to see what the actual return would be.

Larger size and high colour/clarity stones are rarer, so, while they may take time to move, they probably hold their value better. I know of someone who did end up making a healthy profit on her ering (sold 15 years after it was bought), ending up appreciably net positive even after accounting for inflation, selling fees etc, but she had a large stone (6ish carat) and had to demonstrate real patience (finding a buyer took her 6-8 months and she had to go through a concierge service).

 

[amigobg]

Thanks for explanation @AllAboardTheBlingTrain

Maybe it's not a good idea to buy investment diamonds in advance if you plan to resell it after certain period of time, but how diamonds store and dealers working?
I can't image that they hold these diamonds for 5-10 or even more years before selling.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Thanks for explanation @AllAboardTheBlingTrain

Maybe it's not a good idea to buy investment diamonds in advance if you plan to resell it after certain period of time, but how diamonds store and dealers working?
I can't image that they hold these diamonds for 5-10 or even more years before selling.

Diamonds are not an investment. They are a store of value, as in, they don’t depreciate away to nothing, but being able to make out net positive on a diamond sale as an individual is difficult.

When you buy a diamond, the price you pay contains several markups and margins built in; all the people in the supply chain that came before you need to make their profits too. However, when you go to sell your diamond; as an individual you are limited - you either sell to another individual (and you’d have to do so at a discount to what a dealer can provide, since it is always riskier to purchase from a private party vs a vendor) or to a dealer (who will have to purchase at a low enough price that they can then resell your stone with their own margins added in). That’s why making money as a private individual is very difficult, and diamonds are illiquid.

Diamond stores and dealers etc are different. They purchase stones at a lower price than an individual can, from their own sources, eg straight from the cutter, or a wholesale dealer (if someone tells you they are giving you a wholesale price btw, they are lying. At best they can give you a discount by lowering their own margins or negotiating lower margins higher up the food chain on your behalf. True “wholesalers” don’t sell to private individuals). A lot of vendors don’t carry huge amounts of inventory either - they have relationships where they can source stones if needed but they only physically purchase them once you’ve paid for them. Specialty vendors, who cut their own stones, do carry inventory, but that also comes at a cost. They won’t be able to offer the same quantity of inventory as a drop shipper can, for example, since they own the stones. And some dealers, jewelers etc act as consignment services on behalf of clients as well.