According to the Journey through the Value Chain report, supply and demand globally for rough diamonds will remain balanced over the next four years. However, following that period, demand will begin to outweigh supply.
The global supply of rough diamonds is expected to increase by a compound annual rate of 4.8 per cent from 2012 to 2018, and then decrease by a compound rate of 1.9 per cent per year from 2019 through 2023.
The primary causes for the decline in supply are reportedly the depletion of existing mines and a lack of significant new mine discoveries.
The report, conducted by Bain & Company in conjunction with the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, traces the diamond’s journey from mine to market, highlighting key trends in the supply chain.
Other findingsThe study also noted that the five large players in the market – Alrosa, BHP Billiton, De Beers, Dominion Diamond (formerly Harry Winston Diamond) and Rio Tinto – generated 78 per cent of the production sector’s revenue.
De Beers remained the world’s top diamond producer in value terms, but Alrosa and Dominion Diamond increased shares of rough diamond sales in 2012 and are said to be gradually gaining on De Beers.
Also, De Beers is now the only producer that’s involved in retail, following the sale earlier this year of the Harry Winston retail units to the Swatch Group.
Furthermore, diamond sales in China and India moderated in 2013, while the US remained the largest market for diamond jewellery.
This is the third annual report that the managing consultancy company has released in collaboration with the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. The first report,
Lifting the Veil of Mystery, provided insight into the diamond industry, and the second,
Portrait of Growth, examined consumer demand and preferences for diamonds.
A full version of the report is available to
download.
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