Survey: Diamond Shoppers Are Choosing Larger, Higher Priced Center Stones

US jewelry consumers are choosing larger, higher-priced diamond center stones for their engagement and fashion rings, according to a newly released report produced by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) and Tenoris, a company specializing in trend analysis.

According to "Natural Diamond Trends, A 2024 Overview," this past year saw a significant increase in demand for engagement diamonds in the 2.00-to-2.24-carat range. Sales for that category grew 18% and accounted for 10% of the market. The 1.50-to-1.59-carat range experienced a healthy sales increase of 9% and accounted for 11% market share.

Engagement diamonds from 1.00 to 1.04 carats remain the most popular, accounting for 15% of sales, but that range saw a drop-off of 8% compared to the previous year.

The average price of a wedding set in 2024 was $6,750, an increase of 31% compared to 2023. The NDC attributed much of the increase to the demand for larger center stones.

The most popular shapes for an engagement diamonds are round (62%) and oval (16%). The most common color grade is H and the most common clarity is SI1.

Bridal jewelry accounted for 33% of all the diamond jewelry sold in the US. The remainder is classified by the NDC as "other fine jewelry."

In the discussion of "other fine jewelry," NDC reported that round diamonds accounted for 82% of center stones, followed by ovals (7.7%), princess (2.2%), marquise (1.6%), emerald (1.2%), cushion (1.0%) and other (2.7%). The "other" category includes Asscher, radiant, heart, baguette, trilliant and other cuts.

While the popularity of the round shape was down ever so slightly (-0.4%), oval was up 3.5%, emerald was up 6.4% and marquise was up 8.6%.

"Ovals are trending right now, but, as one of the oldest diamond shapes, they’re anything but a fad," the NDC explained. "This cut first appeared in the 1700s when the brilliant faceting style was introduced. Ovals’ popularity surged again in 1957 with the creation of the modern ideal oval cut by Lazare Kaplan. There was also a resurgence in the late 1990s as consumers sought alternatives to round brilliant solitaires."

“It’s easy to see why oval diamonds have finally come into their own," added Marion Fasel, author of The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance. "Ovals stretch elegantly across a finger, giving the illusion of elongating the hand. They are the proverbial classic with a twist that is so hot in fashion. Versatile in design, ovals look good in any style of engagement ring, from elaborate to a prong setting."

When it comes to diamond clarity, the trending is toward high-quality stones. While SI-clarity has been the staple of the US market for decades, and still accounts for more than half of all purchases, a greater portion of consumers are now opting for VS-clarity stones, noted the NDC.

Demand for VS1-clarity center stones grew 15%, and VS2 rose 8% compared the prior year. In contrast, sales of SI1 clarity stones increased 1%, SI2 fell 11% and I1 declined by 14%.

The average price of jewelry across all product categories rose 2.7% to $2,360, reported the NDC.

On the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) color scale, diamonds with a grading of G to I have consistently been popular with American consumers, with very minor fluctuations in preferences over the years. Combined, these colors accounted for 52% of the market in 2024.

"Natural Diamond Trends, A 2024 Overview," was developed by the NDC in partnership with Tenoris and examines US consumer preferences for natural diamonds based on sales data collected from more than 2,000 independently owned jewelry stores across the United States.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.