Diamond Market, Week 16, 2026

Stones left the market faster than they arrived in week 16. 1.87 million diamonds went off market, more than double the prior week's 834,000, while new listings fell 27% to just 1.75 million. That's the lowest new listing count I've tracked across the last seven weeks, and the sharpest single week contraction in the window. Inventory dipped to 26.7 million stones, down about 2% from week 15's 27.3 million. Something tightened.

And yet the total dollar value of active inventory surged to a record $110 billion, up 23.6% from last week's $89 billion. That's a genuine breakout; inventory value has been climbing steadily since week 10 (when it sat near $79 billion) but this week's jump was the steepest by far. Fewer stones, much higher aggregate value. The median price per carat rose 7.5% to $1,057, and median list price ticked up to $1,121, also a seven week high. The mix is shifting toward pricier goods, and the numbers bear that out clearly.

Fancy shapes carried much of the price action. Ovals were the standout, with median price leaping from $900 to $2,120, a 136% week on week move. Asschers nearly doubled too, from $1,400 to $2,765. Radiants climbed 63% to $2,000. Rounds still dominate volume at a third of all new listings, but their median price of $870 tells you that the bread and butter round market remains squarely in accessible territory. The premium shapes are where the pricing energy concentrated this week.

Lab-grown diamonds held steady at about 65.6% of inventory, fractionally down from 65.9%. The more interesting story is on pricing: lab-grown median price per carat jumped nearly 50% to $725 from $484 the prior week, and median list price rose 24% to $1,060. Natural stones also firmed, with median price rising 11% to $1,675 and price per carat up 3.4% to $2,410. Both categories moved up, but lab-grown pricing shifted more dramatically. New lab-grown listings dropped 47% week on week (from 1.84 million to 983,000), while natural new listings actually rose 35% to 771,000. Removals were heavy on both sides: 1.2 million lab-grown stones and 671,000 naturals left the market.

Cross-retailer overlap held at 47.4%, and the median spread on shared stones narrowed slightly to 88.3% from 89.9%. That spread has been broadly flat over the seven week window, bouncing between 88% and 93%, so this week's reading isn't unusual. The top five retailers accounted for 39.5% of new listings, a moderate concentration. At the collector end, a 5.8ct fancy pink pear (GIA, VVS1) listed at $3.8 million was the week's priciest new arrival, and a 51ct lab-grown heart showed up for under $90,000. The extremes keep stretching.

Buyers shopping right now should note that the median active carat weight sits at a record 1.35ct, meaning the typical stone on offer is bigger than it's been all quarter. With fewer new listings arriving and more stones disappearing, selection may thin further if this pace holds. I'll be watching whether the off market surge was a one week correction or the start of a broader inventory drawdown heading into the northern hemisphere engagement season.

Diamond Market Charts, Week 16, 2026 (13 to 20 April 2026)

The five charts below summarise what the diamond market did during 13 to 20 April 2026. Each is a static image you can save or share. Together they cover where prices sit today, how inventory is moving, the lab-grown versus natural mix, where retailers raised or cut prices, and how much the same stone can vary across competing sellers.

Lucy Market Index

Ten numbers I record every snapshot.

Versus Week 15, 2026

Biggest shape movers

Recent trends

How metrics are tracking across the recent window of snapshots.

How the Lucy Market Index has moved

By origin

Top shapes by new listings

Notable stones

Each stone links to its full Carat Hunter listing.