Dear readers,
That’s the question that we are all asking, isn’t it? What major or decisive event happened in the diamond industry this summer?
I can already see you smiling: What? Nothing It was the summer ;)! And yet, as you see, this Lettre is bursting at the seams! All these articles have been selected because we, at Rubel & Ménasché, believe that it is vital to have a good understanding of our industry if we are to move forward. And we think it is important to share it with you via this Lettre.
As I nevertheless wished to make your return to work as gentle as possible, and encourage you to take the time to reflect to be better prepared for the coming months, let us linger awhile over a few points.
Firstly, the diamond and jewelry industry in general is in good shape. You just have to look at the consistently excellent results of the major Maisons, luxury sector giants and mining companies. Perhaps, you heard talk of a slowdown in the second half of the year, but our industry is operating in a very uncertain global context, in which it has ultimately played its cards right and succeeded with flying colours. So, there may be a slowdown (our market is cyclical), but only in comparison to record figures! The short- and long-term prospects remain good. Let’s be cautious, we should be prepared, but not be overly worried.
In addition, Signet’s acquisition of Blue Nile interested us, because we can feature the American market and examine decisive factors such as the structure and ‘fragmentation‘ (to use the terms in Lenore Fedow’s article) of our industry, the bridal market, e-commerce and the attractiveness of the luxury sector to young customers with comfortable incomes…
Finally, I chose an article from the National Jeweler entitled “Who are the main consumer groups for lab-grown diamonds?” It presents the results of a survey which had the aim of finding out which target audiences were likely to buy lab-grown diamonds. The article is very interesting and I found it really thought-provoking. But I’ll let you make up your own mind.
Happy reading and enjoy your week.
Source Rubel & Ménasché
