Rapaport Diamond Report

Fair trade diamonds

With the first issue of the Rapaport Diamond Report in 1978, Martin Rapaport finally brought light into the darkness of unclear diamond prices. Martin Rapaport is an American entrepreneur and is considered a respected expert in the international diamond trade. In addition, Martin Rapaport is an advocate of the Kimberley Process, the regulatory system for the international trade in rough diamonds, which since 2003 has been intended to prevent the trade in so-called blood diamonds by means of government certificates of origin. Rapaport sees the "fair trade" issue as an opportunity for the industry to differentiate itself, which is also seen as a new selling point. Now there is the possibility for honorable jewellers to offer not only the best service and the best products, but also ethically correct diamond jewellery. There are two different Rapaport price lists that are published weekly. One list is for the classic round brilliant diamonds, and the other list is for the fancy shapes (fancy cuts), which include, for example, the emerald cut, the pearshape, the heartshape, the oval brilliant cut, and so on. The two lists are divided into different tables by carat (weight). For example, there is a table for diamonds from 1.0ct - 1.49ct, another table gives prices for diamonds from 1.50ct - 1.99ct, and so on. Each table in turn is divided into vertical columns for color (Color) and horizontal columns for clarity (Clarity), based on the standard terminology of the GIA. The prices are given in USD without VAT. Depending on the country in which a diamond is sold, the local VAT must be added accordingly.

In January 2016, Martin Rapaport issued additional specifications according to which round brilliant-cut diamonds in particular are divided into certain gradations A1 (the best) -A5, B1-B5, C1-C5, depending on which specific criteria they fulfill. The Rapaport price list for diamonds is based on "A3" diamonds, which is why KOENIG only uses A1 - A3 diamonds, i.e. no compromises for our customers. As you can see, this is a very complex subject and you should only compare like with like.