From My Bench: What Happened in the First 4 Months of 2026

After a tough 2025 for small-size diamonds, the start of 2026 has shifted course. From January to April, diamonds started climbing again, while the round one-carat remained under pressure.

The RAPI says so (the weekly Rapaport index that tracks wholesale prices for round diamonds, color D-H, clarity IF-VS2). After double-digit drops in 2025, 2026 opened with a clear reversal in the sizes most used in jewelry.

Signals From the First Four Months

• 0.30 and 0.50 carats: stopped falling and closed April in positive territory, recovering ground lost last year. The trend started in the previous months, with demand focused on sizes for pavé, halo settings, and trilogy rings
• 1 carat: still weak. In January the RAPI showed -9.9% versus 2025, and in the first months it stayed in negative territory, even though the decline slowed
• 3 carats and up: largely stable since the start of the year, with small positive movements

Why Small-Size Diamonds Are Moving and the One-Carat Isn’t

• Fewer stones in circulation. Cutters produced less. During the four-month period, supply of 0.30 and 0.50 RAPI-quality goods dropped significantly, while available 1-carat stones actually increased
• Real demand, not speculation. In the US, orders for pieces of 2 carats and up stayed steady ahead of the Las Vegas shows and Mother’s Day. Large stones, 7 carats and up in D Flawless, are in very high demand
• Inventory changing maps. Tensions in the Middle East pushed many operators to move goods from Dubai to Antwerp as early as March
• India on pause. First-quarter rough imports fell 23% in value and 10% in volume. With factories slowing down for the summer break, even fewer small diamonds will come out

What This Means for You as You Choose a Jewel

We’re not talking about indexes here. We’re talking about rings, earrings, and pendants that come out of my workshop in Rome.

If You’re Looking at a Solitaire Stud, Eternity Band, or Halo

The 0.30 and 0.50 sizes are what I use every day. After months of declines, the first four months marked the rebound. In short: locking in a stone now gets you a better price than you’ll find in summer, when inventories will be even lower.

If You Dream of a One-Carat Solitaire

This is when you have the most choice. Supply has grown, and at the bench I can have you compare 3 or 4 certified stones live, in natural light, with tweezers and a 10x loupe. Today you can negotiate terms that didn’t exist at the end of 2025.

If You Want Something Unique

I handcraft custom settings. A trilogy with two 0.30 side stones has a different stone cost today than it did in January. I’ll show you the numbers, then we’ll decide together on the gold, prong height, and finish.

Advice From a Goldsmith, Not From a Price List

Diamonds aren’t bought over the phone and aren’t chosen from a chart. You look at them, turn them under the lamp, try them on your hand.

I Invite You to the Workshop

1. Tell me your budget and idea, even with a photo from your phone.
2. I’ll prepare 3 real options, already in house, with microscope video.
3. We’ll set them together. Soldering, setting, polishing: all done here, with no middlemen.

The first four months of 2026 tell us that the small-size diamond market has woken up. If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment to turn that wait into a jewel that lasts.

Book a free consultation from the button below or stop by the store. Within 24 hours you get a stone selection and a quote for artisan setting.

Because true value isn’t in the RAPI, but in how that diamond looks on your finger, hand-set by someone who’s done it for a lifetime.