Jewellery and Diamond Industry Statistics 2026
This page gathers the latest public numbers on the jewellery and diamond trade in one place: gold jewellery demand, lab-grown and natural diamonds, rough production, the big trading hubs, India's exports and hallmarking. Every figure links to its original source. We update the page when new data comes out; it was last checked on 10 November 2026.
Key takeaways
- Gold jewellery demand fell 17% in volume to 313 tonnes in Q3 2026, but its value rose 2% to US$43 billion, because the gold price averaged US$4,262/oz. (World Gold Council)
- 61% of US couples married in 2025 chose a lab-grown centre stone, up from just over 50% a year earlier. (The Knot, via Rapaport)
- De Beers produced 21.7 million carats in 2025, down from 24.7 million, and cut its 2026 guidance to 21–26 million carats. (Mining Weekly)
- Dubai traded a record US$41.7 billion of diamonds in 2025, while Antwerp fell 22.4% to US$19.1 billion. (DMCC, AWDC)
- India exported US$27.72 billion of gems and jewellery in FY 2025-26; cut and polished diamonds were US$12.16 billion, down 8.52%. (Diamond World, GJEPC data)
- More than 65 crore (650 million) gold articles in India now carry a HUID hallmark, and registered jewellers have grown from 43,153 to 2,36,624 since 2021. (ABS News, citing a PIB press note)
Gold jewellery demand
Jewellery is still the largest single use of gold, but record prices mean buyers are taking home fewer grams for more money. The World Gold Council's Q3 2026 figures show the pattern clearly.
| Market | Q3 2026 jewellery demand | Change vs Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| World | 313 t (US$43 bn) | −17% volume, +2% value |
| India | 100 t | −20% |
| China | 66 t (US$9 bn) | −22% |
| Middle East | 26.2 t | −22% |
| United States | 21 t (US$3 bn) | −18% |
| Saudi Arabia | 8 t | −12% |
| UAE | 4 t | −29% |
Source: World Gold Council, Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026: Jewellery.
- Year to date, world jewellery demand was 889 tonnes (−19%), worth almost US$130 billion (+15%). (WGC)
- Total gold demand in Q3 2026 was 1,369 tonnes, only 1% lower than a year before. (WGC)
- Central banks bought 321 tonnes in the quarter; bar and coin demand fell 19% to 268 tonnes; gold ETFs added 211 tonnes. (WGC)
- Year-to-date gold demand reached a record value of US$566 billion. (WGC)
India's gold market
- India's total gold demand in Q3 2026 was 162.5 tonnes, worth ₹2,419 billion (US$25.3 billion). (WGC India focus)
- Jewellery made up 99.9 tonnes, worth ₹1,487 billion (US$15.6 billion); bars and coins added 55 tonnes. (WGC India focus)
- The average domestic gold price in the quarter was ₹1,48,891 per 10 grams (MCX spot). (WGC India focus)
What it means for jewellers: when the gold price is this high, every gram counts. Tracking fine gold, tunch and melting loss per karigar is worth more money than ever.
Lab-grown vs natural diamonds
Lab-grown stones have moved from a niche to the majority of US engagement rings in a few years, and they have pulled the average spend down.
| US engagement rings (The Knot) | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Share with a lab-grown centre stone | just over 50% | 61% |
| Average ring spend | US$5,200 | US$4,600 |
| Average centre-stone size | 1.7 ct | 1.9 ct |
Source: Rapaport, reporting The Knot's 2026 study.
- In 2025, lab-grown centre stones averaged 2 carats, against 1.6 carats for natural. (Rapaport / The Knot)
- Across the whole US jewellery market, lab-grown was about 14% in 2024, and about 45% of engagement rings sold, according to Tenoris. (National Jeweler)
- The same research found lab-grown category revenue fell 7% in 2024 after years of double-digit growth, as prices kept falling. (National Jeweler)
- Retailer gross margin on loose lab-grown stones reached up to 70%, against 40–50% five years earlier. (National Jeweler)
- Pandora's lab-grown sales grew 43% like-for-like in 2024 to DKK 315 million, about 1% of its revenue. (National Jeweler)
Rough diamond production
Natural supply is shrinking as producers cut output to support prices.
- Global rough production was worth US$11.48 billion in 2024, down 10%, by Kimberley Process figures. (Diamond World)
- Russia mined 37.3 million carats (32% of volume, US$3.34 billion) and Botswana 28.2 million carats (24%, US$3.31 billion) in 2024. (Diamond World)
- Global natural production in 2025 is estimated at about 105 million carats. (AWDC)
- De Beers produced 21.66 million carats in 2025, against 24.71 million in 2024; Q4 output fell 35% to 3.8 million carats. (Mining Weekly, De Beers)
- De Beers' average rough price index fell 12% over 2025, and its average realised price was US$142 per carat (US$106 in Q4). (Mining Weekly, De Beers)
- De Beers sold US$2.98 billion of rough in 2025 (20.9 million carats). (De Beers)
Trading hubs: Dubai, Antwerp and Bangkok
| Hub | 2025 figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai (DMCC) | US$41.7 bn diamond trade, 359.5 M carats | +16.2% value, +42.5% carats |
| Antwerp (AWDC) | US$19.07 bn diamond trade | −22.4% |
| Thailand (GIT) | US$26.59 bn gem and jewellery exports | +44.75% |
- Dubai's 2025 total beat its previous record of US$40.9 billion from 2011; natural polished trade reached US$18.7 billion (+25%) and natural rough 205.2 million carats (+34%). (DMCC)
- Natural diamonds were 95.8% of Dubai's diamond trade value. (DMCC)
- In Antwerp, rough was US$6.48 billion (34%) and polished US$12.5 billion (65.6%); lab-grown was just 0.37% of trade. (AWDC)
- Thailand's gem and jewellery exports excluding unwrought gold were US$13.59 billion (+41.33%), 7.83% of the country's exports and its third-largest export. (GIT)
India: exports and manufacturing
India is the world's main diamond cutting centre and a large jewellery exporter. The sector employs more than five million people and is about 7% of GDP and 15.7% of merchandise exports. (IBEF)
| India exports, FY 2025-26 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Total gems and jewellery | US$27.72 bn (₹2,44,827 crore) | −3.32% in US$, +0.93% in ₹ |
| Cut and polished diamonds | US$12.16 bn | −8.52% |
| Gold jewellery | US$11.36 bn | stable |
| Studded gold jewellery | US$6.52 bn | +6.27% |
| Gold jewellery with lab-grown diamonds | US$1.43 bn | +31.30% |
| Silver jewellery | US$1.47 bn | +52.21% |
| Polished lab-grown diamonds | US$1.13 bn | −10.55% |
| Platinum jewellery | US$254.6 M | +39.32% |
Source: Diamond World, reporting GJEPC data.
- Cut and polished diamonds were 43.9% of India's gem and jewellery exports. (Diamond World)
- Exports to the UAE rose 10.52% to US$8.70 billion, Australia rose 38.33% and Canada 115.01%, while exports to the US fell sharply. (Diamond World)
- India has set a target of US$100 billion gem and jewellery exports by 2040. (IBEF)
Hallmarking and HUID in India
Mandatory hallmarking with a six-digit HUID code started on 23 June 2021 and has spread steadily.
| BIS hallmarking | 2021 | Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Districts under mandatory hallmarking | 256 | 392 |
| BIS-registered jewellers | 43,153 | 2,36,624 |
| Assaying and hallmarking centres | 948 | 1,565 |
| Gold articles with HUID | — | 65 crore+ |
Source: ABS News, citing a PIB press note of 5 November 2026.
- HUID became mandatory for all hallmarked silver articles from 1 September 2025, and over 90 lakh silver items have been marked. (ABS News / PIB)
What it means for jewellers: with hundreds of crores of HUID-marked pieces, buyers now check the code. Recording the HUID against every piece in your stock and on every invoice is now standard practice.
Jewellery retail and luxury
- Jewellery was the top category for global luxury spending in 2025, in a luxury market worth €1.44 trillion (US$1.64 trillion); personal luxury goods were €358 billion. (Rapaport, reporting Bain-Altagamma)
- Signet, North America's largest jewellery retailer, sold US$6.36 billion across 2,329 stores in 2025; 37 jewellery and watch retailers sold over US$100 million. (IDEX Online, National Jeweler data)
How we compiled these numbers
We took each figure from the organisation that publishes it (the World Gold Council, De Beers, DMCC, AWDC, GIT, GJEPC and BIS) or from trade press quoting them directly, and linked every number to its source. Where a source gives a range or rounds a number, we show it as published. Figures in different sections cover different periods (quarters, calendar years or India's April–March financial year), as marked.
You are welcome to quote or chart these statistics. Please link to this page as the source.
Sources
- World Gold Council: Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026
- World Gold Council: Gold Demand Trends Q3 2026, Jewellery
- World Gold Council: Gold Demand Trends, India focus Q3 2026
- Rapaport: Lab-grown 'taking over' engagement-ring spending (The Knot)
- National Jeweler: State of Diamonds, what's next for lab-grown
- De Beers: Production report for Q4 2025
- Mining Weekly: De Beers cuts 2026 guidance
- Diamond World: Russia retains top spot in 2024 (Kimberley Process)
- DMCC: Record US$41.7 billion diamond trade through Dubai in 2025
- AWDC: Antwerp diamond industry trade figures 2025
- GIT Information Center: Thailand gem and jewellery exports, 2025
- Diamond World: India's gem and jewellery exports reach US$27.72 billion in FY26
- IBEF: Gems and jewellery exports
- ABS News: BIS hallmarking for gold and silver extends reach (PIB)
- Rapaport: Jewelry leads luxury spending in 2025 (Bain)
- IDEX Online: State of the Majors, North American jewellery retailers
