June 3: De Beers Reports 25% Rise in Diamond Spending; Swiss Watch Exports Fall 17%
Covering jewelry auction results, diamond market data, Swiss watch exports, Hong Kong luxury retail, and consumer trends.

In this episode:

Jewelry Auctions
- Christie's Hong Kong Important Watches: $36M total, Patek Philippe top lot at $1.8M
- Christie's Hong Kong online: multi-gem ring sold for $194,500, five times high estimate
- Sotheby's NY: 6-carat sapphire heading to auction, high estimate $550,000
- Sotheby's inaugural Artistic Luxury auction: Faberge diamond and aquamarine necklace (1911), estimated up to $600,000
- Sotheby's NY High Jewelry sale: $31.4M, 95% sell-through rate
- Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels June 9: 73.11-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond ring by Glenn Spiro

Diamonds
- De Beers: average cost of natural mined diamond reached $4,063 in 2025, up 25% from 2023
- Natural diamond spending and average stone sizes both rising
- Kao mine going on care and maintenance from July amid rough-price downturn

Watches
- Swiss watch exports to the US fell 17% YoY in April
- Watches of Switzerland FY2026: US sales up 24% YoY (contrast to export decline)
- Christie's HK Important Watches: $36M, secondary market active despite export contraction

Hong Kong Luxury Retail
- Revenue from jewelry, watches, clocks, and valuable gifts up 20% YoY in April

Retail
- Signet Jewelers: improved sales, raised full-year guidance

Consumer Trends
- Engagement ring insurance shifting from optional to expected, driven by rising stone values

Week Ahead
- Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels, New York — June 9
- Sotheby's inaugural Artistic Luxury auction, New York

Links:
- ALT/FNDATA: https://www.altfndata.com
- De Beers diamond data: https://rapaport.com/news/natural-diamond-spending-and-sizes-rising-de-beers-says/
- Christie's HK Important Watches: https://rapaport.com/news/important-watches-auction-rakes-in-36m-at-christies-hong-kong/
- Christie's HK multi-gem ring: https://rapaport.com/news/multi-gem-ring-scores-five-times-high-estimate-at-christies/
- Sotheby's sapphire: https://rapaport.com/news/6ct-sapphire-to-hit-auction-block-at-sothebys-new-york/
- Sotheby's Artistic Luxury / Faberge: https://rapaport.com/news/imperial-russian-jewels-to-lead-sothebys-inaugural-artistic-luxury-auction/
- Swiss watch exports: https://rapaport.com/news/us-market-continues-to-weigh-on-swiss-watch-exports/
- Kao mine: https://rapaport.com/news/kao-mine-to-shutter-amid-rough-price-downturn/
- Signet sales: https://rapaport.com/news/strategic-revamp-still-paying-off-as-signet-sales-improve/
- Hong Kong luxury sales: https://rapaport.com/news/hong-kong-luxury-sales-maintain-growth-in-april/
- Engagement ring insurance: https://rapaport.com/news/why-more-engagement-ring-buyers-are-getting-jewelry-insurance/

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