Diamond Mirror

Mother’s Day jewelry sales were exceptionally strong, up 4.5% year over year. The bump came from finished jewelry sales, which rose 10%. Diamond jewelry sales declined.

Trade Shows Better Than Expected

Most traders, exhibitors, and buyers felt the recent jewelry trade shows were a success. We suspect that this was partially due to low expectations.

Early orders at Luxury and Couture exceeded expectations and then increased steadily.

Foot traffic and demand at JCK were mild, but those that came were looking to buy.

One interesting feature of JCK was the change in the lab-grown diamond section. The quantity of loose LGD booths was significantly reduced, with the majority being replaced with LGD-set jewelry booths. Furthermore, several of the loose LGD companies that displayed in previous years merged with other companies to exhibit together.

The calendar also included the usual product releases, breakfasts, educational sessions, and industry discussions on a variety of issues.

Broad Range Mother’s Day Jewelry Sales

Families were very generous in May, leading to above-average Mother’s Day jewelry sales. Finished jewelry sales increased, despite a 1% decrease in unit sales. The average retail purchase price of finished Mother’s Day jewelry sales rose 11% from May 2024.

Chain necklaces were the top-selling Mother’s Day jewelry item, followed by fashion pendants.

Consumers purchased finished jewelry in a wide range of price ranges, stretching from $1,500 to $15,000.

Tariffs led to cautious restocking. Retailers’ inventory dipped 1.5% in May. When retailers purchased items, they opted for lower-cost finished jewelry. That resulted in an almost 6% drop in inventory value.

Mother’s Day jewelry sales peaked on Saturday, May 10, and continued throughout the week leading up to the holiday.

US Specialty Jewelers' Retail Sales Are Rising
Total specialty jewelers jewelry retail sales January 2020 to May 2025

Finished Natural Diamond Jewelry Sales

Finished diamond jewelry sales grew by 6.5%, while average purchase prices increased compared to Mother’s Day jewelry sales in 2024.

Wedding bands were the most popular Mother’s Day jewelry item, but bangles experienced the fastest year-over-year growth, up 17% from the previous year.

Unit sales at lower price points continued to fall in May. Unit sales of products costing less than $1,500 dropped by 4%.

By date, the week preceding Mother’s Day was the busiest of the month. Sales peaked on Saturday, May 10, and rose 10% year over year.

Finished diamond jewelry inventory declined 3% in May.

US Finished Natural Diamond Jewelry Sales
Total specialty jewelers' finished natural diamond jewelry retail sales January 2020 to May 2025

Finished LGD Jewelry Sales Keeps Rising

Retail sales of finished jewelry set with lab-grown diamonds rose 36% in May. Unit sales rose 45% year on year. The increase in demand did not come without a 6% decrease in the average buying price.

While practically every retail price range witnessed an increase, demand increased the greatest at the lower price ranges. Sales of items priced $100-250 doubled, while items priced $250-500 increased by more than 60% year on year.

Mother’s Day jewelry purchases of LGD-set items were focused heavily on stud earrings.

After a year of double-digit increase, inventory levels were almost unchanged month after month.

Loose Diamond Sales Bifurcation

As the figures below reveal, the gap between natural and lab-grown is expanding. The first is getting more exclusive, with higher purchase costs and lower unit sales. Lab-grown diamonds are becoming increasingly affordable and fashionable.

The most contentious battleground is engagement rings, where those set with natural diamonds are clearly luxury items priced around $7,000, and those set with LGD are priced below $2,400 and dropping, pushing them into the realm of fashion jewelry.

Loose Natural Diamond Mother’s Day Sales Up

In May, demand for loose natural diamonds fell 3.5% in value and 4% in quantity sold.

In sharp contrast to the rest of the month, loose diamond sales increased by 19% in the week leading up to Mother’s Day. This clearly indicates that buyers choose real diamonds when purchasing diamond jewelry for special occasions.

The average diamond size was 1.44 carats, which has been consistent over the past few months.

A snapshot of inventory at the end of the month revealed a 3% increase.

US Loose Natural Diamond Sales Trend
Total specialty jewelers' loose natural diamond retail sales trend January 2020 to May 2025

Loose Lab-Grown Unit Sales Up 20%

Consumer demand for LGD set engagement rings keeps driving demand for loose LGD that retailers set in-house. However, the declining price trend lowered the average purchase price by 17.5%. This caused a 1% decrease in revenue.

The range of loose LGD is narrowing. In April, 70% of loose LGD sales were in VVS2-VS1 clarity, while 80% were DEF. In May, this band grew even more focused, with 80% VVS2-VS1 clarity and 88% DEF color range.

The sharp fall in sales of loose LGD priced at $5,000 or more is ongoing. Unit sales of lower-priced stones, particularly those priced below $2,500, increased by more than 24% year on year.

US Loose Lab-Grown Diamond Sales Trend
Total specialty jewelers' loose lab-grown diamond retail sales trend January 2020 to May 2025

Takeaways

The market had modest expectations at the start of the month, but was pleasantly pleased by demand at the Las Vegas jewelry trade fairs. May sales, particularly Mother’s Day jewelry sales, were notably strong for higher-priced goods. The double-digit year-over-year increases demonstrated that when it counts, customers are willing to pay more for jewelry.


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Mother’s Day Jewelry Sales Soar 4.5% Mother’s Day jewelry sales data show a rise in consumer demand for a wide range of jewelry, leading to improved demand by retailers at the trade shows in early June. Mother’s Day jewelry sales were exceptionally strong, up 4.5% year over year. The bump came from finished jewelry sales, which rose 10%. Diamond jewelry sales declined. Trade Shows Better Than Expected Most traders, exhibitors, and buyers felt the recent jewelry trade shows were a success. We suspect that this was partially due to low expectations. Early orders at Luxury and Couture exceeded expectations and then increased steadily. Foot traffic and demand at JCK were mild, but those that came were looking to buy. One interesting feature of JCK was the change in the lab-grown diamond section. The quantity of loose LGD booths was significantly reduced, with the majority being replaced with LGD-set jewelry booths. Furthermore, several of the loose LGD companies that displayed in previous years merged with other companies to exhibit together. The calendar also included the usual product releases, breakfasts, educational sessions, and industry discussions on a variety of issues. Broad Range Mother’s Day Jewelry Sales Families were very generous in May, leading to above-average Mother’s Day jewelry sales. Finished jewelry sales increased, despite a 1% decrease in unit sales. The average retail purchase price of finished Mother’s Day jewelry sales rose 11% from May 2024. Chain necklaces were the top-selling Mother’s Day jewelry item, followed by fashion pendants. Consumers purchased finished jewelry in a wide range of price ranges, stretching from $1,500 to $15,000. Tariffs led to cautious restocking. Retailers’ inventory dipped 1.5% in May. When retailers purchased items, they opted for lower-cost finished jewelry. That resulted in an almost 6% drop in inventory value. Mother’s Day jewelry sales peaked on Saturday, May 10, and continued throughout the week leading up to the holiday. US Specialty Jewelers' Retail Sales Are Rising Total specialty jewelers jewelry retail sales January 2020 to May 2025 Finished Natural Diamond Jewelry Sales Finished diamond jewelry sales grew by 6.5%, while average purchase prices increased compared to Mother’s Day jewelry sales in 2024. Wedding bands were the most popular Mother’s Day jewelry item, but bangles experienced the fastest year-over-year growth, up 17% from the previous year. Unit sales at lower price points continued to fall in May. Unit sales of products costing less than $1,500 dropped by 4%. By date, the week preceding Mother’s Day was the busiest of the month. Sales peaked on Saturday, May 10, and rose 10% year over year. Finished diamond jewelry inventory declined 3% in May. US Finished Natural Diamond Jewelry Sales Total specialty jewelers' finished natural diamond jewelry retail sales January 2020 to May 2025 Finished LGD Jewelry Sales Keeps Rising Retail sales of finished jewelry set with lab-grown diamonds rose 36% in May. Unit sales rose 45% year on year. The increase in demand did not come without a 6% decrease in the average buying price. While practically every retail price range witnessed an increase, demand increased the greatest at the lower price ranges. Sales of items priced $100-250 doubled, while items priced $250-500 increased by more than 60% year on year. Mother’s Day jewelry purchases of LGD-set items were focused heavily on stud earrings. After a year of double-digit increase, inventory levels were almost unchanged month after month. Loose Diamond Sales Bifurcation As the figures below reveal, the gap between natural and lab-grown is expanding. The first is getting more exclusive, with higher purchase costs and lower unit sales. Lab-grown diamonds are becoming increasingly affordable and fashionable. The most contentious battleground is engagement rings, where those set with natural diamonds are clearly luxury items priced around $7,000, and those set with LGD are priced below $2,400 and dropping, pushing them into the realm of fashion jewelry. Loose Natural Diamond Mother’s Day Sales Up In May, demand for loose natural diamonds fell 3.5% in value and 4% in quantity sold. In sharp contrast to the rest of the month, loose diamond sales increased by 19% in the week leading up to Mother’s Day. This clearly indicates that buyers choose real diamonds when purchasing diamond jewelry for special occasions. The average diamond size was 1.44 carats, which has been consistent over the past few months. A snapshot of inventory at the end of the month revealed a 3% increase. US Loose Natural Diamond Sales Trend Total specialty jewelers' loose natural diamond retail sales trend January 2020 to May 2025 Loose Lab-Grown Unit Sales Up 20% Consumer demand for LGD set engagement rings keeps driving demand for loose LGD that retailers set in-house. However, the declining price trend lowered the average purchase price by 17.5%. This caused a 1% decrease in revenue. The range of loose LGD is narrowing. In April, 70% of loose LGD sales were in VVS2-VS1 clarity, while 80% were DEF. In May, this band grew even more focused, with 80% VVS2-VS1 clarity and 88% DEF color range. The sharp fall in sales of loose LGD priced at $5,000 or more is ongoing. Unit sales of lower-priced stones, particularly those priced below $2,500, increased by more than 24% year on year. US Loose Lab-Grown Diamond Sales Trend Total specialty jewelers' loose lab-grown diamond retail sales trend January 2020 to May 2025 Takeaways The market had modest expectations at the start of the month, but was pleasantly pleased by demand at the Las Vegas jewelry trade fairs. May sales, particularly Mother’s Day jewelry sales, were notably strong for higher-priced goods. The double-digit year-over-year increases demonstrated that when it counts, customers are willing to pay more for jewelry.