Russian diamonds could soon be sanctioned — potentially disrupting the global jewelry market
FRI, MAY 12 2023
Silvia Amaro@SILVIA_AMARO
CNBC
The seven most advanced economies in the world, the G-7, are discussing imposing sanctions on Russian diamond exports — a complicated measure that could potentially hike prices for the luxury commodity.
Russia’s diamond exports have largely been spared from international sanctions following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. That’s despite calls to the contrary from Ukraine and some European countries as well as several rounds of measures targeting the Kremlin’s energy exports, banks and oligarchs.
The diamond industry in Europe is concerned about diverting the trade of stones to other markets, such as Dubai, due to the prospect of paying more for the commodity and failing to significantly dent Russia’s revenues from the trade.
In 2021, Russia raked in roughly $4.7 billion from diamond exports, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity. That made Russia the world’s eighth-largest diamonds exporter. Diamonds are not commonly traded like oil or gold, but they represent a large market that goes beyond jewelry. The stones are also used for drilling, dentistry, computers, among others.
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