The US consumer price index (CPI) for jewelry in December 2013 declined by 0.7% on a year-on-year basis to 175.59 points, being 6.5 points lower than the highest value in 2013 (more than 182 points) recorded in August, reports Rapaport.
The record CPI for jewelry in the amount of 183.19 points was registered in January 2012. The average value of the index in 2013 was 177.6 points, 0.4% lower than the average in 2012.
Nevertheless, taking into account the December data, the CPI exceeded the average of 170 points for 36 consecutive months, thus maintaining a steady trend of inflation.
CPI for jewelry reached a record mark in early 2012, but after that, throughout 2012, prices for diamonds, gold and platinum were under pressure. As of December, gold prices declined by about 27% on a year-on-year basis, and platinum fell in price by almost 20%.
In December, the RapNet diamond price index (RAPI) for certified 1 carat stones remained generally stable, having increased by only 0.2%. The price index for diamonds weighing 0.5 carats rose by 1.1%, and diamonds weighing 0.3 carats went up by 2.8%. Meanwhile, stones weighing 3 carats fell in price by 0.8% in the reporting month.
The general index of consumer prices for all categories of products in December increased by 1.5% in the year-on-year terms and reached 234.58 points.