Retail sales of diamond jewelry rose an estimated 3 %, and Euro monitor, an emerging source for perspectives
on diamond jewelry sales, confirmed an even more aggressive growth trend in the first half of 2014. Continued
strong demand from China and a resurgence of demand in the US powered the rise of the retail segment. In both
countries retail sales grew, in percentage terms, at a high-single-digit rate. And despite worries that the positive
momentum would dissipate in the second half of 2014, reports from the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem
Fair suggest that the crucial 2014 holiday selling season will be a positive one