Retail sales of diamond jewelry rose an estimated 3 %, and Euromonitor, 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