钻石的“骗局”，被河南戳破了

Core Insights - The diamond market is experiencing a significant downturn, with declining sales and imports indicating a broader trend of reduced consumer demand for diamonds [2][20][27]. Group 1: Company Performance - De Beers reported a 21% year-on-year decline in revenue for the first half of 2024, amounting to $2.2 billion (approximately 159.7 billion RMB), with natural rough diamond sales dropping by 22% to 11.9 million carats [4][5]. - The company has revised its 2024 natural diamond production forecast downwards from 26-29 million carats to 23-26 million carats due to market conditions [6][7]. - De Beers' revenue and sales have been on a downward trend since before 2023, with projections indicating that 2024 figures could be half of those in 2022 [12][8]. Group 2: Market Trends - Global natural diamond production is expected to reach 118 million carats in 2023, a 20% decrease from 148 million carats in 2018, reflecting a shrinking demand [15][16]. - China's diamond import value fell to $5.972 billion in 2023, a 29.55% decrease year-on-year and a 39.6% drop compared to 2021, indicating a significant decline in consumption [17][20]. - The Shanghai Diamond Exchange reported a total transaction value of $3.109 billion in 2023, down 29.7% year-on-year and less than half of the 2021 figures, further illustrating the market's downturn [22][23]. Group 3: Competitive Landscape - The rise of lab-grown diamonds is significantly impacting the natural diamond market, with lab-grown diamond sales in China projected to reach 4 million carats by 2025, increasing market penetration from 6.7% in 2021 to 13.8% [34][29]. - The price of lab-grown diamonds has decreased from 80% of natural diamond prices in 2016 to 35% in 2020, indicating a growing price advantage for lab-grown options [46][29]. - De Beers has attempted to enter the lab-grown diamond market with its Lightbox brand but has faced challenges due to its lack of competitive production capacity compared to Chinese firms [47][48].