MajorsAug 21, 2025
Claire’s Finds Buyer, Could Save up to 950 StoresThe retailer, which recently filed Chapter 11, inked a deal to sell its North American business and intellectual property.
SourcingMar 24, 2020
Companies Pull Goods off RapNet in Droves After Price Cut
Mobilized via Instagram, hundreds of companies have removed their diamonds from the trading platform in protest.
This is a screenshot taken Tuesday of @stock_off_rapnet, the Instagram account started in protest of the recent price cuts to the Rap list. The Instagram account ignited a global movement, with hundreds of dealers pulling their diamonds off the trading platform.
New York—Hundreds of diamond companies have removed their goods from RapNet after Martin Rapaport cut prices by an average of 7 percent across all types and sizes.
The movement started last week after the latest Rapaport Group price list came out on Friday morning.
During a Skype interview on Sunday, Martin Rapaport told National Jeweler he made the decision to cut prices after he saw them going down amid the spread of COVID-19.
The movement started last week after the latest Rapaport Group price list came out on Friday morning.
During a Skype interview on Sunday, Martin Rapaport told National Jeweler he made the decision to cut prices after he saw them going down amid the spread of COVID-19.
The Rapaport Group chairman expressed sympathy for dealers during the unprecedented crisis but said the point of the price list is to reflect what’s going on in the market and establish a benchmark that’s fair to both dealers and buyers.
“I am doing my job—to communicate diamond prices and to establish a fair balance,” he said. “If you don’t like it, don’t look at it, don’t use it. [But] I can’t put out false information.”
Rapaport’s decision ignited a firestorm among diamond dealers and a protest mobilized via Instagram.
Doron Serrouya, owner of Israel-based Yondor Diamond, said his son, Ido Serrouya, helped him start the Instagram account @stock_off_rapnet, which had more than 1,600 followers as of Tuesday morning and already more than 500 posts.
The account is a compendium of the logos of companies that have pulled their goods from RapNet and/or are benchmarking their diamonds against an older Rap list.
The Instagram account includes messages from some of the largest players in the diamond industry including Rosy Blue, Diamex Inc., Pluczenik, Venus Jewel and Taché.
Serrouya said in a telephone interview last week he woke up last Friday (March 20) to see prices slashed.
“We are not the stock market,” he said. “It’s not normal that you wake up in the morning and all the diamonds are less because of the coronavirus crisis.”
“Instead of helping the industry, [Rapaport cuts prices],” he lamented. “It’s not normal. It’s really not normal.”
Serrouya and a fellow diamond dealer created @stock_off_rapnet, jumpstarting a viral, global movement of diamond companies—more than 450 as of press time—deflecting from RapNet in protest of the price cut.
It caught on “like a fire,” Serrouya said. “Everybody decided to do it.”
The Suspension Question
In Sunday’s interview with National Jeweler, Rapaport dug in his heels when asked if he would consider rolling back the price cut: “No way. I’m not a liar,” he said.
But in a letter sent to dealers Monday, Rapaport offered another alternative—giving RapNet members the opportunity to vote on suspending the price list until Friday, May 1.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
“Many have expressed outrage about the reduction of prices in our March 20 price list. Others have asked that we suspend publishing the price list. While we reject the idea that prices have not declined and requests that we recall the March 20 price list, we are receptive to calls for a short-term suspension of the price list,” the letter reads, noting this would mark the first suspension of the list in its 42-year history.
Voting was slated to close around 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday, but the rallying cry on Monday afternoon among those who united via @stock_off_rapnet was for another boycott—a boycott of the vote.
Results of the vote were not available as of press time Tuesday. National Jeweler will report the results of the vote in a separate story.
“For the first time ever, the diamond industry is united and determined to create its own trade platform, which is transparent and independent, not from a private company,” Yodor Diamonds said in an official statement shared via WhatsApp.
“There is no meaning in freezing a price list, which we never agreed to.”
Price Protest Déjà Vu
This is not the first time RapNet has caused an uproar.
A similar controversy arose in 2008 but, back then, it was a price hike (as much as 25 percent for some goods) amid the financial crisis and just ahead of the Las Vegas jewelry trade shows that roiled dealers.
This time, however, there is growing sentiment among dealers worldwide Rapaport might have crossed a line that could spell the end of his long-standing trading platform.
“Prices haven’t gone up, prices haven’t gone down, prices haven’t gone anywhere,” New York-based diamond dealer Ronnie VanderLinden said in a phone interview Monday, noting trade has been non-existent for the past week and a half due to the coronavirus. “He really stepped over the line.”
In addition to being president of Diamex, one of the companies that has pulled its goods off RapNet, VanderLinden is president of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America.
On Monday, he sent a statement to DMIA members suggesting they consider trading platforms other than RapNet, like IDEX, Polygon or Virtual Diamond Boutique, while also noting that a new, alternative industry platform is in the works.
“This is not an endorsement of any of these specific platforms at this point; I am only citing them as examples of existing viable alternatives,” the statement read. “Whether you continue to use Rapaport’s services is your decision and your decision alone. However, I urge you to consider other options as well.”
The letter goes on to state DMIA members “must consider the future well-being of our industry.”
“The time has come to diffuse and diminish Rapaport’s overwhelming and indeed conflicted control over our industry,” VanderLinden wrote. “Restoring this industry to a free, open and transparent marketplace is in our collective best interests.”
More on Sourcing
The Latest
MajorsAug 21, 2025
Target Names New CEO as Sales Continue to Lag Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down in February and be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke.
Policies & IssuesAug 21, 2025
JA, IDMA Talk Tariffs With Execs in DC The group met with the president's senior trade advisor earlier this week to express the industry’s concerns about the effects of tariffs.
Brought to you by
Rallying Call for the Jewelry Industry on Tariffs and Other Key IssuesJewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.
MajorsAug 21, 2025
Tiffany & Co. Pops Up at 2025 US OpenThe pop-up will display this year's Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies along with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.
Weekly QuizAug 15, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsAug 20, 2025
Bellman’s Jewelers Opens Second Store After COO's TikTok Takes OffThe New Hampshire-based store has expanded to Boston, propelled by the success of Alex Bellman’s TikTok page, “The Truthful Jeweler.”
CrimeAug 20, 2025
Another CA Jewelry Store Rammed With Car, RobbedThe latest incident happened Monday at a store in Oakland, California, continuing a pattern JSA first warned about last month.
Brought to you by
Taking the Moment Head On: How Rio Grande Champions the Present & Future of Fine JewelryAs a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.
WatchesAug 20, 2025
Oris Launches Watch Benefiting NYC Harbor Oyster RestorationThe new aqua green New York Harbor Limited Edition II is the watchmaker’s second collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project.
Events & AwardsAug 20, 2025
Take the Jewelers for Children ‘Trinity of Purpose’ ChallengeParticipants who attend any three Rings of Strength events will be awarded a special medal.
ColumnistsAug 19, 2025
Peter Smith: The Arrival Fallacy and Jewelry RetailSmith shares wisdom he gleaned from a podcast he was listening to one morning while being walked by his dog, a Malshi named Sophie.
CrimeAug 19, 2025
Customs Seizes 7,300 Pairs of Fake ‘Alhambra’ EarringsThe counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewels would have been worth more than $30 million if genuine.
MajorsAug 19, 2025
MJSA Apprenticeship Program Is Nationally RecognizedThe MJSA Mentor & Apprenticeship Program received the Registered Apprenticeship Program designation by the U.S. Department of Labor.
WatchesAug 19, 2025
Casio America Names New Timepiece Division ManagerCasio executive and watch enthusiast Masaki Obu is the new general manager of its U.S. timepiece division.
MajorsAug 18, 2025
Verragio’s Michael Barabash, a ‘Kind Soul,’ Dies at 58Barabash, Verragio’s client relations representative, was a vital member of the team and is remembered as being warm and full of life.
CollectionsAug 18, 2025
John Hardy’s New ‘Dot’ Collection Is on PointOriginally introduced in 1992, the “Dot” collection is back with a capsule featuring five archival designs and three new creations.
Events & AwardsAug 18, 2025
IJO Announces 2025 Vendor of the YearAllison-Kaufman has received the honor for the fourth year in a row.
FinancialsAug 15, 2025
In Q2 Results, Pandora Talks Tariffs, Q4 Plans The company had a solid second quarter, with sales of non-charm jewelry outpacing sales of pieces in its core collections.
EditorsAug 15, 2025
Piece of the Week: Etho Maria’s Showgirl-Approved Ruby Drop Earrings Taylor Swift dons the vibrant pair in new promotional imagery for her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release in October.
WatchesAug 15, 2025
Audemars Piguet Acquires Majority Stake in ManufacturerIts investment in micromechanics expert Inhotec will preserve skills essential to the watchmaking industry as a whole, said the company.
MajorsAug 15, 2025
Rio Grande Names New Marketing DirectorNicolette Bianchi joins the wholesale provider with more than 15 years of cross-industry experience in marketing and product development.
CollectionsAug 14, 2025
In Midst of ‘Sardine Girl Summer,’ Pippa Small Looks to ‘Flounder Fall’Her new “Ocean” collection was inspired by Myanmar’s traditional articulated fish jewelry, with depictions of flounder, catfish, and more.
MajorsAug 14, 2025
Casio America Names New CEOLongtime Casio executive Yusuke Suzuki is the new president and CEO of Casio’s U.S. subsidiary.
TrendsAug 13, 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo Proposes With Gigantic Oval-Cut DiamondModel Georgina Rodríguez received a rock of an engagement ring, with her diamond estimated to be 35 carats, experts say.
SourcingAug 13, 2025
ICA Names 2025 Board of DirectorsThe board elected 9 new directors at its recent ICA Congress in Brazil.
TrendsAug 13, 2025
Colorado Jeweler, Whiskey Maker Collab on Ring GiveawayThree winners will receive a custom ring from Honest Hands Ring Co. inlaid with a piece of history from Denver-based distillery Stranahan’s.
SurveysAug 13, 2025
These Are The 25 Hottest Retailers, Says NRFJD Sports and Wawa were among the fastest-growing retail companies in the U.S. last year.
