Selling: timing, margins and markets
Three questions a seller has to answer: when to have stock, what margin the business can carry, and where the buyers are.
When U.S. importers bring stones in
Value of cut lab-grown diamonds imported each month. Before the 2025 tariffs, October was the biggest month on average: stock arrives ahead of the holidays.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (HTS 7104.91.10)
Show the numbers
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $9.6M | $123.6M | $129.8M | $125.5M | $139.7M | $154.4M | $144.8M | $124.7M | $146.8M | $172.7M | $130.4M | $84.5M |
| 2023 | $85.5M | $97.9M | $106.9M | $97.2M | $127.2M | $83.2M | $95.7M | $108.5M | $83.6M | $131.9M | $110.2M | $72.0M |
| 2024 | $100.9M | $94.7M | $86.4M | $83.7M | $93.9M | $69.8M | $81.1M | $75.3M | $91.1M | $107.3M | $61.3M | $75.4M |
| 2025 | $65.6M | $78.2M | $106.2M | $85.3M | $35.5M | $31.8M | $67.3M | $51.9M | $6.2M | $8.6M | $6.6M | $7.1M |
| 2026 | $5.1M | $16.1M | $20.3M | $19.1M | $25.5M | $18.3M | $27.8M | $24.8M | – | – | – | – |
When India ships polished stones
Carats exported each month, all destinations.
Source: India Ministry of Commerce (DGCI&S TRADESTAT)
Show the numbers
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 152,616 | 228,471 | 348,432 | 413,372 | 284,749 | 147,870 | 661,523 | 466,654 | 215,398 | 334,093 | 344,508 | 200,818 |
| 2020 | 199,505 | 359,946 | 349,362 | 161 | 134,239 | 94,024 | 88,320 | 128,804 | 150,189 | 245,183 | 228,805 | 155,468 |
| 2021 | 233,114 | 128,238 | 369,704 | 245,239 | 179,917 | 206,988 | 262,368 | 260,494 | 222,391 | 322,204 | 178,253 | 245,653 |
| 2022 | 241,116 | 272,600 | 314,392 | 340,086 | 351,659 | 429,512 | 386,978 | 395,034 | 493,841 | 537,313 | 311,491 | 323,592 |
| 2023 | 331,978 | 500,631 | 461,980 | 54,179 | 574,353 | 457,926 | 502,145 | 596,851 | 675,409 | 675,511 | 594,510 | 492,651 |
| 2024 | 648,480 | 888,243 | 845,496 | 723,948 | 839,919 | 697,736 | 733,864 | 807,638 | 1.03M | 1.36M | 555,068 | 869,145 |
| 2025 | 907,350 | 1.21M | 1.46M | 1.31M | 973,657 | 924,074 | 1.54M | 1.38M | 1.37M | 1.50M | 1.05M | 1.17M |
| 2026 | 1.14M | 1.49M | 1.45M | 1.40M | 1.55M | 1.52M | 1.74M | 1.97M | – | – | – | – |
Gross margin of public jewelers
Share of each sales dollar left after the cost of the goods sold, by fiscal year. Brilliant Earth sells online and mostly lab-grown; Signet owns Kay, Zales and Jared stores; Charles & Colvard sells mostly moissanite.
Source: Company 10-K filings via SEC EDGAR (XBRL)
Show the numbers
| Company | Fiscal year ended | Revenue | Gross margin | Days of inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signet Jewelers | 2026-01-31 | $6.81B | 39.5% | – |
| Signet Jewelers | 2025-02-01 | $6.70B | 39.2% | 173 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2024-02-03 | $7.17B | 39.4% | 163 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2023-01-28 | $7.84B | 38.9% | 164 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2022-01-29 | $7.83B | 39.9% | 160 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2021-01-30 | $5.23B | 33.2% | 212 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2020-02-01 | $6.14B | 36.4% | 218 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2019-02-02 | $6.25B | 35.6% | 217 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2018-02-03 | $6.25B | 35.0% | 205 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2017-01-28 | $6.41B | 36.8% | 221 |
| Signet Jewelers | 2016-01-30 | $6.55B | 37.3% | 218 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2025-12-31 | $437.5M | 57.5% | – |
| Brilliant Earth | 2024-12-31 | $422.2M | 60.3% | 83 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2023-12-31 | $446.4M | 57.6% | 73 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2022-12-31 | $439.9M | 53.3% | 70 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2021-12-31 | $380.2M | 49.3% | 47 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2020-12-31 | $251.8M | 44.6% | 35 |
| Brilliant Earth | 2019-12-31 | $201.3M | 42.2% | – |
| Charles & Colvard | 2024-06-30 | $22.0M | 23.6% | – |
| Charles & Colvard | 2023-06-30 | $29.9M | 15.8% | 387 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2022-06-30 | $43.1M | 47.0% | 535 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2021-06-30 | $39.2M | 47.0% | 512 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2020-06-30 | $29.2M | 27.4% | 527 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2019-06-30 | $32.2M | 46.2% | 710 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2017-12-31 | $27.0M | 42.8% | 731 |
| Charles & Colvard | 2016-12-31 | $29.2M | 30.1% | – |
How long jewelers hold inventory
Year-end inventory divided by a day's cost of goods sold. Charles & Colvard (over 380 days) is in the table only.
Source: Company 10-K filings via SEC EDGAR (XBRL)
Where young single adults live
Never-married people aged 25 to 34, the age when most first marriages happen, in the 20 largest metro areas by that count.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 (5-year)
Show the numbers
| Metro area | Never-married people aged 25-34 | Share of all 25-34s | Median household income | Households over $150K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1.89M | 66% | $99K | 33% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1.38M | 69% | $96K | 30% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 830,392 | 63% | $91K | 27% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 612,838 | 52% | $90K | 27% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 583,611 | 55% | $82K | 25% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 565,014 | 65% | $91K | 28% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 556,902 | 62% | $127K | 42% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 518,822 | 59% | $90K | 26% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 507,894 | 63% | $77K | 22% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 481,051 | 66% | $116K | 39% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 451,829 | 65% | $136K | 46% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 421,118 | 58% | $88K | 24% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 406,682 | 60% | $90K | 25% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 386,804 | 56% | $115K | 38% |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 369,083 | 61% | $77K | 21% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 308,068 | 59% | $106K | 34% |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 299,703 | 59% | $106K | 33% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 297,775 | 57% | $100K | 30% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 261,286 | 60% | $74K | 20% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 250,508 | 61% | $79K | 20% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 241,780 | 62% | $99K | 31% |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 235,967 | 57% | $100K | 32% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 225,716 | 59% | $97K | 29% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 219,934 | 56% | $83K | 24% |
| San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, PR | 215,062 | 77% | $29K | 4% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 209,808 | 54% | $76K | 20% |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 206,397 | 55% | $80K | 22% |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 205,425 | 60% | $76K | 20% |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 193,335 | 58% | $97K | 29% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 188,687 | 60% | $162K | 53% |
State-level marriages per person and jewelry stores per person are on the U.S. demand page.