(The opinions expressed in this article represent the views of

PolishedPrices, an independent news and price list provider to

the diamond industry and should not be seen as reflecting the

Views of Reuters)



With many offices shut for summer holidays, the overall PolishedPrices index

fell back slightly in quiet trading.



The main PolishedPrices index opened down 0.3% from the previous week on Monday

at 168.8 points. The overall index is currently 36.2% above its level of this

time last year, and has gained 28.5% since the start of the year.



Amongst the benchmark categories, Fine 0.3 carats performed best, adding 3.7%.

Weakest were Fine 0.5 carat diamonds, which slipped 4.4%.