October closes with the board unmoved: Sight 9 passed with no public read, leaving the October RAPI as the next test

Quotes are still anchored to September's RAPI, with the 0.50-carat index up 2.5% for the month against 0.3% at 1 carat, so the firmness stays confined to the small end while larger goods sit flat. De Beers Sight 9, the month's one scheduled rough event, closed yesterday, October 30, with no public read, since De Beers no longer publishes sight values and no sightholder account surfaced this week. That leaves nothing to requote this morning and the board exactly where September left it, with the October RAPI, due in early November, the first dated print that can move the list and settle whether the small-stone lead held through the month.

Gold has fallen about 7.2% since September 30, to roughly $3,885 an ounce (COMEX futures close of $3,899 on October 30). That eases metal and setting costs for jewelers heading into the holiday season but leaves polished stone prices untouched.