Yes.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...e-low-temperature-diamonds?highlight=Diamonds
Piracy isn't a get rich scheme though. Piracy is more of a play style that involves all of the others. You have to be canny like a trader, search out good potential systems. Stake them out for problems such as wars or Outbreaks. Groom the good ones into Boom. Then you have to have the patience of a Miner. In my case I'm looking for Diamond Dealers, and not the little ones neither. These take time. When you catch one you have to be able to snipe out a Powerplant with better accuracy than most Bounty hunters. After that it's all limpets and paranoia. Then finally you need to Smuggle those stolen goods like the sharpest Robigo mode switcher. Getting caught with 200 tons of stolen Ice is no joke.
So yes it does pay well but it also involves a lot of work. Plus, starting out is hard. I used a Cobra for a long time and was hitting the rebuy screen quite often because I couldn't fit all the kit I needed in it. I couldn't take an interdictor, wake scanner and cargo scanner plus collection and hatch breaker limpets without checking out the shields and weapons.
I would say for a beginner the best way is to focus on lawless anarchy systems, keep a cargo scanner and go for hatch breaker limpets. Hang around Nav Beacons so you don't need an Interdictor. Cargo scan likely targets. T6 and Keelback often have fancy rares on board which are worth a good deal. Watch out for the Keel backs though as they can be a handful at the higher Ranks.
Prices at Black Markets do change. For Diamonds the price varies by a quarter and a low price can really eat into your profits. Im not 100% sure if there is a better economy type to offload goods at but State type makes a difference. Boom states typically offer better prices and anecdotally it seems Tourist economies pay very well for Diamonds although i haven't checked that out properly yet. I can see a spreadsheet coming in the future but for now experience is the best indicator!
Since I turned full time bandit I've had a lot of fun and started to learn new things all over again. I would absolutely recommend everyone tries it to enhance their gameplay. Like I said at the start though it's not a get rich scheme and if chasing credits is your thing then this is likely not for you. Trading and Poop hauling will always be the big earners.
But let's face it, being a Jewel thief is way cooler than hauling Poop.
Happy hunting you scurvy lot