U.S. polished diamond imports surged 21.5 percent year on year in November to
$1.88 billion, while the volume of goods jumped 27.8 percent to 974,815 carats. - Polished diamond exports dropped 11.2 percent to approximately $1.3 billion.
- Rough diamond imports plunged 27.9 percent to $49 million.
- Rough diamond exports fell 4.9 percent to $39 million.
India’s polished diamond exports declined 36.7 percent year on year to approximately
$950 million in December, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)
reported. By volume, polished diamond exports fell 44 percent to 2.025 million carats,
while the average price per carat jumped 14 percent to $469.12.- Polished diamond imports fell 49 percent to $581.2 million.
- Rough diamond imports surged 35 percent to $1.76 billion.
- Rough diamond exports fell 39 percent to $79.3 million.
For the 2012 calendar year: - Polished diamond exports declined 37 percent year on year to almost $17 billion,
with the average price of polished exports up 15 percent to $504.94 per carat. - Polished diamond imports slumped 72 percent to $5.59 billion.
- Rough diamond imports rose 4 percent in 2012 to almost $15 billion.
- Rough diamond exports declined by 10 percent to $1.53 billion.
YOU MUST HAVE JAVASCRIPT ENABLED TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW
Belgium’s polished diamond exports dropped 17.6 percent year on year to $997.9 million in December, according to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). By volume, polished diamond exports by volume fell 18.9 percent to 534,667.48 carats. - Polished diamond imports plunged 29.4 percent to $774.8 million.
- Rough diamond imports jumped 12.7 percent to $929.8 million.
- Rough diamond exports surged 16.9 percent to $1.39 billion.
For the 2012 calendar year:- Polished diamond exports declined 9.8 percent from 2011 to
$13.21 billion. - Polished diamond imports fell 8 percent to $12.91 billion.
- Rough diamond imports dropped 8.8 percent to $12.25 billion.
- Rough diamond exports decreased 6.3 percent to $13.52 billion.
De Beers diamond production rose 24 percent year on year to 8.051 million carats
during the fourth quarter that ended on December 31, 2012, led by the resumption of
full operations at the Jwaneng mine in Botswana in September following a slope failure
in June. However, De Beers production for 2012 declined 11 percent year on year to
27.875 million carats. Anglo American, which owns an 85 percent stake in De Beers, reported that production
from De Beers Consolidated Mines in South Africa increased by 69 percent year on year to
1.547 million carats during the fourth quarter. Anglo stated that De Beers operations continued
to focus on waste stripping and maintenance activities initiated in the fourth quarter of 2011. BHP Billiton’s diamond production from the Ekati diamond mine in Canada fell
39 percent year on year to 295,000 carats during the second quarter that ended on
December 31. Rough diamond production for the first half of the company’s fiscal
year fell 35 percent to 608,000 carats. BHP reiterated its agreement to sell all interests in the Ekati mine to Harry Winston
for $500 million. The deal is expected to close in the first half of calendar year 2013. Rockwell Diamonds reported that diamond sales rose 23 percent year on year to $7.4 million for the third quarter that ended November 30. The company sold 4,043 carats at an average
price of $1,821 per carat, according to its statement. The number of carats sold fell 25 percent from one year ago, but the sale of several
high-quality stones, over 50 carats, contributed to a 64 percent increase in price per carat. Production at the Diavik mine in Canada is expected to decline 17 percent in 2013
as operations have completed a transition to underground mining. Harry Winston, which owns 40 percent of Diavik, reported that the current mine plan
projects production of six million carats for the year, compared with production of
7.2 million carats in 2012. Rio Tinto owns the remaining 60 percent. Article from the Rapaport Magazine - February 2013. To subscribe click here.