Economic Bulletin

U.S. Polished Imports Plummet
U.S. polished diamond imports plunged 21 percent year on year in October to
$1.44 billion. By volume, polished imports dropped 26 percent to 881,166 carats.

Polished diamond exports fell nearly 5 percent to $1.12 billion.
Rough diamond imports dived 27 percent to $27 million.
Rough diamond exports dropped 13 percent to $20 million.

Belgium’s Polished Exports Fall
Belgium’s polished diamond exports fell 8 percent year on year to $1.15 billion in November, according to data published by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). By volume, diamond exports declined 12 percent to 562,722 carats as the average price of the polished goods rose 1 percent to $1,840.73 per carat.

Polished diamond imports dropped 11 percent to $1.04 billion.
Rough diamond imports increased 10 percent to $1.1 billion.
Rough diamond exports fell 11 percent to $1.04 billion.

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India’s Polished Exports Climb
India’s polished diamond exports rose 20 percent year on year to $1.42 billion in November, after several months of weak activity, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) data showed. However, by volume, polished exports declined 10 percent to 2.64 million carats during November as the average price of the exports surged 34 percent to $535.80 per carat.

Polished diamond imports fell 52 percent to $389.46 million.
Rough diamond imports declined 22 percent to approximately $892 million.
Rough diamond exports fell 25 percent to $110.4 million.

Israel’s Polished Exports Drop in 2012
Israel’s polished diamond exports fell 23 percent year on year to $5.56 billion in 2012, the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor reported. Shmuel Mordechai, Israel’s diamond comptroller, noted that the negative trend was strongest in the first half of the year, while trading improved from August forward. In 2012:

Polished diamond imports decreased by 25 percent to $4.27 billion.
Rough diamond imports dropped 13 percent to $3.83 billion.
Rough diamond exports fell 20 percent to $2.8 billion.

Harry Winston Sales Soar
Harry Winston Diamond Corporation reported that its consolidated sales jumped
51 percent year on year to $180.4 million for the third quarter that ended on October 31. The integrated mining company improved its consolidated net profit to $3.4 million compared with a loss of $4.7 million one year ago.

Rough diamond sales increased 134 percent to $84.8 million due to a 286 percent increase in the volume of carats sold.
During the quarter, the company sold approximately 880,000 carats at an average price of $96 per carat.
The 39 percent decrease in average rough prices resulted primarily from the sale of a higher portion of smaller-size diamonds.
Rough diamond production for the calendar quarter that ended on September 30 was flat at 770,000 carats.

Japan’s Polished Imports Up
Japan’s polished diamond imports rose 9.1 percent year on year to $67.8 million in November, Momozawa reported, citing the country’s Finance Ministry.