Government data, quoted by Rough & Polished, shows that US polished diamond imports fell 15% year-on-year in April, totaling $1.56 billion. In volume, imports slid 17% to 660,000 carats. Average price per carat went up 2% to $2,366 per carat.
Meanwhile, polished exports fell 13% to $1.16 billion. Net polished imports – the difference between inbound and outbound shipments – fell 22% to $402 million.
As for rough imports, these fell 66% to $25 million, while rough exports grew 43% to $114 million. According to the piece, the “US net diamond account for the month – calculated as total rough and polished imports minus total exports – decreased 38% to $313 million”.
