Polished Diamond Imports in U.S. Rise in April

U.S. polished diamond imports rose 2.9 percent year on year to $1.85 billion in a seasonally quiet April. Diamond imports by weight edged up 0.6 percent to 793,939 carats and the average price grew 2.3 percent to $2,324 per carat.

Polished diamond exports, meanwhile, jumped 9.8 percent to $1.33 billion, driving net polished imports down 12 percent to $513 million. 

Rough diamond imports in April more than trebled to $74 million from $22 million a year ago, while rough exports more than quadrupled to $80 million from $18 million a year earlier. Net rough imports swung to a negative $6 million versus a positive $4 million in the previous year. The net diamond account in the U.S. dropped 13 percent to $507 million. 

During the first four months of the year, polished diamond imports declined 1.5 percent to $7.4 billion and polished exports slipped 1.2 percent to $6.03 billion, resulting in net imports falling 2.7 percent to $1.37 billion.