U.S. Diamond Trade Down, Except For Polished Imports

American diamond trade activity fell in the month of March 2013, as compared to the month of March the year before, Diamond World reports. Of four indicators – rough diamond exports, rough diamond imports, polished diamond exports and polished diamond imports – only the latter saw a year-over-year increase.

U.S. imports of rough diamonds for March stood at $38 million worth, a year-over-year decrease of 26.9%. The country's exports of rough diamonds, meanwhile, stood at $22 million worth, a year-over-year decrease of 42.1%, putting the net rough diamond imports at $16 million.

Imports of polished diamonds to the United States in March amounted to $1.952 billion, an 8.2% year-over-year increase. The average price of these also rose by 13.2% to $1,798 per carat. March's exports of polished diamonds fell by 2.5%, though, to $1.493 billion, which left American net imports at $459 million, according to Diamond World.

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