U.S. Polished Diamond Imports -5%

U.S. polished diamond imports in January fell 4.7 percent year on year to $1.52 billion and by volume polished goods dropped 9 percent to 1,064,802 carats, Rapaport reports. Polished exports fell 6.9 percent to $1.18 billion, while the volume of polished goods leaving the country rose 3.5 percent to 823,980 carats. Net polished imports for January were basically flat at $339 million.
Rough diamond imports plunged 32 percent to $38 million, however,  rough exports surged 47 percent to $50 million, leaving net rough imports with a deficit of $12 million. One year ago, net rough imports were $22 million.
The net diamond account for the U.S. in January, reflecting the combined total of net polished and net rough imports, slipped 6 percent to $327 million.