The United States' imports of polished diamonds dropped 23 percent on the year in September.
The $1.6 billion figure was the second-lowest this year. Diamond imports in volume terms dropped 19 percent to 923,229 carats, with an average price of $1,774 per carat, Rapaport reported.
However, r ough diamond exports soared 199 percent to $14.9 million, while rough imports increased 16 percent in September to $34.8 million, leaving net rough imports down 21 percent at $19.9 million.The net diamond account, reflecting the difference between net imports and exports, dropped 50 percent to $398.8 million.
During the first nine months of the year, polished diamond imports fell 2 percen t year on year to $17.7 billion, while polished exports fell 12 percent to $14.4 billion, resulting in net imports increasing 101 percent to $3.3 billion.
