U.S. polished diamond imports dropped 15 percent year on year to $1.62 billion in November, the second-steepest drop of 2015, according to Rapaport.
Diamond imports by volume fell 14 percent to 735,561 carats and the average price dipped 0.6 percent to $2,205 per carat. Polished diamond exports, meanwhile, fell 16 percent to $1.37 billion, driving net imports down 9.3 percent to $253 million.
Rough diamond imports soared 37 percent to $31.8 million, while rough exports more than doubled to $18 million, leaving net rough imports down 9.4 percent to $13.8 million. The net diamond account, reflecting the difference between net imports and exports, decreased 9.3 percent to $266.8 million.
During the first 11 months of the year, polished diamond imports declined 3.2 percent year-on-year to $21.47 billion and polished exports fell 13 percent to $17.06 billion, resulting in net imports soaring 67 percent to $4.41 billion.
