BRUSSELS: Belgium’s polished diamond exports fell 6 percent to $878.4 million in November, according to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. By volume, exports jumped 18 percent to 451,287 carats, while the average price dived 20 percent to $1,946 per carat.
Among Belgium’s main trading partners, polished exports to the U.S. declined 7 percent to $237.1 million, while shipments to Hong Kong grew 8 percent to $204 million. Exports to Israel leapt 46 percent to $116.5 million.
Total polished imports into Belgium dropped 10 percent to $695 million during the month. Net polished exports, representing exports minus imports, rose 14 percent to $183.4 million.
Rough imports grew 60 percent to $1.14 billion, while rough exports increased 63 percent to $1.05 billion, mirroring the rise in global rough trading this year. Net rough imports, representing imports minus exports, rose 32 percent to $87 million.
Belgium’s November net diamond account, representing total polished and rough exports minus total imports, edged up 1 percent to $96.3 million.
During the first 11 months of the year, polished exports declined 9 percent to $10.99 billion, while polished imports fell 9 percent to $10.71 billion. Rough imports jumped 10 percent to $11.32 billion, and rough exports increased 12 percent to $11.59 billion.
