The US saw an increase in polished-diamond imports in the first half of 2018, reflecting robust consumer demand and a higher average price. Inbound shipments rose 5% by value in the first six months, and jumped 8% in the second quarter. April to June is a busy period for the US polished trade due to the JCK Las Vegas show. June itself was slightly slower than a year ago, with imports down 1% as lower volumes offset a higher average price.
US Diamond Trade Data for June 2018
About the data: The US, the world’s largest diamond retail market, is a net importer of polished. As such, net polished imports — representing polished imports minus polished exports — will usually be a positive number. Net rough imports — calculated as rough imports minus rough exports — will also generally be in surplus. The nation has no operational diamond mines but has a manufacturing sector, so normally ships more rough in than out. The net diamond account is total rough and polished imports minus total exports. It is the US’s diamond trade balance, and shows the added value the nation creates by importing — and ultimately consuming — diamonds.
