Ramat Gan: Israel’s polished diamond exports slipped 2.5 percent to $3.84 billion in the first nine months, according to the nation’s Ministry of Economy and Industry.
In volume terms, polished exports slid 16 percent to 1.5 million carats, while the average price jumped 17 percent to $2,629 per carat.
Shipments to the U.S. slid 0.3 percent to $1.47 billion. Polished exports to Hong Kong dropped 9 percent to $1.03 billion, while exports to Belgium slumped 17 percent to $288.4 million.
Total polished imports fell 7 percent to $2.37 billion during the period. Net polished exports, representing exports minus imports, grew 6 percent to $1.46 billion.
Rough imports increased 11 percent to $2.36 billion, while rough exports jumped 16 percent to $2 billion. Consequently, net rough imports, representing imports minus exports, fell 11 percent to $356.2 million.
Israel’s net diamond account jumped 13 percent to $1.11 billion for the nine months.
