Antwerp’s trade in rough diamonds followed the trend seen in recent months, with exports and imports dipping year-on-year in value terms, even as they continued to rise strongly in volume terms, according to figures released by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). The polished trade however, continued to be slow, registering a drop y-o-y in both volume and value during the month.

In July, the centre exported nearly 10.89 million carats of rough at a value of US$ 1.13 billion, a year-on-year jump of 19.74% in terms of volume, but a drop of 3.70% increase in value terms. Rough imports also rose in volume terms – with 7.35 mn carats of rough being imported at US$ 777.4 million, a rise of 15.27% in volume terms, but a decline of 14.37% in value terms.

Trade in polished was sluggish and slow. In July 2017, the centre exported 480,158 cts of polished at a value of US$ 1.02 bn, a fall of 9.26% in volume terms and of 1.12% in value terms year-on-year. During this period, the centre imported 434,116 cts of polished at a value of US$ 740.64 mn, with a 4.38% fall in volume and a 11.86% fall in value terms as compared to July 2016.

During the first seven months of 2017, rough exports totalled 77.8 mn cts at US$ 7.72 bn, showing an increase of 18.83% in volume terms but a fall of 1.87% in value terms, while rough imports of 56.35 mn cts at US$ 6.45 bn were up 2.64% y-o-y in volume terms and down 13.09% in value terms.

Polished exports during the first seven months stood at 30.46 mn cts at US$ 7.07 bn, down 12.16% in volume and 8.15% in value, while polished imports of 34.31 mn cts  at US$ 6.80 bn, dropped 7.47% in volume and 6.76% in value terms y-o-y.