Japanese Polished Diamond Imports $92.4 Million in March

Imports of polished diamonds into Japan fell 14.3 percent to $92.427 million in March. Traders imported 228,686 carats – an 11.5 percent decrease – at $404.17 per carat. The average price per carat in February was $406.

The average value of polished imports have fallen over the past few months, as imports from centers that supply higher quality goods, such as Belgium and Israel, have decreased in volume and value at a greater rate than goods sourced from India.

Imports from Antwerp fell 9.4 percent in value to $21.3 million, and fell 21.7 percent in volume to 19,732 carats to an average of $1,080.17 per carat. Imports from Israel fell 5.7 percent in value to $10.8 million. By volume, these imports decreased 12.9 percent to 8,248 carats, averaging $1,309.17 per carat.

Imports from India, Japan’s main diamond supplier, slid 16.2 percent to $41.48 million on imports of 176,980 carats, a 1.4 percent decrease. The average per carat value of March imports from India was $234.37 per carat.