Belgium Rough Trade Sizzles in January, Leaps 168%
February 11, 10 by Edahn Golan
If any further evidence was needed of a turnaround in the rough diamond market, the Belgium trading figures from January supply them with clarity. Rough diamond exports soared 168.4 percent compared to January 2009.
Belgium exported $816.99 million worth of rough diamonds, a volume of 10.44 million carats with an average value of $78.24 per carat. By volume, exports rose 124.9 percent year-over-year. The figures, released Tuesday by the AWDC, include both gem and industrial diamonds.
Rough diamond imports of 11 million carats worth $764.37 million rose 26.9 percent and 66 percent respectively.
Clearly, the market in January 2010 was far more active than it was in January 2009, during the height of the global economic crisis. Strong demand was seen across the board in January, most notably for smaller color goods, which picked up dramatically.
