The exports and imports of rough diamonds and diamonds in Antwerp in June 2009 were lower than in the same period last year, but the rate of decline in exports and imports was lower than the average decline recorded during the first half of 2009, the Antwerp International Diamond Center (AWDC), granted to the agency Rough & Polished. This trend is especially well observed with regard to rough diamonds, while in the diamond sector it is less noticeable.

According to AWDC, in June, 659,320 carats of diamonds were exported to the amount of $ 755.5 million, which means a 7.2% decrease (in physical terms) and 35% (in value terms) as compared to the same period of 2008. According to consolidated data for the first half of the year, polished exports fell by 23.9% in physical terms and by 38% in value terms compared to the same period in 2008.

The average price per carat for a diamond fell significantly during the reporting period, to $ 1145 in June 2009 (against $ 1,635 in June 2008), which represents a nearly 30% decrease. However, while the average price per carat in June 2009 was only $ 5 higher than the average price of carat for the first half of the year, the price per carat of the diamond in June 2008 was as much as $ 236 higher than the average price for the first half of 2008.

The state of the Antwerp diamond market is very ambiguous. The US market did not show any significant changes, and the volume of polished imports in the US from Belgium fell 39.3% in value in June, which is much the same as a 40.2% drop in polished purchases during the whole semester. A similar situation with purchases of diamonds from Belgium is observed in Hong Kong.

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