Diamonds prices on rise in Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium--Exports of polished diamonds from the trading center of Antwerp, Belgium, rose slightly in July while the price of both rough and polished diamonds continued to rise, data released by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) late last week shows.
According to a news release, Belgian polished diamond exports were up 4.16 percent in volume to 811,035 carats and 16.8 percent in value to $1.12 billion in July. For the first seven months of the year, polished diamond exports rose 2.8 percent in volume to 4.45 million carats and 29.2 percent in value to $6.45 billion.
Polished diamond imports, meanwhile, were up 3.5 percent in July, with Belgian diamantaires buying a total of 584,898 carats. In value terms, they were up 21.7 percent to $798.1 million for the month of July. For the first seven months of the year, polished diamond imports rose 2.8 percent in volume to 4.46 million carats worth $5.83 billion, up 29.5 percent in value.
When it comes to rough diamonds, Belgium exported 11.2 million carats in the month of July, a 2.1 percent drop in volume but a 17.5 percent increase in value. For the first seven months of the year, however, the volume of rough diamond exports spiked 60.5 percent to 81.2 million carats and rose 72.3 percent in value terms to $6.69 billion.
According to the release, buyers believe that the price of rough diamonds will continue to rise, as "ample" consumer demand convinces manufacturers to pay higher prices for rough to be polished.
In rough diamond imports, Belgian diamantaires bought 8.18 million carats of rough goods worth $690.5 million in July, a decline of 12.2 percent in volume but an increase of 10 percent in value. For the first seven months of the year, rough diamond imports rose 43.8 percent in volume terms to 68.3 million carats and 70.5 percent in value terms to $5.58 billion.
In addition, on Monday, HRD Antwerp, the commercial brand of the AWDC, announced it would have a presence at the upcoming Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair, scheduled for Sept. 14 to 18, where it will offer both its grading services and its sealing services, a high-tech offering that prevents tampering with graded diamonds.
According to a news release, diamonds can be delivered to and collected at booth 5AO5 in Hall 5 at the Asia World Expo venue during the show and also at HRD Antwerp partner the Hong Kong Institute of Gemmology from Sept. 19 to 22.
At the show, HRD Antwerp will display a wide range of certificates, including its fast-track and Lab Link services. Lab Link is a service in which the lab picks up stones from the client, takes them to the Antwerp lab for grading and returns them in a period of days.
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