The ongoing global recovery was again in evidence from Belgium’s diamond imports and exports data for April released by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre Diamond Office. Exports of polished goods, in particular, showed a rising price per carat as clients begin to pay more for stones. Prices may also be rising as the economic downturn gives way and consumer demand begins to increase again, enabling margins in polished goods to rise.

Meanwhile, both imports and exports of rough diamonds again showed high increases, indicating a continuing strong demand for gems. In exports, the rises in volume and prices of exports were approximately in tandem. However, in rough imports, the rise in financial terms was well ahead of the rise in volume, possibly indicating speculation by dealers and manufacturers who believe prices will continue to rise.

Although Belgian polished diamond exports in April decreased by 8.4 percent from April 2009 to 522,574 carats, there was, however, a 16.2 percent rise in financial terms to $696.3 million.

Similarly, for the first four months of the year, although polished diamond exports climbed 1.8 percent from the same period of 2009 to 2.32 million carats, there was a 26.9 percent rise in value terms to $3.34 billion.

In polished diamond imports, Belgium bought 597,000 carats in April, a fall of 10.9 percent from April 2009, but there was a 5.4 percent rise in the diamonds’ value to $703.0 million. For the January- April period, polished diamond imports increased 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 2.60 million carats worth $3.24 billion, a rise of 25.3 percent.

In rough goods, Belgium exported 10.4 million carats in April, a rise of 51.4 percent. In value terms, there was a 46.8 percent jump to $893.4 million.

For the first four months of this year, rough exports soared 108.3 percent to 45.3 million carats worth $3.62 billion, a jump of 113.4 percent.

In rough diamond imports, Belgium bought 10.1 million carats of rough goods last month with a value of $900.0 million, rises of 90.1 percent and 125.9 percent, respectively on April 2009.

In the first quarter of this year, rough diamond imports soared by 66.2 percent from the same period of last year to 41.7million carats worth $3.3 billion, a rise of 108.6 percent.