Antwerp diamond industry reports trade increase in 2016

by emily_smibert | February 2, 2017 4:24 pm

In 2016, a total of $48 billion U.S. worth of diamonds, or 202 million carats of rough and polished diamonds, were imported to and exported from Antwerp. This is a five per cent from 2015.

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) also reported a decline in the polished diamond market with a seven per cent decrease in import volume and nine per cent decrease in export volume.

Rough diamonds continue to perform well. Last year a total of 190.8 million carats of rough diamonds, a value of $24.8 billion U.S., were imported to and exported from Antwerp. This represents a five per cent export volume increase and a seven per cent increase in import volume from 2015.

“2016 was a good year, but the future is looking very good,” says Ari Epstein, CEO of AWDC. “Commercial production started recently at the Renard Mine and Gahcho Kué Mine in Canada, as well as the Liqhobong Mine is Lesotho, and 100 per cent of the sales of these goods will take place in Antwerp. We expect these productions to deliver an additional seven million carats onto the market in 2017. Antwerp’s prospects are promising indeed.”

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/antwerp-diamond-industry-reports-trade-increase-in-2016/

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