According to the results of the first quarter, which ended on March 31, 2014, the import of diamonds to Hong Kong rose by 10% on a year-on-year basis, to $ 4.928 billion, according to Rapaport according to the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China Ltd. By volume, polished imports declined 1% to 5.538 million carats. The average price of imported stones increased by 12% on a year-on-year basis and reached $ 890 per carat.
Hong Kong's polished exports for the period increased 19% to $ 3.511 billion, thus, net polished imports fell 7% to $ 1.416 billion.
Imports of rough diamonds to Hong Kong rose 15% to $ 533.6 million, but imports fell 2% to 4.01 million carats. The average price of imported diamonds jumped 18% to $ 133 per carat. The export of rough diamonds for the quarter fell by 21% to $ 549.6 million. The deficit of Hong Kong's net imports of rough diamonds fell to $ 15.95 million, compared with a negative balance of $ 231.37 million a year earlier.