As a result of the first three quarters of 2013, the Israeli diamond and diamond industry demonstrated almost all sales growth, according to Diamond Controller Shmuel Mordechai, who released data on Israeli imports and exports of diamonds between January and September, Diamondintelligence .
In the first nine months of 2013, Israeli polished exports rose 8.7% to $ 4.7 billion, compared to $ 4.3 billion in the same period last year.
Israeli exports of rough diamonds for this period reached $ 2.2 billion, an increase of 8.5% compared to $ 2.1 billion in the first three quarters of 2012.
Israeli imports of rough diamonds showed an increase of 9.4% to $ 2.9 billion, compared to $ 2.6 billion in the same period of 2012.
Imports of polished diamonds in the reporting period reached $ 3.06 billion, compared to $ 3.09 billion in January-September 2012, a decrease of 1.1% on a year-on-year basis.
The US remained the largest consumer of Israeli diamonds, accounting for 35% of Israeli exports, equivalent to $ 1.6 billion. The second largest market for Israeli diamonds was Hong Kong with a 28% share, equivalent to $ 1.3 billion. Switzerland exported diamonds worth $ 447 million (9.6 percent of total exports), and to Belgium - $ 350 million (7.6 percent).