Israel's diamond exports in the first half of 2013 fell by 2% on a year-on-year basis, to $ 3.233 billion, Rapaport reports according to the government.
Israeli diamond inspector Shmuel Mordechai explained that in the first half of the year, trade in diamonds and diamonds in Israel stabilized against the same period in 2012, despite the global economic crisis and the internal crisis in the diamond industry. "We hope that in the second half of the year there will be a noticeable recovery in the industry," Mordechai explained.
According to Mordechai, the trends that were observed at jewelry fairs in Las Vegas and Hong Kong, where a significant number of Israeli companies were represented, show stability in the global industry and some recovery in the local industry.
Israel's polished imports in the first half of 2013 declined 5% to $ 2.084 billion. Net polished exports (excess of exports over imports) increased by 4% year-on-year to $ 1.149 billion.
Israel's imports of rough diamonds rose 3% up to $ 2.037 billion, while diamond exports increased by 8% to $ 1.639 billion. Net imports of rough diamonds showed a 15% drop to $ 398 million.
The Israeli net diamond account (the difference in total exports and imports of diamonds and diamonds) in the first half of the year increased by 19% to $ 751 million.