After the October figures showed an apparent slowdown, statistics released by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre's Diamond Office indicate that there was a strong rise in demand for rough and polished last month. Buyers paid higher prices for goods as prices showed a rise on the year-earlier figures for lower volumes of diamonds.

The U.S. dollar value of exports of polished diamonds in November soared 31.8 percent to $1.25 billion compared to November 2010. In volume terms, there was a 10.4-percent decline to 637,507 carats.

The average price per carat for polished exports was therefore $1,960 last month compared to an average price of $1,334 in November 2010.

During January-November, exports of polished goods rose by 33.2 percent to $13.43 billion, while in volume terms they rose by a more moderate 10.8 percent to 7.82 million carats.

As for exports of rough diamonds, they soared by 40.5 percent to $1.17 billion in November, but recorded a 10.6-percent fall on the year in volume terms to 8.44 million carats.

During the first 11 months of this year, Belgium exported 98.4 million carats of rough goods, 14.7 percent lower but a 34.3 percent rise on a year earlier in financial terms to  $13.2 billion.

In polished diamond imports, Belgium brought in 587,524 carats in November, a decline of 14.5 percent from November 2010, but a 28.5 percent rise to $1.16 billion. For the first 11 months of this year, Belgium imported 8.34 million carats of polished diamonds, a rise of 12.2 percent on November 2010, and 35.9 percent higher in financial terms to $12.94 billion.

In rough diamonds, Belgium imported 7.29 million carats worth almost $1 billion in November, a drop of 21.1 percent in volume terms, but 8.6 percent up in financial terms on a year earlier. During the first 11 months of this year, Belgium imported 93.6 million carats of rough diamonds, a decline of 6.8 percent on last year, but in financial terms there was a jump of 43.9 percent to $12.6 billion.