Israel Posts 10.7% Rise in Polished Exports in February

Israeli diamond traders exported $662 million in polished diamonds in February, continuing the strong start of the year. In the first two months of 2005, $1.314 billion in polished diamonds were exported from the country, an increase of 11.2 percent compared to January-February 2004.

The center imported $321 million of polished diamonds during the month, compared to $272 million in February 2004, a 17.9 percent rise.

The U.S. imported 56 percent of the Israeli goods, remaining the leading destination for Israeli polished diamond exports. Hong Kong follows with a 21 percent share of polished exports, followed by Belgium (10 percent), Switzerland (3 percent) and the U.K. (2 percent).