We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but did you know that the United States imports billions (yes, billions with a B!) of dollars worth of diamonds every year? How many diamonds? The United States imported $23.4 billion worth of diamonds in 2013, which is an increase of 59% since 2004. That’s a lot of sparkle!

You might be wondering where the U.S. gets all of these diamonds. The U.S. imports most of its diamonds (87% in 2013) from just three countries: Belgium, Israel, and India. These three countries are major hubs for polishing and refining diamonds. Even though they are major diamond refining hubs, Belgium and Israel don’t mine diamonds. Because of this, rough diamonds typically don’t have Israel or Belgium as their country of origin.

If you are importing or exporting diamonds, review the requirements of a Kimberley Process Certificate (KPC). For more information, check out this blog.

For other informative diamond blogs, check these out:

If you are interested in import and export data related to diamonds, check out USA Trade Online. First time users are eligible for a one-week (7-day) free trial. For additional information, contact the Data Dissemination Branch at 1-800-549-0595, Option #4.