Turnover at the Shanghai Diamond Exchange exceeds US$1.3 bln last year

The import & export of diamonds declared at the custom of the Shanghai Diamong Exchange (SDE), and total diamond transactions at the exchange reached US$1.31 billion in 2008, a jump of 30.5 percent from a year ago, according to information from the SDE.

　　 It is noted the import of diamonds in China exceeded US$500 million in 2008.

Due to the impact of the global financial meltdown, the import of diamonds slowed in the fourth quarter.

In 2008, the import & export of diamonds amounted to US$1.17 billion, a rise of 29.1 percent from a year earlier, in which import of diamonds reached US$535 million, up 21.7 percent over the same period last year.

In addition, the turnover of transactions at the SDE was soaring.

In 2008, the bonded diamond trading between members was very active, with an annual turnover of US$100 million, up 78.6 percent year-on-year.

As of the end of last year, members of the SDE have reached 230, an increase of 21 members in the year.