Exports stood at $2.23 billion in August last year. In rupee terms, exports rose to ₹21,945.87 crore from ₹19,503.52 crore, an increase of 12.52%.
For the April-August period, gross exports increased 2.58% to $11.47 billion from $11.18 billion a year earlier.
Imports also increased during the month. Gross gems and jewellery imports rose 14.13% year-on-year to $1.71 billion in August, compared with $1.50 billion a year earlier. For April-August, imports were up 0.85% at $8.84 billion.
Within the export basket, studded gold jewellery recorded one of the sharpest increases. Exports rose 51.22% year-on-year to $642.86 million in August from $425.10 million a year earlier.
This pushed total gold jewellery exports, including plain and studded jewellery, up 11.81% to $999.83 million during the month. However, plain gold jewellery exports fell 23.90% to $356.97 million.
The contrasting performance came amid higher gold prices. GJEPC said gold bar prices averaged $4,433.89 per troy ounce during April-August, up 34.09% in dollar terms and 48% in rupee terms from the year-earlier period.
Lab-grown diamonds also continued to record growth. Exports of polished lab-grown diamonds rose 28.45% year-on-year to $125.17 million in August. For April-August, exports increased 11.75% to $533.67 million, while export volumes rose 23.37% to 80.24 lakh carats.
The rise in lab-grown diamond exports comes against the backdrop of renewed policy attention on the segment.
Tehmasp Printer, MD and Global CEO of IGI, said India’s ambition to build the lab-grown diamond ecosystem would require greater emphasis on trust, standards and certification as the industry scales.
“An ecosystem of this scale cannot function on trust alone; it needs a trust layer,” Printer said, adding that certification would have a role to play as the industry expands.
Natural cut and polished diamond exports, in contrast, declined 4.93% in dollar terms to $924.51 million in August. For April-August, exports were down 7.38% to $4.52 billion, although volumes increased 6.75% to 67.34 lakh carats.
Imports of cut and polished diamonds increased sharply, rising 41.42% year-on-year to $159.13 million in August. For April-August, such imports were up 51.85% at $671.87 million.
Rough diamond imports were broadly flat in dollar terms in August at $758.49 million, up 0.34% year-on-year. However, import volumes more than doubled to 129.11 lakh carats from 61.02 lakh carats a year earlier. For April-August, rough diamond imports in value terms fell 22.49%, while volumes increased 7.48%.
Other jewellery categories also recorded mixed trends. Silver jewellery exports rose 35.57% during April-August to $594.86 million, while platinum jewellery exports increased 19.67% to $100.32 million. Coloured gemstone exports, however, declined 1.91% during the five-month period to $152.61 million, despite a 34.38% increase in August alone.
Commenting on the data, Colin Shah, MD, Kama Jewelry, said the rise in exports reflected stability in the sector despite global headwinds. He pointed to the increase in studded gold jewellery and lab-grown diamonds as signs of changing demand patterns.
