Total exports of gems and jewellery from India, for the period April 2008 to January 2009 declined in Dollar terms by 2.29 percent amounting to $ 16387.18 million, while in the corresponding period of 2007-08 it was $16771.03 million. Such was the provisional data provided by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, India's apex body for the industry. Rough diamond exports increased by 52.53 percent in value, from $438.21 million in 2007-08 to $668.40 million in the said tenure.

Cut and polished diamonds could not match the fate of the rough stones and saw a dip in their export value by 2.85 percent. Exports of cut and polished dimaonds decreased from $11343.48 million in 2007-08 to $11020.21 million. Coloured gemstones increased in exports by 3.29 percent amounting to $231.21 million from $223.84 million in the same period the previous year. In January 2009 alone, India exported 2.641 million carats of polished diamonds with a declared value of $730.43 million, which represented a 41 percent decline in value as compared to the same month in the previous year.

Total gold exports for the period April 2008-January 2009 declined by 6.09 percent amounting to $4287.46 million, from the same months in 2007-08 when the figures were 4565.56. The exchange rate of the USD for the term April 2008-January 2009 was 1USD = Rs.44.26.