| Imports of gold, silver, and platinum jewelry to the United States continued to grow in the first quarter of the year, rising 14.9%, 6.9% and 6.7%, respectively, on a volume basis from year ago levels. In value terms, precious metals jewelry imports were up 6.6% in the three-month period from year ago levels.
This increase is in contrast to the 5% decline in jewelry store sales in the country in the first two months of the year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Lower precious metals prices and a stronger U.S. dollar continued to encourage stock building among wholesalers of foreign-made jewelry. While domestic retail sales appear to have disappointed to the downside in the first few months of the year, likely due to adverse weather, positive expectations for better demand seems to remain intact...............................................Full Article: Source
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