SHANGHAI - The value of diamonds imported through the general trade of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE) reached a record high in the first half of the year, Shanghai Customs announced Friday.

Launched in October 2000, SDE is the only authorized transaction platform for the import and export of diamonds in China.

The diamond imports registered a hefty bounce in the first half of 2021, totaling 10.5 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), four times over the same period of last year and an increase of 45.3 percent over the same period of 2019.

The global diamond market has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, China's effective control of the outbreak since last year has contributed to stabilizing the diamond market, as manifested by the booming trade through SDE, according to the exchange.