FANCY-CUT diamonds, such as pear-shaped products, are sinking deeper into Chinese pockets on rising demand for bigger and fancy gems, QBT Diamonds said yesterday.

Demand for diamonds is picking up in China amid the growing economy. Diamond imports rose to a record US$577 million at the Shanghai Diamond Exchange in the first half of this year as strong consumer demand and stable economic growth secured China's position as the world's second-biggest market for the glittering stone.