China’s jewellers promote home-grown designs
Chinese jewellers are actively promoting indigenous jewellery designs in a bid to attract the country’s elite buyers.
According to Shi Hong-yue, deputy secretary-general of the Gems & Jewellery Trade Association of China, Chinese jewellery designers are vying for a place in China’s evolving luxury landscape.
Although most of China’s elite still put a premium on imported brands, Chinese jewellery designers are trying to win over this demographic group by promoting local designs, Shi said.
Chinese jewellers are heavily investing in branding to take advantage of the market’s growing appetite for fine jewellery. Citing industry figures, Shi said retail spending on jewellery reached RMB 470 billion ($76.6 billion) in 2013, up by 107 percent from two years ago.