On September 4, the World Gold Council's 2026 "Hard Gold" Appreciation Salon was held in Shanghai. Chen Jiarun, General Manager of Gemhorn Jewelry, was invited to the event and took the stage to receive the World Gold Council's 2026 Joint Promoter award. Together with many industry leaders, marketing experts and media representatives, he joined in exploring the renewal path and marketing strategy of the hard gold category, unlocking the potential of young consumers and new growth for gold jewellery.

According to a World Gold Council research report, self-purchasing demand for gold jewellery has risen for three consecutive years and now accounts for 44% of gold jewellery consumption, making it the single largest gold consumption scenario. Facing this wave of self-purchase-oriented consumption, product development and marketing for the hard gold category need to stay closely attuned to young consumers. Drawing on everyday styling, the self-pleasing trend, personal expression and asset preservation, brands should build a lightweight, highly adaptable product matrix that matches young aesthetics and consumption preferences.

The event took "Hard Gold, True Self — Wear It As You Are" as its core concept, focusing on the personality and emotional expression of Gen Z. Through an immersive experience space and a themed advertising campaign, it presented the many more ways hard gold can be worn, pushing the category from product-value recognition toward emotional resonance. The venue featured four interactive personality scenarios — outgoing, calm, free-spirited and resolute — where a fun personality test invited visitors to forge a deeper emotional connection with hard gold jewellery.

Gemhorn Jewelry actively responded to the World Gold Council's innovative marketing ideas, pairing original products with personality traits. The Starlight collection weaves dazzling colour and floral wirework into a brilliant tapestry, revealing a poised and confident attitude toward life; the Parallel Secret Realm collection draws geometric parallel lines, with CNC and floral wirework tracing an upward trajectory — minimalism interpreting rationality, order exuding modernity. Both collections were brought to life by popular actress Xu Ruohan, vividly embodying the relaxed, self-contented spirit of an "I-person".

Behind every marketing breakthrough lies hardcore craftsmanship that keeps driving iterative product innovation. As a World Gold Council hard gold joint-promotion manufacturer, Gemhorn has always been propelled by technological innovation, delving deep into new-material research and craftsmanship breakthroughs. As early as 2017, Gemhorn Jewelry pioneered its self-developed hard gold material formula (Patent No. ZL2017 10657275.6), significantly expanding the performance boundaries of gold. Crafting with hard gold, Gemhorn integrates core techniques including lustrous colour-finished gold, CNC precision engraving, floral wire-wrapping and hollow tubes, delivering jewellery that is "trendy, hard, light, refined and bright" and enhancing consumers' everyday wearing experience.

To further drive the global expansion of the hard gold category, Gemhorn will bring a range of innovative hard gold pieces to Booth 3E112 in the Gold Jewellery Hall at the September Jewellery & Gem Fair in Hong Kong, China. Mindful of the cultural and aesthetic differences of core overseas markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Gemhorn fuses hard gold with regional aesthetics to develop differentiated product series. Drawing on the palm-leaf and paisley motifs of the Middle East, it has launched series such as Golden Palm and Radiant Realm, whose three-dimensional openwork silhouettes blended with composite craftsmanship evoke vintage Middle Eastern charm. The Kaleidoscope series, in turn, responds to Southeast Asian young consumers' preference for high-saturation colour and lightweight design, combining geometric prisms with floral wirework and lustrous colour for a dazzling visual effect. The diverse new series fully showcase hard gold's powerful stylistic versatility, adapting to aesthetic needs across the globe.

Endlessly versatile, boldly individual. Looking ahead, Gemhorn Jewelry will keep deepening its material research, craftsmanship innovation and original design, creating more hard gold products that answer contemporary consumer needs, and strengthening its strategic partnership with the World Gold Council to jointly promote the hard gold category — so that more consumers at home and abroad can feel the unique charm of hard gold.