图片源自 央视新闻报道

      In the first three quarters of this year, domestic gold prices repeatedly reached record highs, leading consumers to adopt a cautious wait-and-see approach. Gold withdrawals from the Shanghai Gold Exchange serve as a key indicator of China's gold consumption. Statistics show that from January to September, withdrawals totaled 1,127.76 tonnes, representing an 11.14% year-on-year decrease. With gold jewelry consumption weakening, jewelry brands are exploring new materials or categories to boost performance. Jade, valued for its aesthetic appeal, emotional symbolism, cultural heritage, and investment attributes, has emerged as a promising category widely recognized by the industry.

China's history of jade mining and usage dates back to the Neolithic Age, spanning nine millennia. As recorded in the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, "Jade makes six ritual objects to worship heaven, earth, and the four directions." Historically, jade embodied spiritual beliefs. Today, it remains cherished as a symbol of "divinity, virtue, and beauty."

Market analysis indicates that young consumers—enthusiastic online shoppers—are gradually becoming the demographic with the greatest consumption potential for jade culture. On one hand, they prioritize personalized and distinctive jewelry, showing high receptiveness to jade pieces. Crucially, their demand for fashionable jade jewelry far exceeds traditional investment motivations.

Simultaneously, as purchasing power and aesthetics evolve, young consumers are shifting from single-category jade purchases to diverse products incorporating carving and inlay techniques. Hetian jade, a major category, has experienced robust growth over the past five years. By integrating traditional crafts like gold-inlaid jade and enamel with modern CNC precision carving, it delivers rich cultural depth and contemporary aesthetics, resonating strongly with young buyers.

      Gemhorn Jewelry’s R&D Center notes that terminal retail must align with young consumers. Amid high gold prices, lightweight products with lower price points gain greater acceptance. Particularly with the rise of e-commerce livestreaming, entry-level lightweight designs see periodic sales surges. For instance, in last year’s online gold jewelry market, ~90% of purchases were under 3 grams: products ≤0.3g accounted for 44% of sales, while 0.3g-3g items comprised 45%. Gold-inlaid jade pieces—combining lightweight pure gold with Hetian jade—better meet current market demands in style, affordability, and price accessibility.

*(Image source: 2023 Douyin E-commerce Gold Jewelry Industry Observation Report)*

To seize market opportunities, the industry must pursue excellence and innovation to sustain high-quality Hetian jade development. Lightweighting ≠ cheapening. While livestreaming booms and markets chase trends, flooding channels with low-end jade compromises quality, leading to high return rates and undermining consumer education.

Shenzhen’s Shuibei, with its comprehensive jewelry supply chain, is fully equipped to deliver premium Hetian jade products while promoting jade culture. As a designated supplier for major jewelry retailers, Gemhorn Jewelry actively deploys smart production lines to achieve efficient, standardized mass production, reducing traditional processing costs while ensuring quality. Concurrently, responding to shifting consumption patterns, Gemhorn adopts automated techniques like computer engraving and CNC carving to modernize gold-inlaid jade designs.

Gemhorn’s R&D Center believes profound cultural value enhances brand premium. Upstream manufacturers must empower terminal retail by solidifying product quality and deepening cultural narratives. Gold-inlaid jade—a traditional Chinese craft—inherently carries rich cultural significance. Amid the resurgence of Chinese aesthetics, blending this heritage with modern techniques and fashion offers vast creative possibilities.

For example:

• Delicate Jade Butterfly Series (纤蝶玉影): Aligning with 2024’s Nine Purple Fire fortune cycle and metaphysical butterfly trends, this collection captures butterflies’ elegance through gold-jade silhouettes enhanced by vibrant enamel, expressing refined Eastern beauty.

  
  

• Jade Window Silhouette Series (瑶窗玉影): Inspired by Suzhou garden lattice windows, it incorporates pure gold with auspicious motifs (Baoxiang florals, persimmon calyx patterns) and poetic enamel accents, embodying Jiangnan’s artistic grace.

  
  

Gemhorn’s new gold-inlaid jade collections inherit cultural traditions while integrating contemporary craftsmanship and youthful aesthetics, strengthening product resonance and empowering retail partners.