'Chinese damas' favor gems over gold  

中國大媽珠寶展上“調槍頭”冷落黃金飾品

2013上海國際珠寶展昨天在浦東世博展覽館開幕，來自美國、加拿大、日本等10多個國家和中國港澳臺地區及內地的200余家品牌企業和知名金店，展示出上萬種新款首飾、時尚珠寶飾品與精品擺件。記者現場發現，“中國大媽”不再搶黃金了，彩色寶石、翡翠、珊瑚、沉香等其他類型的首飾正成為市場熱點。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- At the 11th Shanghai International Jewelry Exhibition that opened Wednesday, colored gems, jade, corals and tambac became the new favorites of Chinese dama's, while gold was mostly ignored, the Jiefang Daily reported.

A staffer at Lao Fengxiang, a renowned jewelry company in China, said sales of colored gems this year have seen a more than fivefold increase from previous years.

"The trend of gold price is not clear, but elaborately designed rubies can retain their value well," said a woman surnamed Li.

With increasing domestic consumers learning about colored gems, they have become the most popular jewelry after gold and diamonds, said Cui Yuedong, CEO of colored-stone com.cn.

Jewels can't be mass produced, so they are sure to remain valuable or appreciate, Cui said.

However, common consumers should pay more attention to colored stones' quality and ornamental value, not investment potential, Cui added.