'Chinese damas' favor gems over gold  

中国大妈珠宝展上“调枪头”冷落黄金饰品

2013上海国际珠宝展昨天在浦东世博展览馆开幕，来自美国、加拿大、日本等10多个国家和中国港澳台地区及内地的200余家品牌企业和知名金店，展示出上万种新款首饰、时尚珠宝饰品与精品摆件。记者现场发现，“中国大妈”不再抢黄金了，彩色宝石、翡翠、珊瑚、沉香等其他类型的首饰正成为市场热点。[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.