焦点 JNA Mar/Apr 2022 | 19 Xifeng, president of the Guangdong Colored Gemstone & Jewelry Chamber of Commerce. Demand grew steadily, with sharp spikes in interest in the last few years due to celebrity endorsements and patronage, expanded sales channels and reinforced consumer education. According to data from the Gems and Jewelry Trade Association of China, total jewellery retail sales in 2020 reached US$88.44 billion. Plain gold jewellery contributed the majority of sales at 55.7 per cent. Traditional Chinese favourites, namely jadeite, nephrite and pearl, accounted for 22.2 per cent of total jewellery retail sales, while other coloured gemstones brought in 4.9 per cent. Meanwhile, 13.1 per cent of the total jewellery retail sales value that year came from diamond jewellery. Evolving market preferences Jewellery designer Paloma Sanchez witnessed the China market’s gradual acceptance of coloured gemstones. A GIA graduate gemmologist who has been living in Beijing since 2006, she noted that while Chinese consumers generally have a strong affinity with stones and the energy these emanate, their taste in jewellery had often veered towards conservative, traditional choices such as jade. The arrival of Western and Hong Kong brands in the mainland market introduced locals to diamond jewellery, which then cornered purchases. According to Sanchez, interest in coloured stones has recently picked up, boding well for her brand of jewellery that features coloured gemstones and rare, unique gems. The mainland market has indeed diversified of late, said Wu Qiong, president of Besure Jewellery. “Chinese love the colour red, which is associated with joy and prosperity, as well as green, which is the colour of jadeite. In recent years, demand has strengthened for 1-carat rubies, 2-carat sapphires as well as emeralds of 3 and 4 carats,” she revealed. Chinese gem preferences 中国宝石市场的偏好 Submissions for laboratory testing are a barometer of gemstone demand in terms of varieties, colours, sizes, origins and other factors. The Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) has been testing and grading coloured gemstones for over four decades. In 2020, it opened a branch in Shanghai and then a second location in Shenzhen. This analysis is based on submissions to AIGS China Laboratory in 2021. 珠宝检测实验室的送检情况，是宝石需求的晴雨表， 可从中探视宝石类别、颜色、尺寸、产地和其他重要因 素。亚洲宝石学院(AIGS)进行彩色宝石检测和分级已有 40多年历史。2020年，AIGS在上海设立了中国珠宝检 测实验室，然后在深圳开设了第二个分支机构。本文的 分析基于2021年提交给AIGS中国珠宝检测实验室检测 的样品。 Ruby 红宝石 Rubies are the most popular coloured gemstone in the Chinese market, accounting for 42 per cent of total submissions to AIGS in 2021. 红宝石是中国市场上最受 欢迎的彩色宝石，占2021年AIGS收样总量的42%。 Origin 原产地: Some 40 per cent of submissions are tested for origin. Mozambique is the main source of rubies in China, accounting for 52 per cent of the total. The second largest source is Myanmar, at 25 per cent. Some of these are tested further to determine specific mining areas – 32 per cent are fromMogok. Madagascar is another important source, at 7 per cent. Other origins are Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Vietnam, accounting for a combined total of 16 per cent. 约有40%的送检宝石按要求进行了原产地检测。莫 桑比克是中国销售的红宝石的主要产地，占总数的52%。 第二大产地是缅甸，占25%。其中一些被进一步检测，以确 定具体的矿区 — 例如，32%产自摩谷。马达加斯加是另一 个重要产地，占7%。其他原产地是泰国、塔吉克斯坦、坦桑 尼亚、阿富汗、巴基斯坦和越南，共占16%。 Colour 颜色: Pigeon blood is the preferred ruby colour for most Chinese buyers. 鸽血红是大多数中国买家的首 选红宝石颜色。 Treatment 处理: Around 76 per cent of all tested rubies are untreated. While heat treatment of rubies is internationally accepted, Chinese consumers still prefer unheated stones. 在所有检测的红宝石中，约有76%是未 经处理的。虽然红宝石的热处理在国际上被接受，但中国 的消费者仍然偏爱未经加热的宝石。 18-karat white gold ring by Paloma Sanchez with a 5.43-carat Colombian emerald and diamonds. Paloma Sanchez设计的18K白 金戒指，镶有5.43克拉的哥伦比亚祖母绿和钻石
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