市场情报 JNA May/June 2022 | 51 Jewellery pieces set in traditional precious metals such as gold continue to fascinate the market. In 2021, gold jewellery demand rose 52 per cent year on year, with India and China – markets with a strong cultural and historical affinity with gold – leading the growth, according to the World Gold Council. In recent years however, the jewellery market started seeking unconventionality more and more, steadily recognising the unique allure and characteristics of alternative metals such as platinum, titanium and palladium, to name a few. Some manufacturers have even gone the extra mile, using ultra non-traditional materials such as cobalt or tungsten in their jewellery collections. Jewellers are heeding the call of these modern buyers who are constantly defying trends and leaning towards innovative ideas. Super metal Titanium is increasingly becoming a precious metal of choice among today’s consumers. Hong Kong jewellery designer Anita So, who described titanium as “lightweight yet super strong,” has unveiled several, wellloved titanium jewellery collections over the years. Titanium has a hardness of 6 out of 10 on the Mohs scale, making it one of the most durable and scratch-resistant jewellery metals. By comparison, gold measures around 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale while platinum and palladium have a hardness of 4 to 4.5 and 4.75, respectively. According to So, titanium is around 45 per cent lighter than steel but twice as strong as aluminium (2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale). “Unlike gold and platinum, titanium resists abrasion, cavitation and erosion. With a melting point of 1,668 degrees Celsius, it requires special equipment plus argon for welding. After anodising (a process that manipulates the oxide layer on the surface of titanium), it creates permanent biocompatible colours,” the designer revealed. Apart from its durability, the metal also allows jewellery designers to express their artistry more and come up with innovative styles. “Jewellery should be colourful and lively. Titanium comes in a wide range of colours such as silver, bronze, purple, blue, light blue, gold, pink, rose, magenta, teal, lime and green,” noted So. “It is akin to an artist having at his disposal a full set of colour pencils rather than just a black carbon one. Creativity becomes boundless.” With anodisation, titanium’s oxidised layer changes the spectrum of light thereby creating dazzling, mesmerising colours, explained So. Jewellers can then combine titanium in different colours with different coloured gemstones to create highly distinctive and creative pieces. Also contributing to titanium’s popularity is its biocompatibility, which means it is generally nontoxic to the human body. As such, titanium rings are known to not react with wearers who suffer from allergic reactions to other jewellery materials. While titanium is a tricky material to work with as it requires a different set of skills and tools for bench jewellers, market demand for titanium jewellery is steadily on the rise. Most jewellers cast titanium with large, expensive one-of-a-kind gemstones, making them coveted red-carpet pieces. “I want to create titanium jewellery for daily use especially for the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese market,” said So. Metal of love Platinum has been marketed as the precious metal of choice to celebrate life-changing occasions such as engagements and weddings. According to Platinum Guild International (PGI), the naturally white metal holds both value and meaning for jewellery buyers. Platinum jewellery’s purity levels are usually at 95 per cent to 99 per cent versus karat yellow and white gold, which contains 75 per cent of gold or even lower. Platinum is favoured for its density and never-fading colour, which helps protect the brilliance of diamonds and gems, alluding to what the metal represents: Love, meaning and eternity. “This was more notable during the pandemic. A PGI consumer survey showed that people started to re-evaluate their life priorities and appreciate their relationships during this challenging time. Platinum is well-positioned as a metal of choice to symbolise emotions and commemorate significant moments in their lives,” said Zhenzhen Liu, director of Global Corporate Marketing at PGI. Newmanufacturers and retailers are also entering the platinum business, especially for branded collections and premium products. The strongest markets for platinum jewellery are India, China, the US and Japan. In China alone, platinum jewellery led business recovery in 2020 as consumer sentiment improved on the back of economic recovery, pent-up demand and redirection of funds from travel and entertainment to luxury shopping. Jewellers also enjoyed strong sales over the past few years by developing innovative collections and introducing new designs and techniques, among other initiatives. Despite rapid recovery in 2020 however, China could face headwinds in 2022 due to the latest wave of Covid infections. Demand for platinum jewellery in the US surpassed pre-Covid levels in 2021. Growth is expected to strengthen this year, PGI said. Demand in Japan and India meanwhile could further recover. Japan is a mature market for platinum jewellery. As such, it is expected to enjoy solid demand from female consumers. Platinum has a dominant position in Japan’s bridal jewellery segment. There is also high potential for growth among a younger generation of buyers who are beginning to appreciate the metal’s unique qualities. In India, buyers are increasingly gravitating towards platinum jewellery as a symbolic gift to loved ones. Women also purchase platinum for themselves. Men’s jewellery is also a promising category in India’s platinum jewellery market.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjAxOTU=