PEARL REPORT 2021

PEARL REPORT | 31 | 2021-2022 創新科技 One of the most recent developments in China’s flourishing freshwater pearl market is the emergence of pearl brands. For many decades, the market was solely focused on the relatively homogeneous production and sale of massive quantities of pearls to meet domestic demand. Freshwater pearls have an estimated market share of 3 per cent in the jewellery sector. A small portion of pearl production is reserved for export. Recently, a few industry players have invested in jewellery design and marketing to complement their pearl farming business. These companies’ efforts are rooted in an ambition to distinguish themselves from others and develop a strong brand identity inspired by business models adopted by major international jewellery brands. Among China’s rising pearl brands are Zhejiang Grace Pearl Jewelry Co Ltd, gN Pearls, Angeperle and Ruans Pearl (Holding) Ltd, to name a few. Japanese brand Mikimoto however remains the most famous pearl jewellery brand in China. This development is also accompanied by a change in perception of jewellery among Chinese consumers. Jewellery pieces are no longer just gifts to be given to loved ones to celebrate life’s moments but a symbol of self-fulfillment as well. Innovative pearl companies 創新珍珠企業 Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, a Shanghai-based luxury publishing house founded in 1999, talked about the inspiration behind the first-ever Hurun Most Innovative Pearl Companies in the World study. Pearl Report: Why did you come up with a global list dedicated to pearl brands? Rupert Hoogewerf: Hurun is best-known for its rich lists series, ranking the most successful entrepreneurs in China, India and the rest of the world. We also published the Global Unicorn index or the Hurun 500, a ranking of the world’s most valuable companies. In recent years, we found that the appetite for local brands in China has been very strong in all sectors, including the luxury market. We were looking at where Chinese brands stand on a global scale within the pearl industry. We also wanted to help people better understand which pearl brands are making their mark today. Your team went through comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research methods. Were there any surprises in the results? Hoogewerf: Clearly, this list targets the Chinese market. Firstly, we collected nearly 300 pearl companies from pearl associations and public information of major pearl industry cluster countries in the world. After that, we screened 100 potential candidate companies to confirm their main business, company scale and brand influence, among others. Finally, based on the pearl’s industrial cluster perspective, combined with the four dimensions of brand strategy, business operation, technical strength and sustainable development, a total of 11 indicators were quantified The top 10 pearl businesses in the Hurun Most Innovative Pearl Companies in the World 2020 2020 年胡潤百富全球最具創新珍珠 企業十強 1. Mikimoto, Japan 日本 2. Tasaki, Japan 日本 3. Ruans, China 中國阮仕珍珠 4. Paspaley, Australia 澳大利亞 5. Robert Wan, France 法國 6. gN Pearls, China 中國 7. Grace Pearls, China 中國佳麗珍珠 8. Jewelmer, Philippines 菲律賓 9. OSM, China 中國 10.Pure Pearls, China 中國 SIDEBAR A full list of the 50 most innovative pearl companies is available on Hurun’s website 胡潤百富網站上提供 50 家最具創新力的珍珠公司