PEARL REPORT 2021

PEARL REPORT | 33 | 2021-2022 創新科技 Edison Pearl pendant by Zhejiang Grace Pearl Jewelry Co Ltd 浙江佳麗珍珠首飾有限公司的愛迪生珍珠吊墜 Freshwater pearls 淡水珠 Pearl ring by Angeperle Angeperle 珍珠戒指 More than just an ornament, jewellery has become an instrument to express the wearer’s personality, desires and status. Beyond traditional gold jewellery, the market has also seen a significant increase in demand for jewellery pieces adorned with diamonds, coloured gemstones and jade over the years. More educated in the international culture of luxury, high-end consumers can now appreciate a new generation of cultured freshwater pearls that are produced using saltwater pearling techniques such as grafting of a nucleus. As consumers develop greater interest in and better knowledge of pearls, they also discover the immense diversity that pearls from other regions offer in terms of colour, diameter, lustre and shape, as well the pearl’s history and value. Focus The year 2020 marked the first edition of the World Pearl Congress co-organised by the China Jewelry & Gems Association in the city of Zhuji, the pearl capital of China. The Freshwater Pearl Museum was also inaugurated on the sidelines of the event. The Hurun Research Institute, an international research firm renowned for their “rich lists,” likewise published the Hurun Most Innovative Pearl Companies in the World 2020 during the congress. Those that made it on the list came from nine pearl-producing countries. Of those companies, 24 are Chinese enterprises or 48 per cent of the total tally, which is understandable since China is the world’s largest pearl producer. Not surprisingly, 15 of those companies are in Zhuji. Other pearl brands included nine from Japan, seven from the US and five from Australia. In addition, Switzerland, France, the UK, Canada and the Philippines each had one company mentioned in the study. <60 % Proportion of freshwater pearls in China’s total pearl sales 淡水珠佔中國珍珠總銷售額 逾百分之 60 “Brand innovation is critical. Sustainability is another important topic for pearl brands.” - Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report