Xin Ou
Research expert covering Greater China
Jewelry market in China - statistics & facts
Gold for wealth, happiness, and luck, silver for health and long life, and jade to show one’s social status—jewelry in China is culturally significant, especially for weddings and festivals. While the traditions are more subliminal today, the Chinese continue to dominate the world with their demand, supply, and trade of jewelry.
Most Chinese buyers would use jewelry as personal adornment. According to a survey conducted in 2024, quality was the decisive factor in choosing jewelry products for most shoppers, while design played an important role for many. With the growing popularity of China-chic ("Guochao"), consumers are showing a stronger preference for jewelry bearing traditional Chinese cultural elements or manufactured using traditional Chinese craftsmanship, which they believe to be fashionable and capable of showcasing their personalities. This reinforces a steady demand and supply in the market, marking no threat to China’s global position in this market.
The road to the world’s largest jewelry destination
Jewelry has been traded in China for centuries. Archaeologists uncovered evidence showing jade imports from western countries since the 13th century BC. During the Tang Dynasty (around the 7th century), numerous gemstones and gold were brought to China from Middle and West Asia along the far-famed ancient silk road. Today, China is one of the world's top jewelry import destinations and the largest jewelry exporter. In 2023, around 26 billion Hong Kong dollars' worth of jewelry was shipped from mainland China to Hong Kong for re-exporting to other countries, making it China's largest jewelry export destination. With an export value of over 14 billion U.S. dollars, inlay jewelry remained the most exported jewelry type from China in 2023. That year, gold was China's most imported jewelry and precious metal, with an import value of nearly 92 billion U.S. dollars.Leading consumers of jewelry worldwide
The demand for gold, silver, and jewelry in China remained steady over the past year, with monthly retail sales hovering around 25 billion yuan. Jewelry retail is still dominated by offline channels. Nevertheless, consumers are increasingly opting to purchase jewelry online as a result of the growing e-commerce market, driving the online jewelry sales to a value of nearly 340 billion yuan in 2023.Most Chinese buyers would use jewelry as personal adornment. According to a survey conducted in 2024, quality was the decisive factor in choosing jewelry products for most shoppers, while design played an important role for many. With the growing popularity of China-chic ("Guochao"), consumers are showing a stronger preference for jewelry bearing traditional Chinese cultural elements or manufactured using traditional Chinese craftsmanship, which they believe to be fashionable and capable of showcasing their personalities. This reinforces a steady demand and supply in the market, marking no threat to China’s global position in this market.
