Wedding Jewelry Picking Up Sales Momentum

Sales of jewelry¹ for weddings have been strong in recent days, as the period of September and October is the most popular time in China for wedding ceremonies. But for many young couples, locating their favorite items while saving money is quite tricky².

Let's follow our reporter Liu Min to find out more.

 
Traditionally, gold is most favored by Chinese people as the token³ of love. As the gold price is continuously rising, the yellow metal is now even more popular among brides and grooms⁴. The jewelry manufacturers are sparing no effort in creating new patterns in order to attract customers. From smaller accessories⁵ like earrings⁶ and pendants weighing only about three to four grams to larger ones like golden sculptures of couples, hundreds of new products have consumers spellbound. Manager Liu Ge from the Caishikou Shopping Mall, the largest gold trading mall in Beijing, says that sales are fantastic right now.

"Gold products are selling so well, and our sales volume has increased by 70 percent compared to last year. I bet the sales will continue to go up during these two months since gold keeps appreciating."

Since the beginning of this year, gold prices have increased by 107 yuan per gram to up to 445 yuan per gram. Gold trading market insiders say customers can trade in and get new products in exchange for old ones. For example, one piece of 50 gram old gold jewelry can be traded in for a new one for just a 500 yuan fee. If the customer wants to wear a seemingly⁷ larger piece of gold jewelry like a brooch or a necklace pendant, but doesn't want to spend too much money, they could also shop for the hard gold products, produced by a kind of new technique in gold product design. Manager Liu Ge explains.

"We've adopted a new kind of method which is often used in making handicrafts. Such gold jewelry items usually look bigger but they weigh less, and it can save money for the customers but still have a better visual effect at the same time."

Another tip is to shop for gold jewelry right before or during the National Day Holiday since many merchants will settle for less profit for more sales volume. Manager Chang Chun from Quanchengrelian jewelry store says they will launch discounts very soon.

"Since September and October are the peak season for jewelry sales, we'd want to provide some discounts during this period of time. I'd suggest that young couples looking to buy should take advantage of this opportunity. For example, during the past Mid-Autumn Festival, we cut eight yuan per gram to sell at 435 yuan per gram on gold products."

Besides gold jewelry items, diamond is also a major love token with recognized value among Chinese people. Since the beginning of this year, the international prices of diamonds have jumped by 40 per cent. Market insiders suggest that young couples should buy diamond as early as possible since the prices are likely to increase before the end of the year. A tip is to pay special attention to the diamond's purchase time by the store. For example, a new half-carat diamond is priced 2000 yuan more than one bought by the store at the beginning of the year.

Besides that, manager Chang Chun also suggests that couples can buy the diamond and the ring separately to save money.

"Customers can buy a single diamond and find a ring to match it. In this way, they can save a great amount of money. Now more than 80 per cent of consumers shop in this way in our store."

Besides those traditional gold and diamond trading markets, pawn⁸ shops can also be considered as a perfect location for young couples to secure more economical wedding jewelry. The diamond rings that are smaller than one carat tend to cost 30 per cent less than those sold in other stores.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 token   

n.筹码，信物，纪念品，礼券；adj.象征性的

参考例句：

• This little gift is a token of our regard.这点礼物是我们大家的一点心意。
• Black is a token of mourning.黑色是沮丧的象征。

4 grooms   

n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• Plender end Wilcox became joint grooms of the chambers. 普伦德和威尔科克斯成为共同的贴身侍从。 来自辞典例句
• Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. 埃及：在埃及，由新郎的家人，而不是新郎本人，向新娘求婚。 来自互联网

5 accessories   

n.附件；附件( accessory的名词复数 )；（衣服的）配饰；从犯；妇女饰品

参考例句：

• a range of furnishings and accessories for the home 各种各样的家居装饰物及配件
• These are indispensable accessories. 这些是不可缺少的附件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 seemingly   

adv.从表面上看起来，似乎是

参考例句：

• Seemingly,we can do nothing to prevent this from happening.我们似乎没有什么办法阻止这件事发生。
• For several seemingly interminable seconds no one spoke.有几秒钟没有人讲话，这几秒钟似乎十分漫长。

8 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。