China's pearls have slipped into the global market

“In the past two decades, China has been the world’s largest pearl producer, but the market has always been a small, low-value pearl.” The US “New York Times” reported yesterday, “However, with the pearl The industry is growing. Today, China has been able to produce high-quality pearls, and the price is much cheaper than foreign countries."

China's "Pearl Plate" has overturned the international market. The report pointed out that in the past few years, a large number of Chinese high-quality pearls have poured into the market, which has already caused the global price of pearls to drop by 30%.

This morning, the manager of the beautiful pearl jewelry company from Zhejiang, China's major freshwater pearl farming area, proudly stated in an interview with a reporter from the Legal Evening News: “(China’s pearls) is almost or even better in quality, with more colors and lower prices. How can it not cause a huge impact on the international market?"

For the American middle class to be able to afford the "New York Times" report, one thing is said: Zhan Weijian (transliteration) from China is doing something that seems impossible: the highest quality pearl is cultivated, and Let the average middle class in the United States afford it.

Today, our reporter found Zhan Weijian, a pearl trader from Zhejiang, and Jiali Pearl Jewelry Company is the company he runs. According to the company’s manager, the company will have a large amount of freshwater cultured in the second half of this year. ) Pearls are produced and the price is less than half that of seawater beads.

The pearls cultivated in China are mainly freshwater pearls, and the share of freshwater pearls in Zhejiang Zhuji accounts for more than 90% of the world's total. According to reports, foreigners are interested in large, round and beautiful pearls. The new technology developed by Belle "is exactly what the foreigners intended."

“The new pearls are particularly large, particularly round, and have a very bright color that is comparable to seawater pearls. In addition, there are colors not found in seawater beads, such as pink and orange,” the New York Times reported.

The price of pearls entering the market in the world has dropped by 30%, and the wholesale price of Chinese ordinary half-inch pearls ranges from 4 to 8 US dollars. The world-famous wholesale price of Tahitian pearls is about 25 to 35 US dollars.

The report quoted Joel Shecht, Manhattan’s largest Chinese importer of pearls, as saying, “I walked into the office vault and picked the best two pearl necklaces in my collection. It was white and flawless, and each pearl was perfectly round. Tahitian pearl necklaces cost $14,000, while the next string of equally impregnable Chinese pearl necklaces costs $1800."

Shecht said that the entry of Chinese pearls into the world market will enable more ordinary women to buy pearls.

Chinese pearls are also really affecting the international market.

Xuan manager told the reporter that now, China has its own research and development of pearls, and the control power is in its own hands, so the price can be controlled by itself.

“The price of seawater pearls has always been very high, and our (freshwater) pearls have reached the standard of seawater beads, but the price is lower by more than half. The impact on market prices will inevitably be great,” said Xuan manager.

"The New York Times" pointed out that a large number of high-quality pearls that have been bred in China have flooded the market, and the whole industry has become "turbulent". In the past few years, the wholesale price of half-inch white pearls has fallen by 30%.

Impact on China's Pearl ** "Pearl Paradise" in Tahiti In 2003, China exported 771 tons of pearls with sales of about 87.2 million U.S. dollars, with an average price of 113 U.S. dollars per kilogram. Tahitian exports 8.12 tons of pearls, with sales of more than 100 million U.S. dollars and an average price of more than 10,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram.

Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia and is known as "Pearl Paradise." It is the origin of the world-famous seawater pearl Tahitian pearls.

Robert Wen, who is known as "The Tahitian Pearl King," said that Tahiti was undoubtedly subjected to competitive pressure from China. "They are priced at affordable prices. In a year or two, they can produce in large quantities and the consequences are unpredictable."

In the past 20 years, China has gradually become the world's largest pearl producer, occupying the world's cheap pearls and small pearl jewelry market.

"The competitive pressure China Pearl has brought us is very great. There is no doubt about this," said Robert Wen. His company controls most of the production of local black pearls in Tahiti and participates in setting the world's pearl quality standards.

"Chinese-made pearls are very flexible, and if the supply in the next year or two soars, the price of world pearls will be greatly affected," he said.

For the development of China’s pearl industry, the “New York Times” stated that this is a microcosm of China’s economic growth. With the initial advantage of cheap labor and imitation of other countries' products, the Chinese pearl industry has earned the first pot of gold in the international market. After more than 10 years of development, China's pearl manufacturing industry has now applied automation technology to farms and trained high-quality breeders. The entire pearl industry is thriving.

Analysing high-quality pearls China has no dominance In the morning, an expert from the China Jewelry & Jade and Jewelry Industry Association, interviewed by this reporter, said that at present, China’s pearl production has reached 1600 tons, and China is the largest producer of freshwater pearls on the international market.

"In the 1990s, the price of pearls in China was still very expensive. However, as production increased, it was in a state of oversupply. Now, the price of Chinese pearls is very cheap in the international market," said Mr. Liu.

He told reporters that today, Chinese pearl prices have a great influence on global pearl prices. The export of Chinese pearls is mainly raw materials, which are basically raw pearls that are not processed. However, the price of raw pearls of general quality in China has already fallen, naturally causing the price of pearls in the international market to fall. At present, it is the price of jewelry that has benefited the common people.

Zhu Xiangzhu, Zhejiang Pearl Association Secretary-General also told this reporter that in the freshwater pearl, China can affect market prices.

However, Mr. Liu pointed out that in high-quality pearls, China is still unable to dominate the end market prices.

“The price of Tahitian pearls is a few dozen times that of China’s pearls, and the black pearls in our country are basically from Tahiti and can reach a few thousand dollars.” He said, “The reason why Tahitian pearls can have This kind of "worth" is mainly controlled by quality."

In the morning, Robert Wen, the founder of Robert Wen Tahiti, Tahitian pearl’s leading producer, told the reporter: “Chinese pearls are very lethal, not only for Tahitian pearls, but also for pearls in the Philippines and Indonesia. have**."

Market Pearl prices rose slightly in the morning. The reporter learned from Hongqiao Market, the largest pearl market in Beijing, that because of the small number of farmers, large market demand, and declining output, the price of pearls in the Beijing market has increased, but the overall increase has been modest. .

Red Dragon Market Party Branch Wang Lilong told reporters that the price of pearls in Hongqiao market is generally rising. According to reports, the growth period of pearls is 3 to 7 years, and changes in prices will only become obvious after a few years due to whether or not the sources of supply are affected. Text/Intern Li Yang Cui Hongqiao Market Pearl Price (Unit: RMB)

Pearl size price (string) rose 5mm year-on-year 200-800 40-50

8mm 3000-4000 80-100

12mm 5000-6000 60-80

Note: The prices of multiple merchants in the comprehensive Hongqiao market are the world’s major pearls producing sites in Zhuji, Zhejiang, China. Zhuji’s production of freshwater pearls accounts for more than 90% of the world's freshwater pearl production in Tahiti, producing the world-famous Tahitian Black Pearl Japan, The main origin of Akoya seawater beads Australia, the main origin of South Sea pearls