CRI听力:Wedding Jewelry Picking Up Sales Momentum

Traditionally, gold is most favored by Chinese people as the token of love. As the gold price is continuously rising, the yellow metal is now even more popular among brides and grooms. The jewelry manufacturers are sparing no effort in creating new patterns in order to attract customers. From smaller accessories like earrings 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 seemingly 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, pawn 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.