Editor’s Note
As China’s gold market evolves from pure asset preservation to cultural expression, this shift reflects deeper consumer trends toward aesthetic and emotional value. The data underscores a robust industry adapting to new demands.
Driven by both cultural confidence and the desire for self-gratification, China’s gold and jewelry industry is undergoing a profound transformation from ‘material consumption’ to ‘aesthetic consumption’. According to the World Gold Council’s “2025 Global Jewelry Consumption Trends Report”, retail sales of gold, silver, and jewelry in the first half of 2025 reached 194.8 billion yuan, an increase of 11% year-on-year. Consumer attitudes towards gold jewelry remain stable, with 81% of respondents owning pure gold jewelry, and ownership among younger demographics has increased significantly, reaching 62% among consumers aged 18-24. Beyond valuing gold jewelry for its traditional cultural significance and value-preserving function, consumers are now placing greater emphasis on self-gratification, product quality, and craftsmanship. This shift in demand marks the gold industry’s entry into a new era where ‘craftsmanship value surpasses weight value’.
This Qixi Festival, Chow Tai Seng, a national jewelry brand, once again integrated millennia-old craftsmanship with modern technology through its breakthrough “Fluorescent Enamel Upgrade” process, reinforcing the industry consensus that “for gold enamel, buy Chow Tai Seng”. The brand launched two new products, “Fluttering Heart Butterfly” and “Little Flower Fairy”, which set a sales record of over 3,000 pieces shortly after launch, thanks to their unique fluorescent enamel and shimmering technology.
Su Chang, Head of E-commerce Marketing at Chow Tai Seng, stated this. It is this pursuit of craftsmanship aesthetics that has made Chow Tai Seng a partner to cultural institutions such as the National Treasure IP, the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, the Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France, the Potala Palace, Mount Putuo, and Mount Tai.
The new art jewelry series not only continues the advantages of fluorescent enamel in color expression but also achieves a technological breakthrough with the industry-first “Shimmering Craft”—enabling the delicate wings of gold butterflies to flutter lightly on fine jewelry for the first time. Inspired by the officially licensed Monet’s Garden, the products feature the latest upgraded fluorescent enamel combined with innovative shimmering technology. They display charming gradient enamel colors by day and shimmer dynamically with fluorescence by night, with butterfly wings trembling and swaying in the light and shadow, illuminating romantic Qixi moments.
Data from Chow Tai Seng’s e-commerce platform shows that the repurchase rate for this series is 2.3 times the industry average, demonstrating the brand premium brought by high-end craftsmanship.
Since 2022, Chow Tai Seng has consistently promoted the iterative upgrade of enamel technology at a pace of “annual craftsmanship innovation”. Its development trajectory is a microcosm of Chinese jewelry craftsmanship innovation:
- 2022 Blue-Green Enamel: Partnered with the National Treasure IP, extracting the blue-green hues from “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” for jewelry design, replicating the texture and chiaroscuro of the painting’s mountains and stones.
- 2023 Jelly Enamel: Broke through the heaviness of traditional enamel, creating transparent “Jelly Enamel”, allowing young consumers to rediscover the fashion potential of gold.
- 2023 Oil Painting Enamel: Extracted classic colors from master paintings, hand-painted flowing brushstrokes on jewelry to recreate the shimmering effect of oil paintings.
- 2024 Fluorescent Enamel: Innovatively interpreted light, shadow, and color aesthetics, pioneering fluorescent enamel craft to create two wearing effects for day and night. GMV exceeded 6 million yuan within just 40 days of launch.
- 2024 Honey Fluorescent Enamel: Upgraded from fluorescent enamel, it not only shimmers but also hides unspoken sentiments within each ray of light under specific lighting.
- 2024 Blue-and-White Enamel: Used enamel as a brush, extracting blue-and-white porcelain patterns from the National Treasure IP to inherit millennia of elegance.
- 2024 Thermo-Chromic Enamel: Awakened color with temperature, giving life to jewelry with technology, allowing enamel to change color with temperature variations.
- 2025 Fluorescent Enamel Upgrade: Reconstructed jewelry craftsmanship with interactive aesthetics, combining fluorescent enamel with exquisite shimmering technology for a sparkling effect with movement.
Su Chang, Head of E-commerce Marketing at Chow Tai Seng, stated, “We are continuing the millennial poetry of Chinese enamel with innovation, carving Chow Tai Seng’s mark at the intersection of tradition and the future.”
From Blue-Green Enamel to the Fluorescent Enamel Upgrade, Chow Tai Seng has demonstrated through continuous enamel craftsmanship innovation that Chinese brands are fully capable of defining new global standards for jewelry craftsmanship. In this era of pursuing personal expression, Chow Tai Seng’s gold enamel is becoming an important choice for new-era consumers to showcase their taste.