Editor’s Note
As the global pearl industry gathers in Zhuji, China, a key takeaway emerges: the sector’s future is being shaped by youthful energy and innovation. This observation from an international expert underscores a dynamic shift, suggesting China’s pearl market is cultivating a new generation of engagement that promises sustained vitality.
On May 20, the 5th Shanxiahu · World Pearl Conference opened in Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. Pearls are naturally nurtured by mollusks, and China is the world’s largest producer of freshwater pearls.
Data shows that Zhuji City, the conference venue known as the “Pearl Capital of China,” hosts the world’s largest freshwater pearl trading market. Particularly in Shanxiahu Town, which covers less than 43 square kilometers, over 9,000 entities across the entire pearl industry chain are concentrated, spanning breeding, processing, sales, and derivative products.
That day, representatives from jewelry and pearl industry enterprises, experts, scholars, and heads of leading e-commerce platforms from more than 20 countries and regions, including Sabina Loriou, gathered in Zhuji to discuss industry development.
It is reported that in recent years, Shaoxing has vigorously developed new business formats and models such as live streaming e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce, and bonded trading. The pearl marketing network now spans over 70 countries and regions globally. An industrial technology innovation center and an intellectual property protection center have been built and put into operation, collaborating with leading jewelry design companies to jointly develop an AI (Artificial Intelligence) large model.
For example, in intelligent manufacturing and AI digital innovation, local unmanned factories have achieved full-process automation for pearl sorting and drilling, with an accuracy rate of 98%. The Pearl Sorting Machine 3.0 integrates intelligent visual recognition and robotic arm sorting systems, capable of processing 20,000 pearls per hour with a sorting accuracy rate as high as 99.8%. This represents an eightfold efficiency increase compared to traditional manual sorting, better serving industrial upgrading and high-quality development.
Now, pearls in Zhuji “can talk.” Local enterprises have collaborated with institutions to apply chips in cultured pearls, allowing consumers to use their smartphones’ NFC function to view the origin, growth process, and quality characteristics of each pearl, promoting transparency in the pearl supply chain.
Currently, Zhuji is also building a new global trade ecosystem with pearls at its core. Relying on the Shanxiahu Cross-border E-commerce Base, local authorities have formulated special industrial policies to encourage the construction of cross-border platforms and expand overseas e-commerce sales channels. They now possess over 500 cross-border e-commerce accounts. In 2024, cross-border e-commerce sales exceeded 500 million yuan, driving income growth for local residents.
