Editor’s Note
This article explores the enduring appeal of diamonds in China, highlighting their dual role as cultural symbols and investment assets. Despite global economic headwinds, the market demonstrates remarkable resilience, driven by sustained consumer demand.
Diamonds, as symbols of nobility, wealth, eternity, and commitment, are favored by high-end and wedding consumers. Market favor has driven the development and growth of China’s diamond industry and market.
From the perspective of the entire market, even during the pandemic, China’s enthusiasm for diamonds remained undiminished, with transaction scales continuing to expand. The “2021 China Jewelry Industry Development Report” released by the China Gems & Jewelry Trade Association shows that in 2021, the market size of diamond products in China was approximately 100 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 25%. Looking ahead to 2023, the full reopening of the Chinese market and the boost in consumption have injected a strong stimulus into the high-end jewelry industry. In the long term, China remains the largest high-end jewelry market.
In recent years, the Chinese jewelry brand CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel has repeatedly achieved excellent results at auctions, often selling for several times the reserve price. The indicative transaction prices in the international auction market have also continuously proven the investment and collection value of CINDY CHAO’s works: In 2017, CINDY CHAO’s “Black Label Masterpiece No. I Golden Feather Brooch,” paved with yellow diamonds, sold for HKD 8.7 million at Christie’s Hong Kong, nearly double its pre-sale estimate; In 2011, the “Black Label Masterpiece No. VIII Summer Solstice Bracelet” from the Four Seasons series, featuring a 7.02-carat oval yellow diamond as the main stone, was hammered at three times its pre-sale estimate at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
Jewelry artist Cindy Chao has consistently explored the definition of art jewelry for many years with an international aesthetic vision that transcends borders and language barriers, and a cultural heritage that connects past and future. Recently, CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel launched the “2023 Gem Art – Art Fancy Color Diamond Series,” continuing its efforts in fancy color diamond creation. Through 31 art jewelry pieces, it presents 35 rare fancy color diamonds at once, including pink, blue, green, yellow, and orange diamonds.
The value of a fancy color diamond is determined by its color, weight, clarity, cut, and any factors that determine its rarity. The rarer and more difficult to obtain, the higher its value. Blue diamonds, which account for only about 0.5% of the total fancy color diamond production, are astonishingly assembled with 6 stones in this series, the largest weighing up to 5.05 carats; Pink diamonds, accounting for about 5% of the total production, total 16 stones, with 3 exceeding 5 carats and 1 weighing as much as 6.77 carats. According to GIA statistics, pink diamonds over 5 carats accounted for less than 2% of pink diamond mining from 2016 to 2018; Among the yellow diamonds, 6 weigh over 10 carats, with one top-quality yellow diamond weighing 88.88 carats; Rare orange and green diamonds, due to their stringent formation conditions, have always been very scarce in the market and also made an appearance this time.
In the creation of the “2023 Gem Art – Art Fancy Color Diamond Series,” two classic series became important sources of inspiration, continuously diverging and extending. A 1.01-carat Fancy Intense pink diamond is paired with a pair of triangular-cut white diamonds weighing 6.7 carats and 5.4 carats respectively, presenting an exquisite bow shape, complemented by multi-layered ribbons crafted from 3456 white and pink diamonds of different sizes and cuts. The combination of creativity and craftsmanship allows the fancy color diamonds to present more diverse charm.
Two extremely rare pure green diamonds are both crafted in the Ribbon series: A 1.09-carat Fancy Vivid green diamond is paired with a pair of triangular white diamonds weighing 2.05 and 2.01 carats respectively, surrounded by flowing ribbons paved with white diamonds, showcasing agile and graceful soft lines; Another 1.29-carat Fancy Vivid green diamond displays vivid vitality through three-dimensional organic lines. A rare 2.34-carat Fancy Vivid yellow-orange diamond is crafted into a Ribbon series ring, with multi-layered lines perfectly capturing the softness and casualness of the ribbon, fully demonstrating the artist’s ability to capture natural moments.
In the works of the Four Seasons series, the artist spent enormous time and effort to allow the diamonds to obtain ideal lighting conditions, fully showcasing the brand’s essence of “architectural, sculptural, and vitality.” When creating the 20.31-carat Zimmi-color yellow diamond, the artist chose the iconic branch element of the Four Seasons series to craft it into a branch ring, while adopting the emerald cut, which is less common for fancy color diamonds but demands high color requirements, to achieve the goal of making the yellow diamond’s color and purity completely visible. A 5.17-carat Fancy Vivid pink diamond is paired with a pair of crescent-shaped white diamonds weighing 1.54 and 1.53 carats respectively, taking the shape of a branch, presenting the vitality of nature in an abstract way. A 1.55-carat heart-shaped Fancy Vivid pink diamond transforms into the heart of a blooming rose, becoming the finishing touch of the piece.
