Analysis on the Development Status and Existing Problem of Manufacture and Wholesale Segments of Emerald Market in China

While the whole domestic jewelry market remains fatigued and weak, the emerald market in China, after remaining inactive for nearly 20 years, grows up suddenly and dramatically. However, there are few studies on the emerging emerald commercial market in China. Through long-term field investigation, close communication with a large number of employees, and literature study, the authors have analyzed the status of the manufacture and wholesale segments and pointed out the main problems in domestic industry. According to the results, the circulation categories of emeralds in the middle stream are limited: medium-high quality Zambian emeralds of 1-5 ct have become the mainstreams while good-top quality Colombian emeralds of 1-4 ct stand firmly in the high-end market; but the prices of the best quality Zambian emeralds, the new entrants-small Afghan and Pakistani polished emeralds and the high quality melees, are difficult to be recognized while Colombian emeralds occupy a rather less market share in China than in the international market. However, this is not mainly due to the lack of purchasing power and corresponding aesthetic taste of Chinese consumers, but because of the fact that the professional competence of some Chinese employees is not enough to meet the need of cultivating high-end taste. At the same time, the misunderstanding of "clarity enhancement" easily leads to many disputes between employees in the middle stream. Moreover, employees have not focused on digging deep in the emerald culture and guiding consumers to establish the emotional links, which is not conducive to further expansion of the market. On the other hand, as the market increasing rapidly, foreign wholesalers and dealers come to China continuously and the competition in the middle stream become increasingly fierce. In order to expand profits and improve competitiveness, a small number of enterprises in China march to emerald manufacture market. However, due to the lack of mature processing and enhancement technology, it's still difficult for them to achieve large-scale profit-making production. Obviously, the manufacture and wholesale segments of the emerald industry in China are still in the primary stage.