Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

CHINESE jewelers are scrambling to keep increasingly design-savvy and style-conscious consumers coming back for more, as young consumers are no longer looking for gaudy pieces of bling but now prefer sophisticated items that converge with their individual style.

At the 2019 Shenzhen International Jewelry Fair, more than 1,200 exhibitors from home and abroad lined counters with their most stylish and trendy jewels to attract buyers.

The fair not only gathered big names such as Chow Tai Seng Jewelry and Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group, but also rising retailers and small businesses.

“This is our first time attending the Shenzhen jewelry fair. We have brought 23 jewelry brands from 15 countries to display at the fair, and we mainly target chic white-collar workers and young fashionable individuals,” said Shen Kai, general manager of Matro GBJ, a boutique jewelry store.

According to Shen, Matro GBJ is actively exploring a new retail mode that better caters to the evolving tastes of Chinese consumers and helps consumers to gain access to global top-notch and well-crafted jewelries at affordable prices through one-stop shopping.

“We have pioneered the bonded import jewelry trading mode, under which overseas jewelry are imported into China by Matro GBJ directly and then distributed to our boutiques for sale after customs supervision and bonded warehouse inspection,” Shen told the Shenzhen Daily.

Shen added that the unique mode integrates both online and offline, overseas and domestic shopping. They will also introduce custom-tailored design and VR try-on services in the near future.

Another well-known, high-end jeweler, Chow Tai Seng Jewelry, has also added an artistic touch to jewelry and highlighted its Van Gogh-themed collection at the fair this year.

Yang Ding, a local jewelry designer focusing on bespoke jewelry, has participated in the fair for three consecutive years.

“I think the biggest advantages of customized jewelry lie in the flexibility of designs and the price, and these are the factors that many consumers put much ahead of others,” Yang said.

The 2019 Shenzhen International Jewelry Fair was held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center from Thursday to Monday.