SHANGHAI: Made in Pakistan jewellery, which has had a market in China for years, is gathering traction in the neighbouring country’s high-end market as brands are improving design and service at reasonable prices.

Earlier in this month, Pakistani gemstones, glittering at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) were appreciated by Chinese visitors who were impressed by the exquisitely designed high-end jewellery from Pakistan.

According to a brand owner, after participating in the last year’s CIIE, sales of his store grew 40-50 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, confirming CIIE’s great boost to foreign businesses, and more significantly, the expanding recognition of Pakistani jewellery in China.

In the first three quarters of 2021, as per China Customs, Pakistan’s exports of raw gemstones to China grew 9.6 times compared to the same period of 2020. Meanwhile, the country’s total exports to China skyrocketed to $2.5 billion, a strong YoY growth of 77pc.

Specifically, the export of Pakistan’s precious stones including ruby, sapphire, emerald and semi-precious stones to China achieved a total weight of nearly 500,000 carats, revealing an increasing demand for gemstones from Pakistan in the world’s largest market.

“Chinese consumers are biased towards ruby and sapphire of one to three carats. Ruby contributed the most to the sales growth, followed by sapphire, diamond and emerald,” Pakistani jeweller Aqeel Ahmed Chaudhry said.

“Female consumers over 30 years of age in the Chinese market make up our main customer group,” he added.

As sapphire is regarded as a sentimental token of engagement and commitment overseas, especially in Europe, Pakistani jewellery has tried to popularise this special meaning among foreign consumers and achieved good results.

Furthermore, higher amounts of Pakistani jewellery and gemstones are being designed to cater to the cultural taste of the Chinese.