Is there any possibility for Chinese consumers purchasing jewelry to rely on standards similar to the 4C diamond classification successfully accepted on the Chinese market? China’s jewelry sector is still in a stage where such kind of regulation is only taking its shape. The Russian proverb about the quiet waters full of devils can best describe the current situation in this country, but nevertheless certain organizational efforts are taken by the authorities, and since last March buyers have a tool to define the quality of jewelry pieces with emeralds and pearls.
Pearls certificates became effective from March 1 across China and for the first time were applied in Beijing on March 22. On the basis of this document the buyer may receive complete information regarding the characteristics of pearls to be purchased in almost the same way as it is done while purchasing diamonds. Also, starting from this month, similar certificates will be used for emeralds which are considered one of the most difficult gems from the point of view of their estimation and diagnostics.
Due to absence of accurate standards and classification and also insufficient transparency of the market, prices for goods graced with pearls may considerably differ. If you add to this the difficulties experienced by ordinary consumers in telling the difference between river and sea pearls, evaluating their cleanliness and number of blemishes on the surface, the result will be that most purchases are made just “by sight.” On March 22, the Wante Jewelry Centre in Beijing began to accompany all their pearl products with certificates bearing grading data. This trend correlates with recent bills protecting the rights of consumers in the field of luxury goods. The certificates include information regarding pearl color, shape, diameter, luster and other characteristics.
The National Gemstone Testing Center of the People’s Republic of China (NGTC) has introduced the following grades for pearl color: white, black, yellow, pink and brown; sizes – 6 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm; shape - round, almost round, oval, baroque and other irregular forms. The introduction of classification standards is to give buyers more complete and transparent information regarding the products they purchase.
According to a representative of the NGTC of China, exactly five years passed from the moment they started to develop national diamond classification standards until such regulations took their effect. The quality of emeralds is defined by four key parameters: color, transparency, place of their recovery and clarity. Their cutting quality is evaluated separately. For example, green emeralds according to these standards may be divided into the following grades: green, green with a shade of yellow, green with a shade of blue. In a given color there may be the following classes of transparency: glass-like, ice-like, sticky-rice-like (probably, only in China it is clear what it looks like), and porcelain-like. There is also a different scale of values for gems’ clarity and place of origin. The classification has a very useful practical addition: it offers samples in each class. These will help buyers to define off hand what kind of gems they are dealing with and take a more well-grounded decision for a purchase.
“Introduction of national standards is useful for defining the quality of emeralds, now it will be difficult to sell low-standard and counterfeit products,” believes Shi Dongfeng, a veteran collector. Formerly it was possible to evaluate a stone only with a naked eye, and detection of slightest flaws could cause a huge difference in price. To some, color shade may seem “greenish,” while others may see it as “bluish.” The state-approved classification should now place everything in order and bring opinions to a uniform denominator.
However, it is easier to announce the introduction of standards than to achieve their actual application on the spot. The biggest question is whether the jewelry business will really use them. As it appeared during a round of jewelry stores and markets in Beijing, from which innovations are supposed to propagate like circles on water, so far with rare exception there were no signs of classification-based pearls and emeralds showcased. Of course, first of all business is inclined to do what yields maximum profit. And it is much easier to sell jewelry pieces to a buyer who is a layman in jewelry subtleties if their price does not correspond to their quality. This instantly brings back to memory the aphorism of the great reformer Deng Xiao-ping: “It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.” Until now the situation looks much the same with emeralds in the Chinese market: “It doesn’t matter of what precise color a stone is so long as it sells well and shows off its owner’s status.”
The introduction of diamond classification was also never fast, so it is not necessary to expect immediate propagation of new standards for other stones as well. As virtually everything in the history of China, the best root takers are those rules which are engrafted in a smooth way. Though the current classification permits to define precisely if an emerald is original or counterfeited, it is not absolutely clear yet for Chinese jewelers how to connect the introduced gem characteristics with prices for their products. This process will take some time, but its results will be worth it.
The position taken by Mr. Zhu Suiwei, heading the NGTC Educational Centre in the Guangdong Province, is open enough: “The problem to be solved by the standards is not only related to defining the authenticity of emeralds, but certainly to their pricing as well. After all, it is the most complicated task to estimate the cost of emeralds. The so-called establishment of a pricing system occurs more on paper than in actual practice.”
The new standards have also caused active discussion in the virtual space of the jewelry Web in China. The collective opinion expressed by the participants of these discussions tends to that “classification will establish a new system of co-ordinates in the emerald market and the majority of buyers will be able to identify stones with its help. However, experts who are engaged in gem cutting and design and directly participate in jewelry pricing will still rely in their estimations on their own eyes and experience which are not subject to any standardization.”
Olga Patseva, Rough&Polished, Shanghai
