■ China Women's Daily comprehensive media report
Recently, data released by the China Gold Association showed that in 2023, national gold consumption will be 1,089.69 tons, an increase of 8.78% compared with the same period in 2022. In recent years, more and more young consumers have fallen in love with gold products. From the popularity of small and beautiful gold jewelry products and ancient gold to the regular purchase of small gold beans to "lock in savings", the craze of gold consumption has become popular among the young people of Generation Z. In the eyes of young people, gold products have transformed from "mom's favorite" to a "model of true fragrance" that is both beautiful and valuable.
The value of financial management highlights
Since the Spring Festival this year, online and offline "gold hunting" has become popular, reflecting the young consumer group's expectations for gold's value preservation and their pursuit of high cost performance. "Golding" is a customized service that can meet consumers' needs for uniqueness and personalization of jewelry. It also promotes the gradual return of traditional metalworking skills to people's lives and adds new options for gold consumption.
It is understood that the main reason why consumers are keen on "making gold" is the high cost performance. On a certain social platform, there are more than 130,000 notes with the keyword "gold hunting", and gold-related terms are frequently searched. Many netizens shared their experiences of "gold-making". The labor costs for finished gold jewelry in brand stores range from 30 yuan to 60 yuan per gram, while the processing fees for "gold-making" are mostly 15 yuan per gram. Some styles The cost of making simple gold hoops and gold earrings is only a few dozen yuan.
According to industry insiders, the cost of “gold mining” is mainly to buy gold bars. "In terms of price, buying gold bars directly is more than 100 yuan per gram cheaper than branded gold stores. Or you can get old gold jewelry and make new ones, which is zero cost, and then pay some 'golding' processing fees and losses. Most young people hold gold bars. If you come here, you can save the high labor costs of big brands and even the cost of a necklace. It is indeed very cost-effective."
"Appearance is also one of the main reasons." The person in charge of a gold store in Zhuzhou, Hunan said, "With the rapid development of the country, With the rise of the trend, more and more young people are pursuing the retro style and 'planting' ancient gold." The person in charge said that ancient gold is a category of pure gold jewelry based on processing technology, mainly including ancient casting. There are three major techniques: molding, hand-finished gold, and hand-made gold repair, including filigree, inlay, engraving, blue-burning and other techniques.
A salesperson at a gold store said that the ancient gold ring bracelet is the most popular style because it is simple in style and has a matte surface, which is in line with young people’s aesthetic preferences for jewelry that is “good-looking, unique, and textured.” Ms. Zhu, a post-90s generation, is one of the supporters of ancient gold jewelry. She likes the plain style and frosted feel. A few years ago, I made a gold necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. "After a long time, I wanted to change it to a new style."
"Gold-making" new technology model
"Gold-making" simply means processing of supplied materials, consumers After selecting the style, the gold raw materials are handed over to the goldsmiths to make the finished product. The currently popular "gold trading" is divided into two transaction modes: online and offline. Online transactions are divided into two modes: online reservation, offline production and mailing gold raw materials for production. For example, on the short video platform, many bloggers who demonstrate ancient gold making techniques shoot short videos and set up live broadcasts to show netizens the retro process and finished product effects of "gold making", and answer questions raised by netizens. Many netizens left messages under the video or asked during the live broadcast about the labor costs and production cycle of customizing the same product, as well as asking for the studio address and the blogger’s contact information.
Industry insiders explained that most consumers who choose to have gold raw materials customized by mail learn about the charm of metalworking skills through short videos, and become loyal fans of a certain goldsmith or metalworking brand, and have full trust in them. Offline "gold processing" means consumers bring gold raw materials to professional metalworking stores, and the craftsmen in the stores process the gold jewelry.
Gold is a precious metal, so the process of "gold-making" is extremely rigorous and meticulous.The first step is to review the weight of the raw materials multiple times. The gold craftsmen confirm the style and labor cost calculation method with the consumer before weighing the gold raw materials. After the consumer confirms the data obtained by weighing, the gold is overexerted to remove the Stains on the surface of gold raw materials need to be weighed to confirm the grams after being burned. After the purity of the gold raw materials is tested with a spectrometer, the craftsmen begin to melt the gold. After melting into gold cakes, they need to confirm the purity and gram number with the consumer again. After many weight confirmations, the craftsman officially starts "golding". During the jewelry making process, the size needs to be confirmed with the consumer at any time. After the finished product is completed, the labor cost and loss deduction price will be settled and a gold test will be issued. Reports and Transaction Notes.
Be careful to avoid pitfalls when “making gold”
In addition, many consumers are particularly concerned about the loss of “making gold”. It is reported that there are currently three ways to achieve "zero loss processing". The first is that the craftsman adds the estimated amount of gold loss to the gold raw materials brought by the customer in advance based on the difficulty of the gold jewelry making process to ensure that the weight of the finished product is consistent with the raw material; the second is that the craftsman does not advance the gold jewelry before making it. Add gold, and after the production is completed, the polished gold material will be melted into gold beans and returned to the customer; the third method is to directly use the consumed gold material to deduct the processing cost according to the international gold price of the day.
It is not difficult to find that there are many "explosive posts" in the sharing of "gold making" experiences on the Internet. Most of the problems focus on problems such as reduced gold content, excessive loss, and rough workmanship of the finished product. Industry insiders suggest that first of all, consumers should choose a formal metalworking production unit, and it is best to supervise the entire process of the craftsman's processing. During the "gold making" process, focus on the weight and purity and keep the consumption certificate. After receiving the gold jewelry, ask the merchant or go to the national authoritative gold and jewelry testing institution for a second re-inspection on your own, and prove the gold content of the gold jewelry through scientific testing data.
