Craftsmanship and colours decisive for semi-precious stones

Versatile in style and variety and with colours galore, semi-precious stones are one of the all-time favourite materials applied in fashion jewellery. To keep abreast of the times, advanced technology makes different polishing effects, cuts and colours possible, allowing wider mixing and matching possibilities. Indeed, sophisticated and intricate craftsmanship remains the soul of each stone.

Industry development

James Loo, sales manager of Super Natural Gems & Jewellery in mainland China, believes the semi-precious stones industry has improved enormously over the last decade, particularly in terms of colours. "More colouring, plating and laser techniques are applied in the production process – for example, colouring on the stones, plating on white topaz and lasers on crystals – but in the cutting and polishing aspects, traditional shapes remain the mainstream. In fact, not all customers are fond of the innovative cuts," Mr Loo explained. Wong Ming, director of King Star Jewellery, Hong Kong-based semi-precious stones wholesaler, commented, "The development of semi-precious stones has made great improvements over the last ten years; yet sometimes a trend is short-lived: once it is over, customers revert to the traditional, such as the Germany cut, pear, square, round and oval shapes. Colour-wise, different reds, blues and greens are in vogue."

SGJ King Star

Chii Lih Coral

George Lu, spokesperson for Taiwan-based coral stones manufacturer Chii Lih Coral, points out that as pricy coral grows very slowly, needing approximately ten years to grow just one centimetre, the insufficient quantity boosts its price. Therefore, industry practitioners focus on processing and cutting, refining it into more intricate and unique pieces, each carrying its beauty and hues. Apart from the common red, different colours such as white, pastel pink, pink, orange, salmon and dark red are also available, depending on the species and origin.

Craftsmanship is vital to a well-polished and well-cut stone, machines playing only a supplementary role in the production stage. Mr Lu said, "Eighty percent of our coral needs to be polished and cut by hand; mechanised production does not seem to be applicable. Except for the red coral from Italy, all corals include some tiny white spots, and since they grow vertically along the coral, artisans have to handle them very carefully when processing. Only if they possess the sophisticated skills that come with years of experience can they accomplish the procedure." As Mr Loo stated, Super Natural Gems & Jewellery still relies on traditional machines for production, but the organic constraints mean mechanised processing may not be possible at this stage. Therefore, he thinks experience and handicraft skills are still very crucial to the stone pieces.

Stones in vogue

Chii Lih Coral

Preferences in coral style differ. Mr Lu reveals, for example, that pastels and orange are more popular in Europe and North America, and people in those areas prefer over-sized designs. In addition to those colours, customers in South America also favour white coral. As for mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and Southeast Asia, reds in simple designs are in vogue. According to Mr Wong, Buddha and "Goddess of Mercy" carvings are a big hit in China, while Western countries are very fond of angels, fish and animal pattern carvings. Generally, flower- and leaf-shaped carvings are among the best sellers in King Star Jewellery's semi-precious stones collection.

Mr Loo predicts blues and purples will be the colours for the upcoming season, with black and white remaining in the mainstream. In addition, he points out that customers basically prefer oval shapes and mini-octagons. He believes the trend of "Thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy" carvings on pendants, in crystals, semi-precious stones or jades, will persist for a while longer: Super Natural Gems & Jewellery has been receiving quite a lot of orders for those in 2009. And Chii Lih Coral foresees that, "pastel colours and salmon-red beads and cabochons will come into style in Europe and America; while red beads remain the mainstream in China. Shape-wise, pear, waterdrop and flower will be the main staples."

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Challenges and opportunities

SGJ

Asked about the prospects for semi-precious stones, wholesalers and manufacturers in Greater China have their own concerns. Mr Loo said, "The industry is now facing two challenges: not only is there a shortage of sophisticated skilled artisans; as the demand for semi-precious stones grows, but the relative cost of materials also soars, resulting in a bottleneck for the development of the whole industry. Exploring new technology and new materials is the critical key to future development." He also reveals that the stones the industry uses are mainly imported from South Africa and Brazil, indirectly highlighting the shortcomings in mining and promotion of China's stone materials.

Mr Lu worries that pricy coral will gradually diminish as it cannot be produced artificially. He therefore thinks the industry should strengthen cooperation, share information and educate customers in how precious the coral is, together exploring a new potential market.

Chii Lih Coral

King Star

"Our orders dropped because of the US economic downturn, so King Star Jewellery reconstructed its market plan via switching its former exports to Europe and the United States to domestic sales. There is so much potential in China: I do hold high hopes regarding future prospects in the semi-precious stone industry in China," Mr Wong said.

Source: Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Review