Low marriage rates in China negatively affects the global diamond trade

China’s wedding and engagement traditions in China do not include bridal rings, but in modern China women expect a great ring of diamonds that the suitor offers, but the risks are now high, as it has become “either to make a big offer or return to your home”, when it comes to requests Marriage, wedding parties and engagement ring.

It is known that Chinese women reject marriage offers if the diamond of the ring presented to them is very small, and in the younger generations women want expensive engagement rings that contain a diamond of no less than one carat.

The groom and the bride put two rings in two opposite hands, where the bride wears the ring in her right hand, while the groom wears the ring in his left hand.

Western culture

The influence of Western culture is an important factor behind this transformation. With the rise of globalization, Chinese husbands became more vulnerable to Western wedding habits, including the emergence of diamond engagement rings, and the demand for large diamond engagement rings is increasing, driven by the desire to show a person’s love and commitment in a wonderful way.

This Western influence extends beyond the engagement rings, to reach the wedding rings as well, while the older generations in China were not traditionally wearing wedding rings, preferring other symbols of marriage such as exchanging gifts or specified wedding clothes.

But that practice has become more common among younger husbands, especially in urban areas.

Today, many Chinese husbands exchange rings during their wedding ceremonies, and they adopt this Western tradition as a modern symbol of their commitment.

However, unlike the West where wedding rings are often worn daily, many Chinese individuals choose not to wear their rings every day because of fears of their loss or destruction.

Some prefer to wear their rings as scales, mixing the process with personal feelings, and this combination of the Western influence allows the traditional values ​​of husbands to allocate their approach to choosing engagement and wedding rings, so that they reflect their personal style and cultural heritage.

Economic growth

Rapid economic growth in China has also played a decisive role in this direction, and with more income available at their disposal, Chinese husbands are ready to buy luxury rings, and the big diamond ring is often seen as a symbol of status, which reflects the social status and financial success For the couple.

Recently, with lower marriage rates and increased financial pressures, there are fewer people who buy marriage and engagement jewelry, and young couples in China turned into gold, or even laboratory -made gemstones, to be presented at engagement or wedding parties, instead of diamonds Which was used on these occasions.

There is no clear link between Chinese policy in the 1970s, and the life of a diamond mine worker at the present time on the hills of the Kingdom of Lesoto in South Africa, but in today’s world it can have the decisions taken in Beijing, repercussions thousands of miles away in South Africa, where sales decline Diamonds are currently all over the world, and miners lose their jobs as a result of the policy of the one child adopted by China, which was imposed by the Chinese authorities 45 years ago.

For years, the growing wealth of Chinese medium layer and its imitation of Western fashion, such as wearing diamond engagement rings, led to a boom in sales.

The value of polished diamonds to China increased from $ 31 million in 2002, to a peak of approximately three billion dollars in 2018, but during the past 15 years, the number of young adults, and thus the number of marriages, in China its peak, began to decline Thus, the number of diamonds they needed has decreased on these occasions.

Less request

“The miners are telling us that large markets like China have a lower demand,” said a giant diamond mine in Litsing, who is the highest in the world, as it is located at a height of 3100 meters in the Malotto Mountains in Lesoto.

The mine is witnessing a series of huge diamond extraction operations. Nine gemstones have been extracted more than 100 carats, since the beginning of this year, which is nearly twice the number that was extracted in the entire year of 2023, but the celebrations were dim.

Because of the impact of market slope, the shares of the mine owners decreased by 33% in one year, during the past year, and this has a more direct impact on people on the other side of the global supply chain.

“My colleagues have suffered from the deterioration of the market and some of them have lost its jobs,” said worker Makhaiki, who only requested the use of his first name.

Qued consequences

China tends to deal with economic growth and its inhabitants as separate issues, although they have amazing numbers in favor of it.

However, the huge increase in its population of 540 million, when the Communist Party in 1949 took over to 1.4 billion, now helped to push its economic growth.

In particular, the boom of births in the 1960s provided a ready -made labor force, at the same time that economic liberalization attracted factories investments in the eighties, and the one -child policy that was imposed in 1979, as well as the international trend towards smaller families, led to the opposite So now.

The number of marriages in the country peak at 13.5 million in 2013, and since then the number has decreased rapidly, as it decreased to less than seven million in 2022, while this year is expected to return to the levels of 1980.

And since nearly half of the Chinese marriages (47%), according to the last statistics, in which diamonds are purchased in one way or another, such as providing diamonds during weddings and engagement, this decrease has severe consequences for the global diamond industry.

Other factors

The global diamond mining industry has already been severely affected after it started making gemstones in the laboratory.

Since the diamond market in China is the second largest market in the world, the huge demographic changes in the country also have a similar impact on the market.

“When China flourishes, it nourishes the market, and when China does not buy anything, this leads to the collapse of this goods,” said Avi Craves, an independent diamond market analyst, Avi Craves.

He added, “The prices in the global market decreased by a third after it reached its highest level ever in 2022.”

There are other factors in this regard. Diamond prices have decreased during the Korona virus in the pandemic, but they quickly recovered that the long -term upward trend will continue, but the demand for the “rare metal” did not recover in China.

The absence of the motivation program – compared to generous vacation plans in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe – and the decline in economic confidence, led to the pushing of the Chinese middle class to austerity and tightening belts.

According to Cricies, when the Chinese youth are married, they return to the traditional “safe haven”, which is gold as a way to show their economic time.

He says: “In India and China, gold is seen as a way to save money, and in contrast to the makers of diamond jewelry, gold companies witnessed a good year during 2024.” About “The Times”

---

An exceptional craftsman

Chinese jewelry are accurate with its details. From the source

Chinese jewelry is characterized by its exceptional craftsmanship and its interest in detail, which turns each piece into a real artwork, and this accuracy reflects a deep cultural appreciation of sophistication and nuances, which is the essence of Chinese traditions.

For a time, Chinese craftsmen were famous for creating complex designs that bear symbolic meaning and cultural importance, and these elaborate pieces, whose history dates back to ancient times, did not only reflect wealth, but also conveyed the status of their wearer and virtues.

With a rich history of art, the Chinese remained keen on details, and this dedication ensures that every ring, necklace or bracelet is more than just a personal accessory, it is a reflection of Khaled’s legacy of wonderful design.

The choice of a wedding or engagement ring in China is a deep statement of love, and not only reflects the link between two individuals, but also reflects the elegance and depth of Chinese culture as well, and whether you choose a single ring or a ring saturated with colorful gemstones, the decision is very personal and steeped in meaning.

For those who are shining in this beautiful chapter of their lives, visiting the jewelry showroom in Shanghai provides an opportunity to explore an amazing set of accurate and passionate rings, and the hall is devoted to a team to help the introductions to get married to find a piece symbolizing forever for a unique love story.

---

Gold jewelry

Two Chinese fiancées buy two wedding rings from one of the shops in Beijing. Gigantic

Lin Xiaoxi, 27, said a white collar worker in the prosperous eastern coastal city The past few months, as he has a large real estate mortgage on his home, although 50% of the cost of marriage was provided by his family, but he sometimes fights to keep pace with payments.

“We do not have much money at the present time, and his family also feels the financial pressure caused by wedding expenses, so he does not want to ask them for more money, and I personally do not think that the diamond ring is necessary,” she said.

It seems that the Chinese brides are operations, as Bibi Zhang (25), a government employee from central China, said that her fiancé was surprised by her refusal when he asked her to choose a diamond ring that she liked, and she added: “I told him that we must avoid the ring and choose gold instead of him.” And her fiancé believed that this is strange, so she made a concession, so she agreed to buy a diamond planted in the laboratory for a few hundred pounds, but she nevertheless added the rest of the budget to buy gold.

. Increased financial pressures prompted young couples to buy gold or gemstones manufactured by laboratory instead of diamonds.

. The number of marriages in China reached its climax at 13.5 million in 2013, but it decreased to less than seven million in 2022.