Re. Palladium Schmuck China:
“Purchases of palladium for use in jewellery soared by 54 per cent to 1.43 million oz in 2005. This was almost entirely as a result of the rapid expansion of palladium jewellery manufacturing in China, which accounted for 1.2 million oz of total jewellery demand last year. The majority of the remaining 230,000 oz was consumed in the production of platinum jewellery alloys in Japan and some white gold alloys, although small volumes of palladium jewellery were also produced in North America. The Chinese jewellery sector purchased 1.2 million oz of palladium in 2005, an increase of half a million ounces on the year before. Although retail sales of palladium jewellery grew, the surge in purchases of metal was driven primarily by companies throughout the trade establishing and expanding stocks of fi nished jewellery. The majority of jewellery manufacturers had started production of palladium products the previous year, and most stepped up output markedly in 2005 to fulfi l orders from a growing number of wholesalers and retailers across the country. The spread of palladium jewellery to stores throughout China last year was remarkably rapid; Shanghai and Beijing are now the only major cities where a signifi cant proportion of retail outlets still do not stock palladium. The concept of purity is a strong selling point for the jewellery buying public in China, especially in rural areas. Last year, 99 per cent pure palladium jewellery (Pd990) was introduced in addition to 95 per cent pure palladium products (Pd950). This made a signifi cant contribution to the growth in metal demand as stores began building inventories of Pd990 items alongside their existing ranges of Pd950. “
Johnson Matthey 2006 Palladium Report
Thanksgiving: there are
No words. A dead bird bigger
Than I am, and cooked!
-Cat Haiku