Jewellery sales in China rose 12.6 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, revealed the latest data from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics.

March figures alone climbed 11.7 per cent, extending the growth momentum from 2025 when overall jewellery sales increased by 12.8 per cent.

Total retail sales of consumer goods in China grew 1.7 per cent year on year to RMB 4.16 billion (around US$610.68 billion) in Q1 2026, with nearly 80 per cent of major retail categories posting gains. Gold, silver and jewellery, alongside categories such as communication equipment and cosmetics were among the top performers.

Yu Jianxun, director of the Department of Trade and External Economic Relations Statistics at the bureau, attributed this robust performance to a rapid transformation of China’s traditional retail models.

“Digitalisation and smart solutions are accelerating the transformation of traditional retail,” said Yu. “Online retail sales among enterprises above designated size rose 13.3 per cent year on year in the quarter, contributing significantly to overall retail sales.”

Enterprises above the designated size refer to retailers with an annual main business revenue of RMB 5 million (around US$733,794) or above.