Amber has long been known as "soft gold" and was highly prized in the past by imperial nobles and Buddhist professionals. In recent years, the amber jewelry market has experienced rapid growth. If you’re also interested in amber, you simply can’t afford to miss the data and analysis report that this article is about to reveal!

Beeswax necklace

Amber boasts a rich variety of colors and a warm, smooth texture that distinctly sets it apart from other mineral gems. Moreover, amber is one of the Seven Treasures revered in Buddhism. Amber comes in hues ranging from the yellow once reserved exclusively for royalty to the red deeply cherished by the Chinese, as well as dreamy shades of blue. Some pieces are crystal-clear and translucent, others feature intricate patterns and swirling veins, while still others contain perfectly preserved insects or tiny creatures, telling poignant stories from tens of millions of years ago for future generations. Coupled with the surge in popularity of amber among film and television celebrities over the past few years, these factors collectively cater to the diverse purchasing needs of consumers across various segments.

In recent years, China’s amber market has experienced rapid growth. The number of processing, wholesale, and retail enterprises, as well as the workforce involved in this sector, has been expanding rapidly, making it a major highlight in the jewelry industry and attracting widespread attention from both insiders and outsiders!

Golden Honey Elephant

Primary raw material origin

Currently, amber on the Chinese market mainly comes from countries including China, Myanmar, Baltic coastal nations, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In China, jewelry-grade amber is primarily mined in Fushun. At present, the raw amber deposits there have largely been exhausted, and most of the amber currently circulating in the market consists of stockpiles previously held by coal miners. Fushun amber is particularly renowned for its abundance of insect-inclusions; it features rich, subdued hues, a soft luster, and a warm, smooth texture, making it highly favored among amber enthusiasts—especially those who collect insect-inclusive amber. The amber circulating more widely in the Chinese market is... Baltic amber, Burmese amber, Dominican amber, Mexican amber Wait.

Amber raw specimen    

Industry scale

According to the survey, Currently, there are 20,000 people nationwide who specialize in the amber industry, and there are over a thousand amber businesses of all sizes. In 2015, the industry’s output value was approximately 10 billion yuan.

Processing market   The processing hubs are mainly concentrated in Guangdong and Yunnan, with a small presence in Fushun, Liaoning. In Guangdong, the primary materials processed include Baltic, Dominican, Mexican amber, as well as some Burmese amber. Tengchong in Yunnan specializes in the processing and sale of Burmese amber, with much of the activity centered around the former site of the jade market.

Wholesale market   Southern wholesale enterprises are mainly concentrated in... Liwan, Guangzhou ， The north is mainly concentrated in Beijing Panjiayuan and Shilihe Markets 。 Under the leadership of Fushun Amber, Fushun in Liaoning has developed distinctive wholesale and retail markets.

In the retail market, prior to 2014, amber retail was predominantly dominated by specialized retailers, primarily concentrated in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Comprehensive jewelry retailers had relatively few amber products in their offerings. Starting in 2014, as the economy slowed down and sales of other product categories declined significantly, several comprehensive jewelry retailers began gradually expanding their amber product lines.

Lucky charm pendant, beeswax

In the inlay and carving markets, amber products mainly consist of beads and pendants. In recent years, the market share of amber inlaid and carved items has been steadily increasing. Most inlaid amber pieces are produced by commissioned jewelry processing factories; fewer standalone amber inlay workshops have been established. This shift has significantly boosted the business volume of jewelry processing factories. Previously, some specialized processing facilities that focused on jade and colored gemstones have quickly adapted to the technical requirements for amber products. Carved amber pieces come in a wide range of sizes. For most established factories, small carved pieces have become one of their core businesses, as certain raw materials, when processed to remove impurities and flaws, can only be fashioned into small carved items. The craftsmanship level of these carved pieces continues to improve steadily. Large amber carvings occupy a relatively small share of the market. As China’s jade and stone carving skills continue to improve, large amber carved ornaments have increasingly appeared in various carving competitions. Due to amber’s low hardness and its inherent waxy luster, it is more challenging to master both the choice of subject matter and the carving techniques involved, placing higher demands on the artisans. There is still considerable room for improvement in large-scale carvings—in terms of design concepts as well as processing techniques. Currently, many carving artisans who previously worked with jade, Shoushan stone, Huanglong jade, and bamboo have begun to carve amber. Some of the techniques and methods traditionally used in other carving materials are gradually being incorporated into amber carvings, thereby accelerating the pace of improvement in processing technologies across the entire amber industry.

 

Peace buckle pendant, beeswax

Current issues in the amber market

Development has been too rapid, and the extensive growth model urgently needs to undergo a transformation. In recent years, as economic growth has slowed down, the rapid development of the industry has attracted significant attention from investors—both from outside the jewelry sector and from companies operating in other segments within the jewelry industry itself. The influx of capital will undoubtedly boost the industry’s growth, drive improvements in amber processing techniques, and at the same time intensify competition among industry players. Businesses and professionals who have been involved in the amber industry for over a decade—or even longer—have deep emotional ties to it. They are equally concerned about the industry’s sustainable development and corporate profitability, and they cherish both just as much. Meanwhile, some of the newly entering investors are placing greater emphasis on the fact that, compared to other jewelry categories, the amber industry currently offers relatively large profit margins, and they are particularly focused on the relationship between investment and returns.