About the author: Chen Luyuan, member of the third professional committee of man-made products of China Insurance Association, director of Oriental Paradise Craft Accessories Factory in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province.

Gems are symbols of status, wealth and status for the dignitaries of past dynasties, but they are out of reach and above the common people. Nowadays, with the changes of the times and the development of science, artificial products came into being. Man-made products include synthetic gems, artificial gem, recycled gems and assembled gems. Among them, artificial gem means "it can be used as a gem, but there is no corresponding gem in nature". In other words, artificial gem just looks like a natural gem, but they are completely different in chemical composition, crystal structure, physical properties and chemical properties. Therefore, artificial gem is mainly used to imitate a natural gem, and glass is one of the best materials for this natural gem. The glass imitation gemstone products in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province have formed a big industry, which is developing continuously and has a broad prospect.

The prosperity of man-made products stems from the pursuit of fashion by ordinary people. The color of glass is much more than that of synthetic gemstones (about 100), and the price is also cheaper than that of synthetic gemstones, with low hardness and convenient processing. Therefore, products such as imitation gemstone fashion ornaments processed with glass are not only various, but also cheap and good, which are deeply loved by ordinary people and highly competitive in the jewelry market. This is the reason why the glass imitation gem industry has been greatly developed in Pujiang, Zhejiang.

Take Pujiang Oriental Paradise Crafts Factory as an example. Is a small factory mainly producing glass imitation gems. Built in 1986 as a family workshop. After more than 20 years of development, it now has more than 50 employees, and can produce various kinds of corner beads, pointed beads, round beads, square beads, shaped pendants and ornaments, which can be embedded in various headdresses, bracelets, necklaces, waist chains and costumes. In Pujiang, there are many enterprises like Oriental Paradise Craft Jewelry Factory, which makes Pujiang a production base and distribution center for glass imitation gem products. Over the past 20 years, Pujiang's glass imitation gem industry has been growing: products have developed from a single variety to today's many varieties (currently ornaments, pendants, jewelry, fine decoration); The diameter of the product ranges from 50 cm to several millimeters. But many products can't be made by mechanized production, and they must be made by workers. The continuous expansion of orders will lead to the continuous expansion of production enterprises and more and more employees. This virtuous circle has brought a good prospect to Pujiang county's economy and labor employment, and also created employment opportunities for migrant workers. For example. Only in Pujiang, Zhenxiong City, Yunnan Province, there are100000 people involved in glass imitation gem processing. Looking back on the development of more than 20 years, the glass imitation gem industry in Pujiang County started from a family workshop, gradually developed into the production of thousands of households, and then developed into large-scale production in industrial parks. Pujiang's glass imitation gem enterprises have integrated production and research, and have the ability to lead the development trend of glass imitation gem industry. With the continuous expansion of Pujiang glass imitation gem industry, the local production capacity of Pujiang can no longer meet the needs of order quantity, so we went to other provinces and cities to find partners. At present, Pujiang's glass imitation gem products have been produced in more than ten provinces and cities across the country, including Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. The number of employees reached 400,000, hundreds of thousands of people moved from mountainous areas to cities, and hundreds of thousands of people bid farewell to thatched houses. It can be seen that the development of glass imitation gem industry in Pujiang has made many people get rid of poverty and become rich. The benefits it brings to society and entrepreneurs are countless and immeasurable.

The development of Pujiang glass imitation gem industry can also be reflected in the change of product sales methods. At the earliest time, the sales method of Pujiang glass imitation gems was backpack sales, and now it has developed into market collection and online ordering. It is roughly estimated that the daily sales of Pujiang glass imitation gem products is about 2 million yuan; In Yiwu Commodity Market, Zhejiang Province, there are nearly 100 merchants of Pujiang glass imitation gem products, with annual sales of more than 5 million yuan; There are more than 400 manufacturers of glass imitation gem products in Zhongshan Guzhen Market, Guangzhou. Their products have many varieties and low prices, which are well received by customers at home and abroad. There are many similar markets all over China. Pujiang's glass imitation gem products go to thousands of households, to the international market, and are sold all over the world, which brings a lot of foreign exchange for the country.

At present, how to consolidate the achievements, better cultivate the glass imitation gem market, and then become the darling of leading the trend of the jewelry industry has become a concern of entrepreneurs engaged in the production of glass imitation gems. It is urgent to build a brand and form a sense of quality products. Pujiang has now become a distribution center for glass imitation gemstone products, and glass imitation gemstone products have also passed through Pujiang to markets in Yiwu, Guangzhou, Yunnan and other parts of the country. In Pujiang, there are always more than 200 tons of glass imitation gem products going to various markets in China every day; Every day, more than 300 tons of glass and other raw materials enter Pujiang. The industrial scale effect produced by this figure is enormous. It can be seen from this set of figures that the market of Pujiang glass imitation gem products is prosperous and large, but the competition in the market is becoming more and more fierce. The market is fair. Whoever has good quality and low cost can occupy the market, otherwise, it will be eliminated. The price of products has dropped from a few yuan a pill in the past to tens of yuan a pill now; From the previous domestic sales to the current export, and then to the recognition of the jewelry industry peers all over the world, Pujiang's glass imitation gem industry has created a brilliant world. However, fierce competition urges entrepreneurs to increase investment in the industry, introduce technicians and strive for famous brands. Pujiang's brand products are also emerging one after another. Brands such as "Oriental Paradise" and "White Regent" stand out, and some brands are rated as provincial quality brands.

After more than 20 years of development and competition, the glass imitation gem industry personnel in Pujiang have accumulated considerable experience, and their products have also formed their own characteristics. Its production scale and large domestic and international markets are unmatched by the natural gem industry. The popularity, quality, fashion, low price and high quality of products will surely make the peers in the world jewelry industry recognize China's glass imitation gem jewelry products, and China's glass imitation gem jewelry products will also become a brand-new bright spot in the world jewelry industry.