All that glitters is jewelry bought via e-commerce

China's jewelry industry, which has been laid low by a downtrend over the last few years, is embracing e-commerce to keep pace with changing consumer tastes.

New data from the China Gold Association showed a growing appetite for jewelry starting from 2017, especially in less affluent cities.

Sales of gems and pricy metals climbed 9.4 percent to 1,089 metric tons this year so far, presenting a huge turnaround from that of 2016, when the demand dropped by 6.7 percent.