A Cartier ring for just US$8? In Egypt, “Chinese gold — an affordable imitation of the precious metal — has swamped the jewelry market, granting the poor a little taste of luxury.
As in many other countries, the Egyptian market has been flooded with Chinese goods — everything from electronics to plastic cigarette lighters have been shouldering locally made goods out of the way.
So in a country where 40 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 a day, the so-called Chinese gold has been widely welcomed, particularly by young couples who struggle to afford the traditional marriage dowry.
The price of one gram of 24 carat gold in Egypt stands at 218 Egyptian pounds (US$38), while the Chinese version — a mixture of aluminum, iron and other metals — only costs about 20 to 30 Egyptian pounds per gram.
“Chinese accessories are cheap and elegant, the styles are varied and the best thing is that they look just like gold,” said 31-year-old Amira showing off her Chinese trinket.
Ancient Egyptians considered gold the skin of gods, lending it spiritual as well social value.
A walk down Old Cairo — lined with jewelry shops — is a testament that the pharaohs’ modern-day compatriots still hold high regard for the precious metal.
However, as unemployment and rising inflation weigh down on a large part of the population, Egyptians are looking to alternatives for their coquetry.
Just a short walk from the Khan al-Khalili tourist bazaar is Haret al-Yahud, the old Jewish quarter where gold workshops churned out designs from simple wedding bands to elaborate necklaces.
However, many of the jewellers there have switched to selling Chinese gold to boost business.
Amira, an accountant, says she goes to the area especially to buy herself the Chinese goods.
“They look like gold, and most importantly, they are affordable,” she said.
“Few have the means to buy real gold these days, which is why the Chinese gold is so in demand,” said a woman selling the faux-bijoux in the quarter, who gave her name only as Nora.
“We have very nice rings, imitation Chanel and Cartier for less than 50 Egyptian pounds,” said Azza Riad, who, making the most of the high demand, has just opened a store in the popular Ain Shams district in northwest Cairo.
“A woman can now by herself an imitation Bulgari set which includes a bracelet, a necklace and earrings for about 150 Egyptian pounds,” she said.
Moreover, “these accessories have the great advantage of keeping their color for about two years,” Riad said.
For young couples struggling to start a new life together, the arrival of Chinese gold has removed at least one obstacle to the costly traditions that surround marriage, including the dowry or shabka.
A groom is required to offer his bride a shabka of gold — or diamond for those who can afford it — in order to seal the marriage deal. This is in addition to him providing housing and furnishing a new apartment before the wedding.
“More and more young couples buy just the wedding bands in real gold and then they buy the rest of the accessories in Chinese gold to complete the shabka,” Riad said.
Even many of Cairo’s more well-off residents have enjoyed the Asian import.
“I bought Chinese accessories, I wear them often. They allow you to follow fashion trends without ruining your budget,” said Faten Faltas, a stay-at-home mother from the affluent neighborhood of Heliopolis.
“When I wear them, people think it is gold, so why not?” she said.
However, Mohamed al-Felawi, who runs a well-known jewelry shop, snubs the Chinese import, saying that to sell it diminishes a jeweller’s prestige.
“I would never sell this so-called Chinese gold in my shops. As a jeweller, it would be a scam for me to sell Chinese gold,” he said.
Some clients say they can do both, buy Chinese gold for fun and leave real gold to more serious matters, like the shabka.
“I bought earrings for 30 Egyptian pounds, it’s almost nothing and no one can tell that it’s not real gold,” Sylvia Tamer, 43, said.
She concedes, she would never allow her daughter to marry without having received a diamond shabka.
Wasfi Wassef, who owns a jewelry shop in Khan al-Khalili selling real gold, said his business has been hurt by the new accessories, adding that the imports could be a health hazard.
“It’s not real gold. It’s a mixture ... metals which go through a chemical treatment to get their golden color, and this treatment can cause several allergic reactions,” he said.
Doctors say Chinese gold is no more dangerous than other fake jewelry.
“Nickel can cause certain allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin, but nickel is found in many accessories, including the Chinese gold,” said Ramzi Onsi, the head of the department of dermatology in the Ahmed Maher University Hospital.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique