Ms Paloma attended the 2025 International Gold Industry Development Conference
On August 28th, 2025, the 2025 International Gold Industry Development Conference was officially inaugurated in Zhaoyuan, Shandong — China’s “City of Gold”. Hosted by China Gold Association and co-organized by Yantai Gold Jewelry Association, Zhaoyuan Gold Association, Shandong Zhaojin Group Co., Ltd. (one of China’s top 4 gold mining enterprises), and Shandong Zhongkuang Group Co., Ltd., the conference brought together leading experts, industry elites, and representatives from major media outlets.
Ms. Paloma Sanchez — GIA Gemologist, Jewelry Artist, Gemstone Investment Advisor, and Founder & CEO of Paloma Sanchez, The Art of Jewelry — was invited to share her insights on today’s gold industry as Zhaojin’s first international consultant and as a jury member for the 9th and 10th Zhaojin Jewelry Design Contests.
A dedicated exhibition space highlighted ten of Ms. Paloma’s signature creations. With profound expertise in fine minerals and gemstones, she transcends their natural structures and scientific value, transforming them into “wearable art” infused with cultural depth.
Among the highlights was Sumeru, a brooch-necklace crafted with a rare crystallized gold specimen from Australia. Museum-grade in quality, the natural crystal was paired with an 18kt gold “mirror design” set with diamonds. The interplay of the diamonds’ brilliance and the luster of the gold creates a truly captivating effect.
Gold nuggets are rare, but beautifully crystalline gold specimens — often leafy in form and attached to quartz matrix — are even rarer. Despite its long mining history, even Zhaojin Group has never unearthed a single crystallized gold specimen, underscoring their extreme scarcity.
As The Financial Times noted: “In the growing fine minerals market, crystalline gold specimens often sell for far more than the value of gold by weight. Crystals are becoming desirable as art objects, trading for values that are approaching or exceeding that of fine art.”
On August 29th, Ms. Paloma attended the award ceremony of the 9th Zhaojin Jewelry Design Contest and the launch of the 10th edition. The 9th contest, held under the theme "Dunhuang Culture", celebrated outstanding works of design. In her speech, she emphasized that exceptional jewelry is not merely an ornament but “a vessel of culture and meaning.”
During the ceremony, Ms. Paloma joined other distinguished guests in launching the 10th Zhaojin Jewelry Design Contest, themed “Xi & Love.” Her creation “Hug” was selected as the official image piece of this edition.
A hug is the purest expression of love. What may appear as simple lines of gold and silver is transformed, through Ms. Paloma’s refined design, into a warm embrace, symbolizing comfort, trust, and unconditional love.
Looking ahead to the next contest, Ms. Paloma remarked:“ Just as Hug distills human closeness into a single gesture, I hope that the next collection of works will distill the essence of union into forms we can carry with us forever.”
