The year-end is also a time of festivals and people like to buy jewels for their relatives and friends. — Photo sgtiepthi.vn

Tran Thi Lam of HCM City has come to a Sai Gon Jewellry Company showroom to buy rings.

Her son is set to get married and she is studying the market and prices.

There are many collections and designs, and she loves one of the latter, but since the prices are too high she is considering more, she says.

The year-end is the wedding season and Lam’s family is one of many to celebrate a wedding this year by buying jewellery, mostly gold.

The year-end is also a time of festivals and people like to buy jewels for their relatives and friends.

Demand for jewellery in HCM City is sharply up already.

A jeweller in District 1 said in fact demand started to rise in the middle of last month.

Jewellery shops in districts 1 and Thu Duc said to meet the year-end demand they have introduced new designs and collections.

A Sai Gon Jewelry Company (SJC) spokesperson too said the company has added many new products and collections.

Ten new collections have been introduced at prices of VND60-100 million (US$2,700-4,500), she told Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper.

Bracelets, necklaces, rings and other jewels costing VND5-20 million ($220-800) have also been launched, she said.

She revealed sales had surged this year compared with the last, reaching VND300 billion in the first 10 months, nearly double that of last year.

She expected the sharp rise to continue through the end of the year.

Ho Thanh Tuan, director of Hoang Gia Pearl, said in the last three months his company has launched 30 new collections with nearly 300 designs.

The pearl jewellery market in Viet Nam has grown strongly, he said.

The fact that it is not just older people but also young ones who now like pearl jewels is pushing up the market, he told Sai Gon Tiep Thị.— VNS