JEWELRY COMPANIES LOOK TO CASH IN ON SURGING GOLD PRICES

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Office worker Dai Qingxiang, 28, recently found herself facing a dilemma. She was considering buying gold accessories to add bling to her wardrobe, but the precious metal's soaring price was making her think twice.

Dai was finally persuaded by a close friend, Liu Nushi, to make the purchase, and on a sunny afternoon in May, she went to a jewelry store in Shanghai's southwestern Xuhui district to buy the accessories.

Her initial reticence was understandable given the current global gold price surge. Due to healthy investment from the over-the-counter transactions market, ongoing central bank buying, and higher demand from Asian buyers, gold prices rose to a record quarterly average of $2,070 per ounce in the first quarter, World Gold Council data showed. The amount is 10 percent higher year-on-year and 5 percent higher quarter-on-quarter.