While rising costs of labor in China have created challenges for the manufacturing sector, this has led to greater domestic consumption of luxury products, including jewelry. The highest growth potential lies in the inland urban centers, as Chinese citizens continue a massive migration from rural areas to the cities.
Minted in 22-karat gold  Using the durable gold standard established for gold circulating coinage more than 300 years ago, each Gold Eagle coin is minted in 91.67% fine gold alloyed with a small amount of silver and copper added to harden and protect it against damage. Pure, 24-karat gold is actually quite soft. Adding alloy to pure gold makes it many times more durable than gold itself. Each Gold Eagle coin contains its specified weight (one-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce, or tenth-ounce) in pure 24-karat gold. The alloy weight is extra. A one-ounce American Gold Eagle, for example, actually weighs 1.0909 troy ounces.
Pure gold is too soft to be used in everyday jewelry, so it is alloyed with other metals to make it stronger and more durable. Pure gold is 24 karat, and 14 karat gold refers to an alloy of gold that contains at least 58.3% pure gold by weight. The balance is made up of other metals to give it strength. Gold is often alloyed with copper, silver, and zinc. Copper is ductile and hard, but tends to tint the alloy pink and is prone to oxidizing.