Jewellery | Markets | Who's Who Briefing

• Pforzheim is the major manufacturing area with some production also carried out in Idar Oberstein and Schwäbisch Gmünd. Overall, more than 4,000 production units are engaged in making gold jewellery but fewer than 15% are classified as industrial concerns. Fewer than 150 units employ more than twenty workers and production has come down strongly since peaking in 1991 due in part to high costs and import substitution.
  

Germany has several semi-
fabricators which supply the industry with alloys
(Credit: Timothy Green)

• There are five semi-fabricators that supply the industry with alloys and semi-finished products. Production is mainly carried out in 8, 14 and 18 carat for the home market and 14 and 18 carat for export destinations.

• A large but declining part of the finished production is distributed by the 200 or so wholesalers who handle mainly the low to middle price jewellery segments.

• Exports of jewellery declined in 2001 but still account for over half of total production. The main countries served are neighbouring Switzerland, Austria and Netherlands but exports to the US and UK have grown in recent years.

• There is no official hallmarking system in Germany, manufacturers do their own marking.

Source: Gold Fields Mineral Services

• In volume, roughly one third of the jewellery on the German market is in 8 carat. Over the past decade the share of 8 carat in the home market has fallen at the expense of 14 and 18 carat jewellery. Imports of gold jewellery have fallen since their peak in 1994 but they have taken a growing share of the domestic market, now accounting for well over half, as overall consumption has fallen faster still.