Diamonds, not marriage, are forever for China's millennials

Shanghai

JILY Ji was 24 when she got her first diamond ring, a 2.5-carat solitaire given to her by her parents. In the three years since, the executive assistant from Shanghai has amassed a 15-piece diamond collection, including a ring, pendant earrings and necklaces that she bought for herself.

"We don't have to passively wait to be gifted a diamond by a man," the unmarried college graduate pointed out. "Diamond jewellery is a natural way to express ourselves. It's a far-better investment than most fashion items as it won't only gain value, but can also be passed down through the generations."

Financially independent, college-educated and born in China after 1980, Ms Ji personifies a key consumer group the world's diamond industry is counting on for growth. So-called millennials now account for 68 per cent of diamond jewellery sales by value in the world's most-populous country - worth U…