Soaring gold prices fuel boom in cheap 'sand gold' jewelry across China

As international gold prices hit record highs, Chinese consumers are flocking to ultra-low-cost “sand gold” jewelry—often priced as low as 100 yuan per piece—with sellers claiming it matches real gold in quality and color. 

However, experts warn that many of these products are electroplated brass with little to no real gold content, sold at markups of 10 times or more.  

The jewelry, widely promoted online and in night markets as “Vietnamese sand gold” or “Burmese gold,” is marketed as affordable bling with the look and feel of the real thing. 

Live-streamers demonstrate its supposed durability—showing items that don’t tarnish even after weeks of wear, including during showers and housework.  

Yet behind the shine lies a different reality. Industry insiders reveal that “sand gold” is typically made of copper or brass, electroplated with a minuscule layer of gold—as thin as 0.05 microns—and sometimes contains no gold at all. 

Production costs can be under 10 yuan, yet pieces regularly sell for 10 times that amount.  

Vendors often offer “replace-if-faded” guarantees, knowing that even a free replacement still leaves room for profit. 

Some even promise “10 times compensation” for fake products.

While popular as wedding and daily-wear accessories, doctors caution that jewelry made from copper-nickel alloys can cause skin allergies and irritations with prolonged use.