Truly, not all that glitters is gold. In Egypt, Chinese gold-plated ornaments are currently becoming more popular amid the price hike of real gold.
The gold price hike is said to be the result of the increase of U.S. dollar exchange rates in Egypt. According to Ibrahim Heeba, a manager at the Mahmoud Heeba Jewelry store, one kilo of gold can now cost more than half a million dollars.
As the price of gold rises, Egyptian women opt to buy cheaper Chinese gold-plated ornaments, known to them as “Chinese gold.”
Many Egyptian women make their way to the well-known Haret al-Yahud of Old Cairo's Al-Gamaliya district to find Chinese gold-plated ornaments.
The two-storey SSMAGR store in the heart of the alley displayed a variety of Chinese gold-plated ornaments including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets among others.
Heba, one of the store’s patron said: "I have been visiting this store for about three years. Chinese gold-plated ornaments grew more popular over the past few years due to their high quality and creative designs."
She added that she visits the store mainly because of the attractive and classy designs of the ornaments, not just for the cheaper price. For her, they look like real gold accessories.
Girgis Shenouda Antonius, the manager of SSMAGR, said that Egypt used to produce gold-plated ornaments. However, the country stopped to develop the industry so now they import from China.
"China created a machine called vacuum plating, which makes the plate layer durable. So, we make very attractive designs here in Egypt and go to China to get their gold-plated copies," said Antonius.
He added that they pay attention to the design so they will have a beautiful final product that can be sold at an affordable price. This is why they have loyal female patrons.
"Women love ornaments. As long as there are women, our accessories have good sales," Antonius said.