When actress Zhang Ziyi got engaged earlier this year her diamond ring took as much of the limelight as her new status as fiancee to rock star Wang Feng.

Thanks to several highly publicized celebrity proposals like Zhang's that highlight a glittering gemstone [url=http://www.cheapnflgiantsjerseys.com/sterling-shepard-jersey/]Sterling Shepard Youth Jersey[/url] , a diamond ring is no longer just for the rich and famous.

However, not everyone has a budget spanning millions of yuan. For such people, affordable diamond outlets have become the solution.

Yang Lei, a legal consultant in Beijing, is one of them. She bought a 7,000-yuan ($1,100) engagement ring at Make Lumer, one of the biggest diamond outlets offering affordable jewelry, after comparing prices with high-end brands such as Tiffany.

"The price meets my budget, and the quality is worth the money," she says.

China is now one of the world's three largest markets for diamond jewelry, along with the United States and India, says a Bain report published in December.

Sales of polished diamonds in China reached $2.24 billion in 2014, a 31-percent rise year-on-year, according to figures published by the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, the only import and export trading platform in China.

While the government's anti-graft campaign has had a major impact on the luxury jewelry sector, retailers such as Make Lumer are undeterred as they tap into the growing consumption capability of China's burgeoning middle-class.

"The government's curb on luxury gifting doesn't really affect us as we target the middle and lower ends of the market where people buy diamond for themselves," says Hao Yi, founder and president of Make Lumer.

The brand was founded in 2010 and now has nine outlets nationwide. It offers both loose diamond and finished diamond rings with prices starting from less than 1,000 yuan.

To meet the demand of young customers, it is updating its stores with customized services and an experience lounge. It is also working with third-party online retailers to promote its presence on the Internet.

The company will receive an investment of 110 million yuan from Shenzhen Haoningda Meters Company to expand its marketing network, Haoningda announced in December.

In Love, another major player on the market, offers diamonds with wide range of prices－from hundreds to millions of yuan. It has opened three outlets in Beijing. Like Make Lumer, it advertises itself on reasonable prices and attributes its low prices to direct purchase from the original source of the stones.

Wan Zihong, founder and CEO of In Love, had once controversially blamed the high price of diamonds on the store rents and "middlemen payments". While some labeled his outburst a marketing stunt, it did draw more attention to the rise of the affordable diamond market.

Young people are also going online to buy their wedding rings these days.

Zbird, an online diamond retailer founded in 2002, showcases its models online and invites customers to come to its brick-and-mortar store to check the rings out and place orders. Without the high rent and middlemen payments, Zbird is able to sell the diamonds half the price of that in traditional malls, says Xu Lei, CEO of Zbird.

The company introduced the standards issued by Gemological Institute of America in diamond identification in 2005, to ensure the quality of its gems. It recently bought Italian jewelry company Lani in a bid to expand its product range.

About 90 percent of its revenue now comes from online sales, says Xu.

"Our customers usually approach us online and later come to our physical store to seal the deal. About 30 percent of them place their orders online," he says.

Rocks for the stars

Diamonds have always been a girl's best friend, especially if that girl is a diva.

· Actress Zhang Ziyi accepted rock star Wang Feng's proposal with a 9.15-carat diamond engagement ring, on her 36th birthday in February.

· Hong Kong actress Michele Monique Reis (pictured right) married business tycoon Julian Hui in 2008. The marriage was sealed with a 5-carat diamond ring with an estimated worth of 50 million yuan ($8 million).

· Legendary Taiwan actress Lin Ching-hsia received a 12-carat diamond ring, with an estimated worth of about 20 million yuan, when she married Hong Kong businessman Michael Ying in 1994.

· Hong Kong actress Carina Lau and actor Tony Leung had an extravagant wedding in Bhutan in 2008. Her 12-carat diamond ring is said to be valued at about 100 million yuan.

· Actress Zhang Yuqi married movie director Wang Quan'an in 2011. She received an 8.688-carat diamond ring－the carats symbolizing Zhang's birth date of Aug 8, 1986.

· Hong Kong singer Kelly Chen married Alex Lau in 2008. Her diamond ring of six carats was valued at about 50 million yuan.

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CHICAGO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Gold futures on the COMEX divisionof the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on Friday as investorssought refuge amid escalating tensions between the United Statesand the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The most active gold contract for December delivery rose 2.7dollars, or 0.21 percent, to settle at 1,297.5 dollars perounce.

DPRK officials on late Thursday threatened to test a hydrogenbomb over the Pacific Ocean, escalating tensions in the KoreanPeninsula. Before that, the U.S. President Donald Trump threatenedto ""totally destroy"" the DPRK if it attacks the U.S. or itsallies.

Gold is often used as a refuge in times of political or economicturbulence, while assets considered risky such as stocks aredumped.

The precious metal was given further support as the U.S. DollarIndex fell by 0.2 percent to 91.99 as of 1730 GMT. The index is ameasure of the dollar against a basket of major currencies.

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