You may not know her, yet she is largely responsible for a significant rise in pearl sales in Asia in 2023, which is still continuing in 2024. Her name is Ni Ni; she is a Chinese artist.
The Tahitian pearl market in Asia has received a real boost in recent months, all thanks to one person: the famous Chinese actress and influencer Ní Nī.
This multi-talented artist has become an influencer who counts in mainland China. A lover of pearls, she decided to post 30 selfies showing herself in all kinds of outfits wearing Tahitian pearls, with the comment: “Whether in a T-shirt or an evening gown, the Tahitian cultured pearl makes me more self-confident; I feel more attractive and more elegant.”
The influence of these thirty photos sparked instant appeal for the famous black pearl. Demand soared and the effect on the market was exceptionally swift. The Hong Kong international show of September 2023 will go down in history ; traders had never seen prices rise so much in so short a time.
The most telling example came when Robert WAN (a famous Polynesian trader and pearl farmer) decided to cancel his auction to accept a purchase offer from one of his Chinese customers that he could not refuse: an offer to buy all the lots up for auction for a sum well above the expected proceeds of the sale. The group's regular customers were put out by this last-minute cancellation.
In short, by pressing a single “send” key, the Chinese artist Ní Nī managed to shift market indicators that were thought to be less volatile.