Customers view gold jewelry at a gold shop in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, Jan 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] 

As gold prices rally, driven by market volatility and central bank purchases, younger Chinese consumers are finding a new way to get in on the action — through the purchase of trendy and low-cost gold phone stickers.

These lightweight accessories, ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 grams in weight and priced anywhere from 40 yuan ($5.5) to over 100 yuan, come in a wide variety of auspicious designs and motifs, from depictions of the God of Wealth to emblems bearing lucky phrases such as "Peace and Happiness" and "Get Rich".

"By simply peeling off the adhesive and affixing the charm to the back of their smartphones, young consumers can instantly transform their devices into portable talismans of wealth and success," said Wu Ming, a business owner in Shuibei, a gold jewelry manufacturing and trading hub in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

It's a small investment, but the impact is quite powerful, Wu said, adding that the charms allow young people to feel like they're partaking in the gold rush, while also serving as a daily reminder of their aspirations for prosperity.

The gold phone sticker trend has taken on a strong social media dimension, with users actively engaging with and inspiring one another. This has created a powerful viral effect, attracting more people to participate in this fashion craze.

A search for "gold phone stickers" on the popular social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, yielded over 5.98 million related posts, as of mid-February.

While gold phone stickers have been around for years, it wasn't until the end of 2024 that they turned highly popular. The key driver behind this surge is advances in manufacturing that have allowed producers to create thinner, lighter charms with a wider array of stylish designs, Wu said.

Collaborations with popular IP and the integration of viral social media catchphrases have proved to be highly effective strategies, Wu added.

Chinese jeweler CHJ Industry has joined forces with the iconic Japanese anime character Doraemon and popular Chinese TV drama Empresses in the Palace, to break out of their traditional mold and tap into the cultural zeitgeist driving the gold phone sticker trend.

"The posts on Xiaohongshu all talk about how wearing these gold charms can bring you luck and prosperity," said Yang Hongyi, a 26-year-old resident in Beijing.

"I'm not buying them to hold as an investment — I just want a touch of gold on my phone to bring a little auspiciousness, and maybe even give one to a friend as a fun gift for the new year," Yang said.

Take, for example, a gold phone sticker weighing just 0.1 gram, which is being sold for about 100 yuan at least. This translates to a unit price of over 1,000 yuan per gram, while a gram of pure gold in the open market generally sells for around 700 yuan, including both the cost of the gold and a processing fee of 15 to 35 yuan.

In the past, the primary driver for gold purchases was the metal's perceived ability to maintain and grow in value over time, but the trend of gold phone stickers has ushered in a new era where the aspirational appeal of these accessories has taken center stage, said Li Yang, an associate professor at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

It's no longer just about the intrinsic value of the gold, but the social currency and cultural cachet these accessories represent, Li said.

"A gold phone charm is just a decorative item, it has nothing to do with whether it maintains its value or not," Yang said. "It's like a phone case — if you don't like it, you can just change it, and you don't feel bad about it."