Kering Ventures bets on China gold boom

A new crop of Chinese gold jewellery brands are attracting investor interest in the wake of Laopu Gold Co's breakout success.

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Hangzhou-based Borland, a gold jeweller specialising in traditional Chinese goldsmith technique known as “filigree”, said this week it has raised more than 100 million yuan ($14 million) from investors including Kering Ventures, the startup investment arm of Kering SA, and Shunwei Capital, a top Chinese venture capital firm co-founded by billionaire Xiaomi Corp chairman Lei Jun.

Kering said the small minority interest in Borland through Kering Ventures enables the company to “participate in the development of a rapidly growing brand in the particularly buoyant 24-karat gold jewellery segment”.