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Since ancient times; humans have learned to use various objects to decorate themselves either for beauty or as symbols of power. The earliest uses of jewelry were materials obtained from nature such as ore, wood, animal bones, etc. The jewelry designs and styles were at one-point in time primitive and easy to create. We have since slowly adopted to use various kinds of minerals in jewelry creation with the advancement of human civilization. We have also replaced the use of primitive stone tools for jewelry creation to the use of mineral processing processes to create metal; as a result, adding to the value of the jewelry piece created. These "decorative arts" are developed from the time when human begins to learn to use foreign objects to decorate themselves. It can be said that jewelry creation is one of the earliest contribution to the developments of the complexity in human civilization. The wearable ornaments such as stone beads and clamshells found in many archaeological remains are the oldest jewelry known to mankind and are known to be the most primitive types of "jewelry design". The luxury of owning jewelry pieces has in the past only been exclusive to the wealthy and nobilities, jewelry has since gradually become available to the populace together with the improvement of peoples living standards. Almost everyone owns some form of jewelry today. The jewelry industry is an industry that contributes to add value in many different aspects of our daily lives. Apart from being a crucial part of important celebrations and anniversaries, jewelry pieces are also used as accessories for clothing and plays an indispensable role in the popular culture industry. Progressing with technological advancement, tool usage becomes more complex, the use of materials becomes more diverse, the choice of materials more valuable, and the innovation to different designs and styles are endless. Today, the so-called "jewelry" refers to the combined use of metal and gemstones to create a jewelry piece. Jewelry on the market can be roughly divided into metal jewelry and gemstone jewelry. "Metal" means: precious metals or their alloys such as platinum, 24K gold (99.99% gold), 18K gold (75%), 14K gold (58.3%), 10K gold (41.7%), silver (92.5%), copper, brass or other alloys made into rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. "Gem" refers to natural gemstones, semi-precious stones, regenerated gemstones, imitation gemstones, organic gemstones and miscellaneous stones. Natural (precious) gemstones are: diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, jade, etc. Semi-precious stones refer to: amethyst, citrine, white crystal, garnet, peridot, spinel, tanzanite, topaz, tourmaline, aquamarine and so on. Regenerated gemstones are: regenerated rubies, regenerated emeralds, etc. Imitation gemstones are: synthetic diamonds, synthetic corundum, synthetic spinels, cubic zirconia, glass, and the like. Organic gemstones are: corals, pearls, amber, shells, etc. Miscellaneous stone refers to: agate, nephrite, fossils, etc. The main purpose of this study is to examine Taiwanese jewelry industrys business model. This study has explored profit factors and business models that affect the gemstone industrys operation after having discussed and interviewed five industry experts. The findings from this study can serve as a reference for performance enhancement for those in the related industries.
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