Chinese Woman Buys Diamond Ring, Gets Silver Glass as Free Gift - Three Years Later, Glass Worth More Than Ring

Three years ago, Wang, a woman from Chengdu, Sichuan province, bought a diamond ring from a jewelry store during a promotion offering a free genuine silver glass with purchases meeting a certain amount. She spent 6,200 yuan (approximately 27,000 baht) on the diamond ring and initially paid little attention to the free glass, which remained unopened in her storage room for years. As silver market prices continuously rose, she decided to check the glass's value. At a tools shop, she found the glass weighed approximately 380 grams. After removing non-silver parts like the lid and filter, the pure silver core weighed around 70-80 grams. Calculating at the silver purchase rate of 22.5 yuan per gram on January 23rd, the glass was worth nearly 2,000 yuan (around 9,000 baht). In contrast, the diamond ring she originally purchased for thousands of yuan could now only be sold back for around 700 yuan (about 3,000 baht), due to its low-carat diamond and high brand markup. "I thought the diamond ring would maintain its value better," Wang said. "I never expected the free gift would be worth more after just a few years." A jewelry industry professional explained that in 2023, silver items were often used as promotional gifts for expensive jewelry when silver prices were only 4-5 yuan per gram. A silver glass with 70-80 grams of silver would initially cost just 300-400 yuan. Within just 2-3 years, silver prices rapidly increased, making these free gifts unexpectedly valuable - even surprising industry professionals.