Jewelry maker becomes polished businesswoman

Despite being partially sighted, Dong Guirong has not only made a living from spotting precious gemstones in the dusty soil of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, she's gone on to become a successful agate jewelry maker.

In solidarity with her humble beginnings, the 54-year-old from the region's Xin Barga Right Banner in Hulunbuir is today plowing her efforts into providing opportunities for local people who may face adversity.

"Gemstones are results of volcanic eruptions, and are like gifts from nature," she said. "I hope the agate pieces that I've designed can help young people with disabilities erupt with inspiration."

Her efforts to pass down the skills necessary to polish and carve agate gemstones are providing valuable skills to those seeking to earn a living in a similar fashion.

Dong learned to face adversity from an early age.

"My right eye was hurt in an accident when I was 6. My family didn't have much money for treatment, which meant that from middle school my vision was permanently blurred," she said.

Years later, Dong and her husband made a living by selling wool and sheepskin, despite her husband being allergic to animal hides. She would occasionally spot rough agate gemstones in the scrub, and over time she developed a bit of a collection.

"I got the idea of starting an agate business in 2002 after a traveler bought a rough agate from me for 500 yuan ($69.7). I thought it might be a good idea to turn my hobby into a profitable business," she said. "Gemstones are scattered on the grassland and it only takes patience to find them.

"Around 2004, we made up our minds to quit the wool business and start a business collecting and designing agates. My friends and family members thought we were crazy at the time," she said.

It was not all smooth sailing at first.

"The place where we would go to look for stones was 100 kilometers from our home and we had to do the journey on a motorbike, which was very uncomfortable. Our legs were very sore and frozen stiff by the time we got there," she said.

"We usually finished the search for stones at around 9 or 10 pm, and then returned home to clean the rough gemstones. I didn't feel tired though, as it was fascinating."

Once the rough agates were buffed and smoothed, the next step was to come up with interesting designs to carve them into.

Here is where Dong encountered another obstacle.

In order to learn how to carve her stones, she went to Alshaa League, which has a mature market for agate and many jewelry suppliers and gifted artisans.

"The jewelry manufacturers and suppliers there said they didn't have time to teach me, and doubted my ability to run the business. But I didn't give up and just sat there watching how they made jewelry pieces with my cheeky smile," she said.

In time, she became a gifted stone sculptor herself.

Almost all the design inspirations came from nature, with traditional culture, the food of the Mongolian ethnic group to which she belongs, and the grassland all providing her with creativity, she said. She pieced cleaned agates together and shaped them into horses, trees or even a dish of stewed pork.

"My most satisfying work is one themed on longevity, with agates and crystals carved into squirrels and pine trees — two symbols of prolonging life in China. I was also inspired by some Mongolian cultural elements and created a food-themed work, which consists of 1,296 dishes made from agate, amethyst and other gemstones. The inspirations always come on a whim and I draw them down whenever I get new ideas," she said.

It was this aspect of turning the polished stones into finely crafted works of art that attracted the market and enabled her to turn her business into a commercial success.

"No one wants to buy rough gemstones, but if you polish them and make them into beautiful jewelry, like rings and pins, customers will be attracted, especially women."

Dong's self-belief and hard work finally paid off.

Her artistic creations and fine jewelry pieces have brought her and her family a good income, with the annual turnover of her company reaching 1 million yuan before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She said that she had a tough time running the business during the pandemic, but never surrendered and finally pulled through.

The plaudits for her work came in from high up in June 2022, when she was enshrined as an official inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in Xin Barga Right Banner.

Dong's efforts were justly rewarded for her outstanding techniques in making agate jewelry.

As the current chair of the banner's association of people with visual disabilities, Dong wants to do more to give those who may face obstacles in life a leg up.

"I am devoting efforts to build an agate-themed museum in the next 5 years, and I will make it not only a base to popularize gemstone knowledge but a home for disabled workers," she said.

The successful businesswoman will invest 40 million yuan in the 4,800-square-meter museum project, she said.

"I wish to leave something useful to the young generation; a place where they can learn about and arouse their interest in agates. Also, as a disabled person who has received so much help from other people over the years, I hope I can deliver warmth and opportunities to other people with disabilities."

chengsi@chinadaily.com.cn