Fifteen years ago, processing of semiprecious stones was mostly in Italy and West Germany. Ten years ago, relying on cheap but skilled labor, Hong Kong took the lead. Taiwan soon followed suit and is now a leading exporter of processed semi-precious gems.
十五年前，半寶石的加工地主要在義大利、德國；十年前香港以精巧的手工，但較低廉的工資搶到這一市場；後來，台灣又以同一原因取得優勢，成為全世界主要的半寶石加工出口地區。