A Study on the Perceived Value and Behavior of Chinese Generation Z Consumers Toward Emotional Design in Silver Jewelry

As Generation Z increasingly emerges as the main consumer group for silver jewelry in China, their consumption behavior demonstrates both emotion-driven and identity-oriented characteristics. This shift not only raises new issues for research on design and consumer behavior but also provides important opportunities for the development of silver jewelry brands. Accordingly, the present study aims to elucidate the emotion- and design-driven mechanisms underlying silver jewelry consumption among Chinese Generation Z consumers. Based on 500 valid survey responses, a structural equation model (SEM) was constructed, incorporating perceived value (PV), emotional design features (EDF), visual symbolic value (VSV), and cultural identity (CI), with emotional attachment (EA) and purchase intention (PI) specified as outcome variables. The analysis revealed that PV, EDF, and VSV all exert significant positive effects on EA, and that EA fully mediates the relationship between design perception and PI. In contrast, the moderating effect of CI was not statistically significant, whereas Generation Z characteristics (ZG) were found to have a direct influence on PI. In sum, this study, grounded in the cognition–affect–behavior framework, identifies the emotion-driven mechanisms of silver jewelry consumption among Generation Z in China, and provides both theoretical and practical implications for brands in developing design and marketing strategies based on symbolic value and cultural resonance.