Understanding of Jade

Jade and Pearls have both escaped an understanding by most people. I learned more about Jade this trip to China than ever before. Above is a Jade piece that I should have bought if it weren't the price of $17,500. What makes the cost so high? When you go to Xian check out the Jade and Jadite pieces at either the Hua Hui Arts and Crafts or Yu Hua Arts and Crafts centers. Mr. John King shown above is a Lecturer on Jade and extremely knowledgeable. I learned that the hardness and color of Jade determines the value. Yes, color of Jade we think of as green but there are many shades of green as well as white, lavender, pink and others. Some Jade is found in streams and can be translucent while other Jade is found in the mountains in veines like gold. Each has its own properties and colors. The piece above is light green with streaks of lavender in the background. Artists are given stones and they do the carving with diamond tipped tools to carve what they see in a stone. The better the stone and artist the higher the value of course. There are many places in China to see Jade carvings but the two mentioned above places I visit the most. My appreciation for good art is always satisfied in China but beware the imitations at low prices. I love my Jade ring set in 18 ct. gold and get many compliments on it. The cost has gone up 10 times since I bought it back in the early 1990's because good jade finds are less and less these days. Click on the photos for full screen views.