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The allure of jade
A Jadeite Rider Group (Courtesy of Christie)As gemstone fever sweeps the country, it puts jadeite â one of the most precious gemstones â on the radar
fff1: A Jadeite Rider Group (Courtesy of Christie)" height="963" border="0" width="511">A Jadeite Rider Group (Courtesy of Christie)
As gemstone fever sweeps the country, it puts jadeite â one of the most precious gemstones â on the radar.
âGold is valuable, but jadeite is priceless,â according to a centuries-old Chinese saying.
But whenever the word âjadeâ is mentioned, most people will think of a green gemstone.
The truth is giok (jade) actually comes in many colors, from red, orange, lavender, white, black, grey, brown to yellow. Green jade is the most common jade available on the market.
There are two types of jade â namely jadeite and nephrite. Due to differences in terms of quality, the former is more expensive than the latter. Jadeite jade is quite rare; most jade on the market is nephrite jade.
Excellent-quality jadeite items have fetched hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions.
According to christies.com, a necklace featuring two rows of jadeite had a hammer price of £49,875 at Christieâs auction house in London in 2013 â far exceeding its presale estimate of £5,000 to £6,000.
And as stated on sothebys.com, an exceptional jadeite bead necklace, made of 27 beads with a ruby-set clasp by Cartier, fetched the fantastic price tag of US$27.44 million in April 2014 at Sothebyâs auction house.
Prices of jade, particularly for jadeite which is known as Fei Cui in Chinese, have risen worldwide, due to the shortage of high-quality raw jade from Myanmar.
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A Jadeite Rider Group (Courtesy of Christie)
As gemstone fever sweeps the country, it puts jadeite ' one of the most precious gemstones ' on the radar.
'Gold is valuable, but jadeite is priceless,' according to a centuries-old Chinese saying.
But whenever the word 'jade' is mentioned, most people will think of a green gemstone.
The truth is giok (jade) actually comes in many colors, from red, orange, lavender, white, black, grey, brown to yellow. Green jade is the most common jade available on the market.
There are two types of jade ' namely jadeite and nephrite. Due to differences in terms of quality, the former is more expensive than the latter. Jadeite jade is quite rare; most jade on the market is nephrite jade.
Excellent-quality jadeite items have fetched hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions.
According to christies.com, a necklace featuring two rows of jadeite had a hammer price of £49,875 at Christie's auction house in London in 2013 ' far exceeding its presale estimate of £5,000 to £6,000.
And as stated on sothebys.com, an exceptional jadeite bead necklace, made of 27 beads with a ruby-set clasp by Cartier, fetched the fantastic price tag of US$27.44 million in April 2014 at Sotheby's auction house.
Prices of jade, particularly for jadeite which is known as Fei Cui in Chinese, have risen worldwide, due to the shortage of high-quality raw jade from Myanmar.
White jadeite necklace (Yosi Matsu)
'The thing is, the best quality jadeite is sourced from Myanmar only. The Myanmar government has imposed restrictions on jadeite mining due to the concern that jadeite supplies will run out fast, as large-scale mechanized mining methods replaced the practice of centuries-old artisanal digging. Surely, this restriction affects the supply chain of jadeite,' said Aky, the owner of Ru Yi Jadeite Jade in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.
The best jade, which is found only in Myanmar, is classed as grade A jade. Only natural, untreated jadeite jade can be classified as grade A jade. All treated jade is divided into B, C and D grades.
Jade, just like diamonds, is a precious stone that is often seen as an investment. However, while there are international standards for grading diamonds, there is no certain formula to value jade.
'Unlike diamond, jade has no carat, and it takes a very experienced eye to be able to value jade,' says Aky.
The stone is valued based on several factors, such as color, shade and translucence; yet the lack of international standards makes for challenges for novice collectors in judging the value of this stone appropriately, and even sellers must arm themselves with knowledge to avoid getting duped by bad deals when they purchase their merchandise.
'For us, as sellers, having a wide knowledge of jade is surely important, especially because we specialize in offering grade A jadeite from Burma; thus my wife Shirley and I have learnt about jade in Hong Kong,' Aky said.
'By being knowledgeable, we are able to distinguish jadeite from jade when we purchase our goods. Also, we can provide our buyers with a jade identification certificate, issued by Hong Kong Kowloon Jade and Jewelry Laboratory.'
As a rule of thumb, according to Shirley, the richer and more vivid the color, the more valuable the jade. When it comes to translucency, the more translucent, the higher its value will be.
'Jade is a unique stone due to its color changing ability. If the stone 'likes' its wearer, the color will gradually grow a deeper shade of its original color, and if the color of the jade darkens, the wearer will have good fortune,' Shirley said.
Jade, indeed, is surrounded by superstitious beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation, such as that the stone can bring good fortune and protect the wearer from accidents or unfortunate events.
'If you wear a jade bangle, and you fall accidently, the bangle will break, but you will not be hurt, or your injuries would be less severe than if you had not worn it. In other words, your jade protects or saves you,' said Samuel, a jade enthusiast.
Although the superstitions cannot be proven by science, most collectors ' particularly Asians, with Chinese as the majority ' are driven by these beliefs.
Jade, just like fashion, has trends as well; color preferences in jade change over time.
'When it comes to jade, China, particularly Hong Kong, is the trendsetter to watch. Just like in the fashion world, trends that rise and fade usually come back in style years later, typically in five years,' said Fredi Trisno, a Feng Shui practitioner who has been collecting jadeite since 1986.
'Green jade and brownish orange jade are currently in vogue in Hong Kong. Previously, white was the most sought-after color. In terms of jadeite trends, Indonesia is about two years behind China, thus white is still on trend here.'
It is widely known that Asians, including Indonesians in general, have a soft spot for glamorous diamonds. Thus, whatever the trendy colors are, jade jewelry decorated with diamonds is the preferred choice for many women here.
'Most of my female clientele prefer diamond-adorned jadeite earrings,' says Shirley.
Some wear jadeite for health-related reasons and to bring fortune, some buy it as a status symbol as well as an investment, and others collect the precious stone simply because they admire its beauty and derive pleasure from owning an exquisite thing. Whatever the reason, jadeite has always been prized as a magnificent jewel.
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Jade facts
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Jade can be found in various places, such as New Zealand, Japan, Russia, Guatemala and Indonesia. However, the best jade (jadeite) is sourced from Myanmar only.
To improve on its color, luster and translucency, low-grade jade is often bleached with acid and injected/impregnated with polymer ' this treatment is very hard to detect with the naked eye. While the color of natural jade does not fade, the color of treated jade will fade over time.
The Chinese have always used jade as a material for carving objects. Ancient Chinese jade carvings are highly prized.
According to christies.com, a 'Jadeite Rider Group' fetched US$191,723 at Christie's auction house; its estimated priced was between $51,829 and $77,744 only.
Jade, besides being very valuable to Chinese people, was highly prized by Mesoamerican tribes too, including Mayans who used jade as jewelry as well as burial masks for death rituals.
Last but not least, for those who want to buy jadeite as an investment, it is advisable to choose the green ones, as while the color preferences in jade change over time, there is always a market for green jadeite, in Indonesia and overseas, whatever the trend is. ' Susanna Tjokro
