Jade is an elf born between heaven and earth and a beautiful work of nature.

The Chinese have had a special fondness for jade since ancient times, and people love jade far more than gold and other jades. In my country, an important period for the formation of jade culture in the Qing Dynasty was after the middle and late Qianlong period. Empress Dowager Cixi's love for jade was the key to the formation of jade culture. Since then, the long historical heritage and rich cultural heritage have made us more fond of this jade and unable to put it down.

Qing Dynasty Palace 18-seed high-color jadeite pink tourmaline bracelet

In recent years, with the development of social economy, jade is no longer just an exclusive ornament for the nobility, but has entered the homes of ordinary people and become a favorite for everyone to buy and collect.

Fu Lu Shou tri-color jade bracelet

How can you select the jade jewelry and collections that you like in a professional and affordable way?

We need to pay attention to the following aspects:

color

Color is one of the most important factors in evaluating jadeite. There is a saying that "if the color is 10% higher, the price will be ten times higher." Jade comes in a variety of colors, the most common ones are colorless or white, green, yellow, red, purple, etc., and in general, the most valuable and recognized color is green.

Jade egg-shaped noodles in various colors

As the saying goes, "Beauty under the moon, jade under the lamp", which shows that when people observe jade, they are affected by the external environment, such as different light sources, light intensities, different latitudes, different weather, etc. Even the observer's own physical condition is related to the color deviation of jadeite. Therefore, when choosing jade, we should base it on the color under natural sunlight on a sunny day, because the color of jade will appear fuller and brighter under yellow light, while the color of jade will appear lighter and colder under white light.

Green and purple random jadeite rough stone ornaments

In addition, it is also necessary to analyze whether the color of the jade is pure, whether the shades are appropriate, the warmth and coldness of the color, whether the color distribution is uniform, whether the combination of multiple colors is coordinated, and whether the colors and carvings are exquisite, that is, thick, positive, positive, uniform, and pretty.

Rich refers to the saturation of color, which is also the depth of color. High-end jadeite requires rich colors, that is, a proper balance of light and dark. Colors that are too light give people a refreshing but not gaudy feeling, while colors that are too dark green reduce transparency and appear too heavy. At the same time, the saturation of color is not only affected by the internal chemical composition of jade, but also related to the shape of the jade jewelry itself. Jade with thicker shapes has darker colors, while jade with thinner shapes has lighter colors.

Yang refers to the brightness or vividness of the color. This is what we usually say that this jade is very bright and that jade is very dull. For jadeite of the same shape and size, the brighter the color, the more valuable it is, and the more potential for appreciation and collection value it has.

Jadeite bracelet with brilliant green color

Positive refers to the purity of the jadeite’s color. High-end green jadeite is required to have a pure green color. Of course, there will be a large number of jadeite that have more or less yellow, blue, or even gray tones in addition to green. These are all regarded as variegated tones. The stronger these variegated tones are, the more they will affect the value of the jadeite.

Mandarin Duck Lotus Jadeite Pendant with Blue Water

Uniform refers to the uniformity of color distribution. Since the color of jade is mostly distributed in filaments and flakes, the color of each tiny particle cannot be completely uniform, so jade with uniform overall color and no difference, namely "full green", is regarded as the highest-grade jade collection.

Green Flower Bamboo Jade Pendant

Qiao , there may be multiple colors in a piece of jade jewelry, so the combination of different colors provides rich imagination space for artistic creation and cultural implications. The more cleverly and artistically the colors are matched, the more vibrant a piece of jade will be, adding a lot of points to its own value. Although it does not reach "full green", when the green in the jade reaches a harmonious and mutually complementary relationship with the surrounding colors, the color quality is also considered to be superior. For example, the "Spring Color" composed of green and purple is a color combination that people like, and the one composed of three colors can be called "Fu Lu Shou".

Colorful three-color butterfly jade carving jewelry

Of course, the color of jade does not exist in isolation, and the influence of other factors must be considered comprehensively, especially the influence of jade texture.

Transparency (water head)

Transparency is also an important factor in evaluating jadeite. The transparency of jadeite is also called "water head". Good transparency is also called "full water head" or "long water head". Poor transparency will make the color of jadeite particularly dull, which is called "no water" or very "dry" in the jargon. Due to the unique properties of jadeite itself, it is a mineral aggregate mainly composed of jadeite, so jadeite with high transparency and good water content is very rare.

Glass Jade Diamond 18K Gold Jewelry

Good transparency can make the green color of jadeite lively. Even the colorless glass type can be seen with obvious "fluorescence" phenomenon, which is spiritual. This is because after the light enters the jadeite, it is refracted by countless small crystals.

Colorless jadeite and diamond necklace with obvious “fluorescence” phenomenon

As the jargon goes, "experts buy for quality, laymen buy for color." Especially when evaluating mid- to high-end jadeite, transparency often has a great impact on its value. It can also be said that high-end jadeite must have good quality, but jadeite with good color is not necessarily high-end jadeite. Only when a piece of jadeite has a certain transparency and bright color, can the quality of the jadeite be called superior.

A rich jadeite cabochon diamond necklace and ring with a variety of colors

At the same time, there is a saying that "good quality can cover up three flaws", which means that if the quality of the jade is good, it can make dark jade appear crystal clear and not dark; it can make uneven colors appear uniform due to mutual reflection; it can make jade with a less fine texture appear more compact. Therefore, in the process of collecting jade, quality of the jade is a very important consideration. Of course, the effects of transparency on ornaments of different shapes are also different. For ring faces, earrings, and small pieces of jewelry, color is more important than water quality. For relatively large pieces of jewelry, such as bracelets and pendants, water quality is more important than color under certain circumstances.

High-Color Seahorse Jadeite and Diamond Earrings

Structure (texture)

The texture of jade is also a very critical factor. The industry calls "fine texture", "rough texture", "loose texture", "fine base" and "rough base" all refer to the structure of jade, which is closely related to the beauty and durability of the final jade product.

"Coarse base" carved jadeite bracelet

The structure of jade refers to the coarseness of the crystal particles of the jadeite minerals that make up jade, the shape of the crystals, and their combination and distribution. The finer the crystal particles, the more delicate and dense it gives people an intuitive feeling. At the same time, there is a direct relationship between structure and transparency. The finer the texture, the higher the transparency. Conversely, the coarser the texture, the lower the transparency. More importantly, texture has an important influence on reflectivity, which determines the degree of polishing. If the surface reflectivity is strong, the jade will be "rigid enough", which greatly increases the beauty of the jade.

Jade bracelet with “fine texture”

Generally speaking, the smaller the crystal particles, the finer the texture, the delicate the jade feels, the better the polishing effect, and the higher the value.

Clarity (Inclusions)

Like other gemstones, the cleanliness of jade directly affects its value. The clarity of jade is determined by the combined effects of factors such as the number of flaws, size, shape, contrast with the base color, and location on its beauty.

Green jadeite with fine texture and few flaws

Its defects mainly include fissures (cracks and dislocations), stone patterns or veins (mineral filling veins), stone flowers (light or white minerals), black spots or dots (black or dark minerals), etc.

Fissures are also cracks that can extend to the surface of jade, affecting not only its clarity but also its durability.

Cracks in jadeite that extend to the cross section

Stone patterns or stone veins are mineral veins formed by later filling and crystallization of cracks formed in the early stage of jade. They are a kind of healed cracks and do not affect the durability. You cannot feel the existence of cracks by scratching them with your fingers.

Stone flowers are mineral distributions in jade in the form of stars, lumps or cotton, generally white or light-colored.

Cotton-like white stone flowers in glass jadeite

Black spots are spot-like defects composed of black or dark mineral particles that are clearly different from the color of the surrounding jade.

Black spots and dots in jadeite rough stone

Processing Technology

Nowadays, people's level of art appreciation has increased rapidly, and the processing technology level of jade has naturally become a very key indicator to measure its value. The processing technology of jade includes the cutting of jewelry (ring faces, earrings, etc.), pendants, ornaments, etc.

Cartier Emerald, Coral and Diamond Earrings

For ring faces, earrings, etc., the requirements are outstanding color, regular cutting, harmonious proportions, excellent polishing and exquisite workmanship; while for large items such as ornaments, the master craftsmen's ingenious ideas, composition layout and skilled skills in jade carving will play a decisive role in their value.

Three-color jade ornaments

Perfect things are naturally priceless, and jade with minor flaws can also be given beautiful meanings through the meticulous carving of jade carving masters to remove knots and cracks, and to skillfully carve the jade with beautiful colors. While ensuring the true beauty of the jade, it also highlights the spiritual culture of Chinese civilization, integrating art into life, and jade culture into the people.

Block size

We have already discussed the influencing factors of color, type, base, impurities, and workmanship. So when these are basically the same, the volume and size of the jadeite become particularly important.

A 12-ton jade carving of a dragon playing with a pearl

Jade products with large volume will have higher value. The volume here refers to the volume of the whole material. Because large materials are rare, large materials with good quality and good color are even rarer. This is why the price of bracelets of the same quality is much higher than that of beads made of small materials.

"Thick pile" full green old pit glass bracelet

Just taking bracelets as an example, of the same water quality, some bracelets are very thin and thin, while others are very wide and thick, which is called "pile thickness" in the jargon. The price of such bracelets is much higher than the former, and they are more collectible. Similarly, when you choose a Buddha or Guanyin pendant, under the premise of appropriate proportions, a fuller pendant will be made of more materials, more beautiful, and therefore more valuable.

It is not enough to just master the theories of these evaluation points. What kind of jade is good jade and what kind of jade is worth collecting all require us to observe more, communicate more, learn more, and practice more when purchasing jade.

Violet Jade Bead Necklace and Bracelet

“Gold has a price, jade is priceless.” In the process of purchasing jade, as long as we don’t buy B goods or B+C goods, we spend a reasonable price to get our favorite jade jewelry or collections, which is the best of both worlds. Every piece of jade is a gift from nature. No two pieces of jade are exactly the same. Only the one that belongs to you is the most unique.

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