Jade 'The Stone of Heaven'

Jade 'The stone of Heaven' is a fascinating stone, associated mainly with the East, prized by humans as far back as 6000 BC in China where it was used for ceremonial and decorative objects. Due to its toughness and beauty Jade could be carved intricately and even used for items such as weapons and musical instruments, Jade to the Chinese was as diamonds and gold were to the West. It is still prized for its beauty today and as a symbol of wealth and status.

The term jade actually refers to two different minerals commonly used in carvings, ornament and jewellery; nephrite and jadeite, both occur in different hues but the most prized bright green varieties and translucent form are the jadeite form, Nephrite is slightly softer and occurs in bigger deposits lending itself to larger carvings. 'Imperial' Jade is the most sought-after variety of jadeite, having an almost electric hue and is translucent. Imperial jade commands huge prices, a rare necklace in imperial jade sold in Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2020 for 62,000,000 HKD (€6,000,000).

This quality of jade is hard to quantify, due to its chemical composition and lack of inclusions, this type of jade is said to glow from within.

Other varieties of green jade such as flower green jade are also highly prized, they are not as pure as the imperial variety and may be mottled with other hues. A very nice example of green jade in our forthcoming auction can be seen in lot 363, a fine quality green jadeite single stone ring, set with a cabochon, the diffusion of light in jade lends itself to beads and cabochon stones which is why you do not see faceted gems. It is often found carved in ornaments and jewellery, lot 374 is a nice example of a carved jadeite brooch, with diamonds accents.

Other colours found are lavender; which is also highly prized, yellow, orange, black and white. Mutton jade is a valued form of white nephrite found in carvings. If you want to invest in a beautiful and timeless piece of jade see the following lots:

Lot 340: A CABOCHON JADE RING, mounted in 22ct yellow gold, carved decoration to shoulders, size Q. Estimated weight of jade: 11.00 ct €2200 – 2500

Lot 171: A JADE AND DIAMOND RING, the cabochon jade to diamond shoulders, mounted in 18ct yellow gold, size W-X €300 – 400

Lot 24: A PAIR OF JADE EARRINGS, with matching pendant, both mounted in 9ct yellow gold

€250 - 400