Jaded

As one would expect, CIRCA’s Hong Kong office sees a lot of jade pass through its doors. Very few stones can range in value as much as jade. You can buy jade trinkets for a dollar on the street, while other pieces will sell for many millions. This is because jade can be found in a wide range of colors and qualities. Jadeite is the technical term, and is what the typical person thinks of when hearing the word ‘jade’. The finest jadeite is semitransparent, meaning that it is able to transmit some light with distortion, has an even color and has not been treated in any way. The more opaque the piece is, the lower its value.

Jadeite comes in a variety of colors, especially jadeite from Burma, which can be found in yellow, orange, green, and even lavender. The most highly valued colors of jadeite, however, are the rich, strong greens, commonly referred to as “imperial jade”. Due to its inconsistent quality, it’s not uncommon for jadeite to be bleached and then dyed and injected with polymers. This is an acceptable practice, but will affect the value of the piece considerably. If you are buying jadeite, you should know if the piece has been treated in any way. If you suspect your jadeite of being treated, you should have it examined by a professional under magnification. If the color is highly concentrated in the fractures, then there is a good chance that the jadeite has been dyed.

This particular pair of earrings is not considered to be fine jadeite because of the uneven color distribution and lack of transparency. If the jadeite were not set with lovely platinum and diamond Art Deco mountings, it would have very little intrinsic value. The fact that these are original Art Deco earrings from the 1930s is what makes them collectible, not the jadeite itself. Print this post