Investment Value of Jadeite Jade

Jadeite Jade has been cherished by many for thousands of years. All are attracted by its rich heritage as much as by its beauty, durability and rarity. Since ancient times, the Chinese believe that the true value of tradition may simply lie in a piece of Jadeite Jade. Jadeite Jade is not just any gem or jewel but a genuine value that can be savoured over a life time and passed down through the generations. Owning a piece of Jadeite Jade symbolizes nobility, wealth, status and prosperity. The Chinese also believed that the carvings of Jadeite Jade invoked powers of heaven and earth. Hence, some of the ancient symbolic motifs are still used in modern Jadeite Jade carvings like:

Bat – Happiness
Butterfly – Long life
Dragon – Power, prosperity and nobility
Peach – Immortality

The Europeans were also fascinated by the gem carving tradition of Jadeite Jade by the Chinese where carvers created masterpieces inspired by the art, architecture, history and designs of the East. Many of such intricate carvings are much sought after by collectors today.

Today, investment quality Jadeite Jade with extraordinary characteristic like good translucency, colour, density and intricate carving are much sought after by many. Auction Houses have also seen an increased in Jadeite Jade transactions for the last decade. Hence, Jadeite Jade is emerging as one of the most valuable investment these days. Click the link below and you will see Jade Expert and Collector, Christina Jee explaining why you should own a piece of Jadeite Jade today.

Black Jade Pixiu

The Pixiu is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature considered to be an auspicious creature that possessed mystical powers capable of drawing wealth luck from all directions. He is believed to be the ninth offspring of the Celestial Dragon King and has a big appetite for gold and silver which he brings to his master. He is perceived to be a strong and fierce creature who protects his master from any bad luck or illnesses.

Hand carved in Black Jade, he is capable to help anyone suffering from bad Feng Shui especially if you are in conflict with the Grand Duke of Jupiter. Thus carrying one with you will bring you all the good fortune for the year and mitigate any bad Feng Shui around you.

Get your Black Jade Pixiu here.

Classifications of Jadeite

The classification of Jadeite jade depends on the type of minerals present like astridite, eckermannite, kosmochlor and chromite. Sometimes you may also find other minerals such as albite, tremolite and diopside. However, the stone must have at least 75 percent of jadeite pyroxene to be called Jadeite jade.

With the growing demand for Jadeite jade especially the vivid green ones, many traders have resorted to treatment of Jadeite jade. Treated Jadeite jade is artificially coloured natural Jadeite Jade to improve their marketability and price. In gemmological practice, Jadeite jade is classified dependant on the type of treatments done on the stone.

Type A	Natural Jadeite jade with no heating or chemical treatment.
Type B	Jadeite jade is soaked in hydrochloric acid for several days to weeks to remove any impurities. Low heat is also applied to intensify the corrosion process. It is subsequently soaked in an alkali solution to loosen the grain before strengthening it with polymer material.
Type C	Coarse grain Jadeite jade that has been coloured with dye using near colourless or Pale coloured Jadeite jade. The Jadeite jade has to be cleaned and heated to expand the grain boundaries before inducing the dyeing compound under vacuum to allow easier flow of the dye into the Jadeite jade. The most important factor in the dyeing procedure is the mixture for the dye solution so that the colours will turn out to be vivid and natural. There are several types of colouring solution: alcohol based, water based and oil based. The Jadeite jade is soaked in the solution and covered to prevent for evaporation. The soaking time depends on the varieties of the Jadeite jade and may take several days to a few weeks for the process.
Type B + C	This process combines both Type B and Type C treatment process. The base material which lacks colour has to be dyed during a polymer impregnation process. The colour may be introduced separately or as a coloured polymer.
Coated Jade	A green plastic film is skilfully applied to colourless, translucent Jadeite jade. It is so fine and smooth and can hardly be detected by the naked eye. The interlocking granular texture can still be seen in these stones when examined with a spot flashlight.

Other example of treatment is the heat treatment. With heat treatment, the colours of the Jadeite jade can be more pleasing. Acetic acid or bleach is used to clean away oil stains before heating. The heat treatment can be carried out in a stove with temperatures from 100 to 200 degrees Celsius. The heating process must be carefully carried out and should be stopped once the Jadeite jade turns red.

Evaluation of Jadeite jade can be easily remembered with 4Cs and 2Ts ; colour, clarity, carving, carat, texture and transparency. However, it is the colour that is the most important consideration. The colour consists of the hue, saturation, tone and distribution. Texture and transparency is also an important factor in quality evaluation. So before buying your Jadeite jade, you may want to get a Gemological assessment of you Jadeite jade today.

Recommended : Nanyang Gemological Institute, Singapore.

Read about Jadeite here.

Jadeite

To the Chinese, Jadeite jade and Nephrite is considered the epitome of all precious stones. It is prized for its beauty and is believed to protect against illness, accidents and bad luck. In gemstone therapy, it is said that they can enhance mental and spiritual awareness by elevating and purifying one’s thought. It is believed that the gentle energy of Jadeite jade and Nephrite penetrate deep into the body as a consequence of higher frequency. Thus it can heal diseases of the spleen, liver and intestinal tract. Jade offers protection especially to the kidneys. It can even purge contaminants and deposits from the kidneys and liver. On the whole, it strengthens the whole immune system and regulates metabolism in both the body and mind.

Traditionally Jadeite jade is not only found in China but in other parts of the world as well. In ancient Egypt, the stone was referred to as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and equilibrium. The Maoris from New Zealand began carving weapons from native Jade in early times. In ancient China, Jadeite jade is said to be the link between heaven and earth and when worn by mankind, forms the holy trinity of heaven’s luck, earth’s luck and man’s luck. However, the Chinese were often confused with Jadeite jade and Nephrite since both minerals resemblance each other. It was only in the early 19th century that Gemmologist found that they differ in mineral composition and colours.

Nephrite, with its greasy lustre comes in many fine nuances of white, yellow, grey and honey brown and can be found in many parts of the world apart from China. However, the most prized Nephrite remains the Xin Jiang He Tian Bai Yu. With its fine texture and greasy lustre, they are also commonly known as the “mutton fat jade “. Today, the “mutton fat jade” attracts some of the highest prices in the jade market. Nephrite can also be found in Qinghai and Russia.

In reality, the most treasured Jadeite jade is found in Myitkyina, Myanmar. The mining of Jadeite jade is most active in Pharkant region in the western part of Myitkyina. Jadeite jade occurs in a variety of colours; green, white, yellow, red, black and even purple. Polished Jadeite jade has a vitreous lustre. The polycrystalline structure gives Jadeite jade its translucent texture.

Black Jade Pixiu

However, green Jadeite jade has been most favoured since ancient times. Green Jadeite has the greatest variety of colour in terms of tone, lustre and depth of colour. The presence of chemical Chromium and sometimes Iron gives the brilliant green colour tone which is considered the most popular colour. Other types of green include the pea green, oily green, Fu Yung green and the flower green. Other favoured colours are purple which can come in several tones due to the presence of manganese, red and yellow or even black.

Today, the ice or glass variety is also becoming very popular. As the name implies, the ice or glass jade is colourless and highly transparent. This type of Jadeite jade has a fine grain texture and a very lustre look.

In recent years, the price of Jadeite jade has risen tremendously due to increased demand and also because the mineral is becoming rarer now. As such many traders have resorted to unorthodox methods of treatment of the mineral by using poor quality Jadeite jade.

Heat treatment is one of the methods to enhance the colour of Jadeite jade. Other methods include using colour dye or by using acid treatment. It is advisable to wear only Grade A or untreated Jade as the chemicals used during treatment can cause allergies to the skin. For this reason, only untreated Jade should be used for holistic therapy work.

Contributed by New Age FSG Team