Collecting Asian Art: Jade
Jade is one of the most-loved collectibles. Its origins are ancient, its properties both medicinal and decorative. Though revered around the world, jade is most commonly associated with China, where it has been known for 8,000 years. The early Chinese called it yu and saw it as a “living stone,” radiating with an inner glow.
Often ground, mixed with wine and fed to the emperors, jade was believed to increase imperial longevity. Symbolically, a court gentleman, on reaching 80, was allowed to carry a jade pigeon on a pole. Concubines received jade scepters from their emperors. Mandarin hats had carved small finials on their tops and a jade plume holder in the back. Chinese women decorated their hair with jade. Han dynasty princes and princesses were sometimes buried in suits of jade, a notable feat accomplished by stitching together bits of jade with threads of silver or gold.
Around the turn of the 20th century, we start to see large, fancy and
colorful carvings made for Western consumption. Table-top and decorative items produced between 1880 and 1900 were often embellished with silver or gold, even enamel. In the second half of the 20th century, traditional styles began to give way to an elaborate new standard.
There are two kinds of jade: hard and soft. Ancient jade and hard jade are often referred to as jadeite. Though found in a variety of colors, the most valuable is green. The most valuable green is a near emerald green called Imperial Jade or gem-jade. Other colors, such as yellow jade, have their place in the pantheon of Chinese carvings too. Soft jade is called nephrite. Its coloration ranges from slightly off-white to yellowish white or greenish white. The latter is often referred to as celadon jade.
When you see the word jade modified by an adjective?such as serpentine jade, mountain jade, new jade?watch out. These names are often given to pseudo jades. The quality of your collection depends on knowing how to differentiate the real jades from the imposters. (You will find an entire chapter on fake jades in my book, Collecting Asian Art.)
Since jade is an ancient stone, it is useless to try to quantify it by date. Other criteria must be used, and one way is to know the forms that were popular during the different periods. New, machine- made copies of older designs differ from the originals in subtle ways. The most prominent is that new carvings rarely have the same aesthetic relationship to the stone as older ones.
To value a jade carving, you must first determine whether it is modern or pre-World War II. If the jade you are viewing has a high sheen, you will do well to err on the side of caution.
The next step is to figure out if the raw material is actually jade or a fake jade. Real jade tends to feel little bit colder than pseudo jade, so give it the touch test. Next, use a jeweler’s loupe to look for inclusions. There should not be any. Nowadays, carvers work around black spots and trapped crystalline formations, using holes and other tricks to hide impurities.
Finally, determine if the stone has been dyed. Again, get out your loupe. If you see that the color is located only in the fissures, you can safely say the stone has been artificially colored. If you do this and are still not sure, there are tests you can be done at home or in a lab.
To begin your comparison of jade carvings, look at the catalog for our upcoming International and Fine Arts Auction, or any of our past sales. We regularly vet and feature collections of fine jade carvings.
About the Author
Two years after he started selling Chinese antiques from his living room in 1967, Isadore Chait opened his first gallery of Asian Art. Isadore Chait is also a Member of the Appraisers Association of America, having served as a panel member regarding fakes and forgeries in Asian art and also as a consultant specializing in Asian Art. He is also the President of the Appraisers Association of America. You can read more about Isadore Chait at Chait.com
Jade Dynasty Chinese Modo pvp Build
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Chinese Hongshan Culture Nephrite Jade Big Twin Birds $380.00 |
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HOT Chinese GREEN Jade Ring $0.35 |
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ASIAN ART Indian Chinese Japanese Hokusai Jade Jewelry Calligraphy Masks Asia HC $12.49 |
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Chinese Hongshan Culture Nephrite Jade Big AMULET PIG $380.00 |
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Chinese Hongshan Culture Nephrite Jade Big SUN GOD $380.00 |
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Exquisite chinese tibet silver Blue flowers jade Teapot $21.99 |
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Chinese Hongshan Culture Nephrite Jade Big AMULET FACE $380.00 |
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CHINESE jade vintage ornaments $7.10 |
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Chinese Hongshan Culture Nephrite Jade Big AMULET FISH $380.00 |
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CHINESE EXPORT JADE ? 900 SILVER 10K GOLD BRACELET ART NOUVEAU DIGNED $199.98 |
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Chinese Jewelry black jade men’s ring size:8-11 $6.64 |
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ANTIQUE CHINESE BIG JADE ROUND PENDANT&SILVER FRAME $699.00 |
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Vintage Chinese Gilt Silver Mirror with Antique Qing Dynasty white Nephrite Jade $4,980.00 |
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A04 HANDMADE CHINESE CARVED GREEN JADE GEMSTONE DOLPHIN CARVING FIGURE 5 CM/2″ $5.99 |
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BEAUTIFUL Chinese GREEN JADE NECKLACE EARRING $0.10 |
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Gold Plated green jade pendant earrings bracelet Chinese Love Set W789 $0.01 |
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Chinese Old Jade Kuan-Yin Buddha Pendant $7.89 |
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RARE CHINESE AGATE JADE Bangle Bracelet a698 68mm $6.99 |
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Chinese Emerald Jadeite Jade Lotus flower&fish Statue $199.00 |
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WONDERFUL OLD CHINESE HANDWORK DRAGON OLD JADE TOBACCO BOX $0.64 |
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old Chinese style set of lucky 12 signs of the zodiac animals Jade Ball & dragon $0.96 |
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WONDERFUL CHINESE HANDWORK PHOENIX BAT OLD JADE SNUFF BOTTLE $0.96 |
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Rare Chinese Blue Jade Bracelet @@ $1.38 |
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2883 Excellent Chinese Jade Sand Pen $32.00 |
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2889 Excellent Chinese Jade Sand Pen $18.00 |
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A Pair Chinese Jade Tibet Silver Carved Dragon Statue $0.99 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade Monkey on Horse collection $400.00 |
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Chinese Green Jadeite Jade Calabash Necklace ~ PROSPERITY~CAPTURES EVIL SPIRITS $18.84 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade Dragon Gou collection $500.00 |
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A23 HANDMADE CHINESE GREEN JADE BUDDHISM BUDDHA STONE CARVING FIGURE 3.5 CM/1.3″ $7.99 |
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A28 HANDMADE CHINESE GREEN JADE WEALTH CAT STONE CARVING FIGURE 5 CM/2″ $9.99 |
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11.75 inch Chinese Jade/Large BI With Animals-2600g $68.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade Money hoptoad collection $350.00 |
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Chinese jewelry green jade link bracelet $0.87 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade strange animal collection $320.00 |
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Chinese purple jade bead bracelet $0.49 |
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VTG JADE FIGURAL CHINESE ASIAN BUDDHA PENDANT NECKLACE $45.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade strange animal collection $350.00 |
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Fifth Chinese Daughter – Jade Snow Wong – BRAND NEW $15.87 |
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CHINESE JADE Copper Dragon Phoenix Gourd Snuff Bottle 877937 $10.00 |
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GORGEOUS CHINESE JADE KUANYIN PENDANT $99.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade strange animal collection $350.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade pair strange animal collection $360.00 |
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Rare chinese handwork tibet-silver inlay cloisonne dragon old jade snuff bottle $0.96 |
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CHINESE Red JADE PENDANT Monkey Peach 877816 $12.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade fish dragon collection $380.00 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade elephant collection $350.00 |
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Gold Plated green jade pendant earrings bracelet Chinese Love Set W786 $0.01 |
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Asian style necklace w.vintage carved jade archer’s ring, antique Chinese glass $278.00 |
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Pair of Oriental Chinese Hand Carved Guardian Lions – Hardstone / Jade $93.33 |
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Chinese Redwood Box Jade Seal $1,250.00 |
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Chinese Black Jade Men’s Ring $1.40 |
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CHINESE WHITE JADE MONKEY ZODIAC SIGN PENDANT BIRTHDAY NEW YEAR PARTY GIFT POUCH $16.59 |
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Hand Carved Chinese Jade Charm / Pendant – Oriental Dragon & Coins $7.89 |
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2 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL JADE MONKEY MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY $5.52 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL DRAGON JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY P $7.89 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL HORSE JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY PO $7.89 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL RABBIT JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY P $7.89 |
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4 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL GOAT JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY PO $10.58 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL TIGER JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY PO $7.89 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL OX JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY POUCH $7.89 |
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3 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL DOG JADE MOBILE PHONE CHARM NEW YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY PO $7.89 |
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Chinese Green Jade Butterfly Pendant & Necklace $0.70 |
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15.5″ carved Chinese Jade beads// 8mm diameter $3.25 |
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rare Chinese old handwork copper armored lion gecko statue on jade seal $20.90 |
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ANCIENT CHINESE JADE ZOOMORPHIC BULL MAN BIRD c. 4500-2000 B.C. $525.00 |
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10 Collection Chinese HONG SHAN JADE carvings Pig dragon 6 together selling $39.99 |
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exquisite Chinese white jade set A teapot with 4 tea cups $24.90 |
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Chinese carved White Jade Flying Horse Pendant $0.99 |
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CHINESE OLD silver inlay Jade Butterfly Necklace $7.99 |
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Chinese Han White Jade jadeite 2 Kylin Round pendant $0.99 |
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“HUGE” Chinese Shoushan Jade Hand Sculpture 4.15lb $525.00 |
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CHINESE TIBET-SILVER HANDWORK DRAGON OLD JADE TEA POT $0.22 |
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CHINESE OLD HANDWORK JADE CARVING INKSTONE☆☆☆ $21.34 |
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Chinese yellow jade Handwork carving Rabbit Pendant $0.99 |
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A Pair Chinese Jade Carved Dragon Statue $0.22 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy nephrite Jade “Xi” figure $350.00 |
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Rare Chinese West Zhou Dy Nephrite Jade strange animal figure $500.00 |
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Rare Chinese West Zhou Dy Nephrite Jade strange animal figure $600.00 |
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Rare Chinese West Zhou Dy Nephrite Jade strange fish figure $600.00 |
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Rare Chinese West Zhou Dy Nephrite Jade strange camel figure $600.00 |
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Fine Chinese nephrite Jade cattle figure $300.00 |
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A Pair Chinese Jade Music Statue $199.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade apollo statue $42.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade human statue $32.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade human statue $36.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade man statue $42.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade monster statue $42.00 |
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Museum quality chinese HongShan jade woman statue $66.00 |
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1PCS beautiful Chinese jewelry emerald Green Jade ring size: # 9 $0.01 |
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Chinese Jade lucky beast Pendant $9.99 |
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CHINESE OLD JADE BEAUTIFUL SMOKING TOOL☆☆☆ $13.62 |
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CHINESE OLD JADE HANDWORK CARVED LOVELY DRAGON PENDANT $0.02 |
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Chinese HongShan jade beast pendant $9.99 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade trumpet shell collection $400.00 |
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CHINESE TURQUOISE RED JADE PERFUME SNUFF BOTTLES $0.01 |
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CHINESE CHARMING COLOR JADE BRACELET NR #031 $12.95 |
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T6002 Chinese Very Hard jade OX $74.00 |
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Chinese honey yellow jade silver bracelet {C193 $10.90 |
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Fine Chinese Qing Dy Jade Ring “Ban Zi” collection $350.00 |