Among them, green and lavender are the most famous shades, while blue is considered to be the rarest variety of this jade. There are only a few gem-quality jadeite deposits, such as Myanmar, Japan and Guatemala. The most valuable color of jade is intense, semi-transparent, intense green, sometimes known as imperial. For jadeite jade, vivid green is the most valuable color, however, for nephrite jade, which rarely reaches imperial green, white is more valuable than green.
All traditional Chinese jade is nephrite, as there are large deposits of nephrite in China, but there is no jadeite. Jadeite first arrived in China from Burma in the 18th century. Before the introduction of jadeite, the Chinese used to value translucent white nephrite, known as “lamb fat” jade. Jadeite from Burma comes in a wider range of colors, including green, lavender, yellow, white and black.
The rarest and most valuable jadeite is imperial jade, which is colored with traces of chrome. It has a color and transparency that rival fine emerald, although imperial jade has a slightly more yellow tone. In fact, the revered Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Keow in Bangkok is believed to be composed of fine jadeite, not emerald. The biggest auctions in the world focusing solely on latex are Myanmar Jade Auctions and China Jade Auctions.
Therefore, it is always good to consult with a jade expert to choose the highest quality jade with an appropriate budget. Culture and history have a significant influence on the jade market and on the perception of jade as a gemstone. From a mineralogical point of view, the value of jade also depends on the mineral composition, whether the jade is represented by nephrite or jadeite minerals. The most valuable type of jade is imperial jadeite jade, which has a bright green, semitransparent and evenly distributed coloration.
Both are highly praised, but because of the better qualities of the mineral jadeite, jadeite jade is more valuable than nephrite jade. However, today, colorless transparent jade called icy jade has become very popular among younger consumers.
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