Fifty shades of jade: Why Chinese buyers spend millions on this stone

Georgia McCafferty, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 2:21 AM EDT, Tue September 27, 2016
Jade is growing more popular in the West. Here actress Jessica Chastain attends the 2014 Hollywood premiere of "Interstellar" wearing a pair of finely carved jadeite earrings.
Jade is growing more popular in the West. Here actress Jessica Chastain attends the 2014 Hollywood premiere of "Interstellar" wearing a pair of finely carved jadeite earrings.
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Growing demand from China's increasingly wealthy consumers and lower supply from Myanmar have seen prices for jade skyrocket. <br /><br />"It's really hard to find a good piece of jadeite nowadays because the supply is getting less," says Chiang Shiu-Fung, an associate vice president and jewelry specialist with Christie's Asia. "It can be very crazy prices."<br />
Growing demand from China's increasingly wealthy consumers and lower supply from Myanmar have seen prices for jade skyrocket.

"It's really hard to find a good piece of jadeite nowadays because the supply is getting less," says Chiang Shiu-Fung, an associate vice president and jewelry specialist with Christie's Asia. "It can be very crazy prices."
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Myanmar supplies the vast majority of the world's jade, and all of the higher quality jadeite. However, most stone is mined in a remote and conflict-ridden corner of the country, and the industry lacks regulation. Although there are no formal figures on the supply of jade, major auctions houses say supply is dwindling.
Myanmar supplies the vast majority of the world's jade, and all of the higher quality jadeite. However, most stone is mined in a remote and conflict-ridden corner of the country, and the industry lacks regulation. Although there are no formal figures on the supply of jade, major auctions houses say supply is dwindling.
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Jade is a broad term for a wide range of stones which, unlike diamonds and other gemstones, has no international standard for grading. Chiang says trained experts can be 80 to 90 percent sure whether a stone is jadeite or another kind of material. However, "if you really want to be 100 percent sure that a piece is jadeite, you have to send it to the laboratory," he says. <br />
Jade is a broad term for a wide range of stones which, unlike diamonds and other gemstones, has no international standard for grading. Chiang says trained experts can be 80 to 90 percent sure whether a stone is jadeite or another kind of material. However, "if you really want to be 100 percent sure that a piece is jadeite, you have to send it to the laboratory," he says.
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The highest quality stone, called jadeite, is the hardest, most translucent and most valuable form of the stone. Lesser quality nephrite -- a softer, cloudier stone -- is more commonly used for carvings.
The highest quality stone, called jadeite, is the hardest, most translucent and most valuable form of the stone. Lesser quality nephrite -- a softer, cloudier stone -- is more commonly used for carvings.
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Jadeite comes in a wide-range of colors that include traditional green, as well as lavender, red, yellow, black -- the result of high iron content -- and white.
Jadeite comes in a wide-range of colors that include traditional green, as well as l