World of Pots: Gambling of a different kind

If you have been to the border between Yunnan (a province in China) and Burma, you will notice that there exists a gambling of a different kind. There is no casino around but it is well known that huge fortune can be made or lost within seconds. Guess what is this type of gambling? Take a look at this picture and you will soon find out.

What kind of rock is this?

If you think this is just a piece of ordinary rock, you are wrong. Rock doesn't have this kind of colour. Well, this is a piece of raw jade boulder with most of its skin still attached but the skin is only partially removed at the tip of the stone revealing its jade colour. If you shine torch light around it, you will see more of this green colour all over the stone. It is definitely a green Jadeite, a Chinese lady's best friend.

Well, what has gambling got to do with this stone?

Now, if you visit the Jade market in Yunnan, you will probable see a large crowd of people mingling with the Jade merchants (usually from Burma). Most of them are not interested in the Jade pendants, bangles or whatever Jade articles on display. Or rather some of them set their eyes on the numerous boulders of various sizes on display on the floor. These again are no ordinary boulders although they may look just like the rocks you may find lying in your garden back home. There is no sign to reveal that these boulders are real jade and its quality is also not known to naked eyes (unless you have them cut open in a workshop). The potential clients patiently use torch light to shine on the boulders, trying to uncover the gem (or the lack of it) beneath the skin . Sometimes the merchants may remove a bit of the skin (showing some green colour) on the boulders to entice the clients. He can then jack up the price to maximise his profit. The clients and the merchants will start bargaining to reach a price for these boulders. Mind you, the price can be as high as a few million dollars (actually there is no price limit for such stones, it all depends on size and the amount and depth of the green one can estimate in the stones).

This is exciting and very challenging, definitely not for the faint hearted. For instance, you may pay a very high premium price for a boulder (with a bit of the green revealed at some part of the stone where its skin has been previously removed) knowing that you can make a lot of high quality jade articles from it, and the huge rewards you will then reap from this transaction. After you have the boulder cut open, you can be disappointed to find that only very little of the boulder has good quality jade-like colour, the rest is very ordinary jade of low quality (which does not fetch a high price). In other words, the boulder is rather worthless. Just imagine, your investment (millions of dollars) has just gone down the drain in a couple of minutes (time taken to cut up the boulder). If you have a weak heart, you better stay out of this game.

On the other hand, another client may examine the boulder thoroughly and purchase it after careful examination and consideration (again torch light to reveal whatever green he can find in the stone). When he has the stone cut up in a workshop nearby, he is overwhelm with the magnificent quality of the jade that is revealed before his eyes. Absolutely green jadeite, the entire rock is a perfect piece of jade that can be made into numerous jade artifacts, from bangles to rings and pendants. Overnight, he has made millions from this daring transaction.

That is the reason why this is called gambling of a different kind. You can make or break in life with a simple decision. Some lose a huge fortune while others reap millions, all in a matter of minutes. This is called Jade Boulder Gambling, literary, in the jade market.

Jade Pendants

If you are a beginner and don't have a deep pocket, better stay out of it as the risk is too high. You may end up losing everything, even your own life. Stories of people who lost heavily and committed suicide are not uncommon in this part of the world.