World of Pots: Crazy stones II - White Jade 和田玉

The Chinese love of white jade 和田玉 has sent the price of white jade to such a high level that it is worth many times more than gold on a per gram basis. This is especially true for white jade of the highest quality, the stone that exhibits a colour and texture that resemble the fat of mutton. This is traditionally called the mutton-fat quality in white jade. It has that characteristic oily yet succulent juice-like sticky texture. It has always been the favourite of all jade types of the Qing emperors. This jade is found in the Xinjiang region of northern China. Good quality white jade is usually made into jade bangles and jade stone carvings. These jade pieces can fetch millions of dollars.

Mutton-fat whit jade

There is a couple in Shanghai who own a jade carving workshop. This couple have been collecting white jades of all types for quite a number of years. Although they possess a large collection of white jades, some of mutton-fat quality, they are still not satisfied with their collection and are still looking for the white jade of the finest mutton-fat quality. In 2007, the couple had a call from an agent in Xinjiang that a native of Xinjiang had a large piece of white jade of exceptional quality for sale. Immediately the couple flew to Xinjiang and went to the native's house to take a look at this huge boulder. As soon as the native unveiled the boulder from the cloth that covered it, the husband's eyes sparkle and uttered some words to praise the jade. The native of Xinjiang knew that the couple got hooked by the exceptional jade boulder, he then asked for an incredible price of eighty million dollars. He even asked the couple to examine it carefully and take 2 days to make a decision. The couple knew that if they delayed any longer to buy the jade boulder, someone might come along and snatch it from them. They knew they had little ground to negotioate, they had to buy the jade boulder for this is the finest white jade that they had ever seen, the ultimate mutton-fat quality. After many rounds of intense negations, they finally bought the jade boulder and brought it back to Shanghai.

The white jade boulder with a price tag of 80 millions

Many of his business associates and jade collectors heard the news, they all brought along their finest whit jade pieces just to compare with this ultimate one. Unfortunately this jade boulder out-shined other collectors' in terms of colour, texture and the mutton-fat character.

The jade boulder outclassed other jade of similar qualities

Since 2000s, the price of white jade from Xinjiang has been increasing steadily and discriminating mining of the jade along the river banks has created a lot of unpleasant sights. In early days, the natives were digging the jade with simple tools. Nowadays, bull dozers were sent in to dig this precious stone in a very scale.

The couple with their jade boulder

Heavy equipment to dig for the stones

Early days jade-mining

The raw jade boulders that come from the river banks are usually dense and come with a certain brown skin, the result of many years of washing by the river and the interaction with chemicals and environment. This jade boulders with the characteristic brown skin are highly sough after by collectors and traders. In Xinjiang, jade traders are seen everywhere, the rich will have their own shops and the not so rich will display their stocks on road sides.