Jadeite is arguably one of the most complex gemstones. Its key factors—quality, translucency, and color—are endlessly variable and elusive. As the saying goes, “A slight difference in color means a world of difference in price.” Thus, selecting and appreciating jadeite is a profoundly intricate art. Beyond examining appearance and quality, beginners often fall into these common pitfalls when selecting and evaluating jadeite:
1. Ignoring Lighting
As the saying goes: “Never view jade without sunlight” or “Never examine jade under artificial light.” The best way to observe jadeite is outdoors, under natural sunlight, to assess its appearance, internal structure, and color.
If sunlight is too harsh, indoor natural light is also acceptable. For more professional inspection, use a magnifying glass with approximately 15x magnification to examine flaws and cracks, assess color purity and vibrancy, and evaluate translucency.
2. Overly favoring sealed-back jadeite
When purchasing jadeite jewelry, you’ll often encounter pieces with sealed backs. Some unscrupulous sellers seal the back to make the jadeite appear deeper and more vibrant, refusing to open the setting to show the inner jadeite.
Additionally, pay close attention to the color of the metal setting before purchasing. If the jadeite is set in yellow gold, observe whether the gold’s hue complements the jadeite’s color.
If set in white gold, evaluate the overall coordination of the piece. If the jadeite itself has a light color, the white gold should not be too pale.
3. Misconceptions about Oily Green Jadeite
Some novice jade enthusiasts, upon first encountering oil-green jade, may perceive its high translucency, color, and quality, overlooking its blue undertones, and mistakenly believe oil-green jade to be an exceptionally valuable category.
Additionally, certain jade pieces with yellowish tones or lake-water-like backgrounds may appear pale green with good color and translucency, leading some collectors to assume they are worth a fortune. Some sellers exploit this misconception with exaggerated claims and over-the-top marketing.
It’s crucial to note that while oily green jadeite is genuine A-grade jadeite with decent wearability and collectible value, its worth falls short of emerald-green jadeite. Avoid impulsive purchases based on unscrupulous merchants’ exaggerated claims.
4. Focusing Only on Jadeite’s Color
In retail settings, jadeite with even a hint of color can see its price skyrocket. Some sellers will extol its virtues regardless of its jadeite quality. Worse still, some resort to passing off inferior or counterfeit goods as genuine to deceive customers. Jadeite with color but lacking quality is never highly valued by connoisseurs, yet it consistently fetches premium prices among the uninitiated.
The saying “amateurs buy color, experts buy quality” captures this well. Jadeite’s value stems from multiple factors. Beyond color, its quality and translucency are equally crucial. Only when both quality and translucency are excellent does the color truly shine brilliantly. Such jadeite also holds greater collectible value. Thus, jadeite’s texture and color complement each other. Truly superior jadeite must possess both qualities—neither can be overlooked.
Therefore, beginners seeking beautiful jadeite that offers value for money should:
– Build knowledge about jadeite
– Find a reliable seller
– Trust their own aesthetic judgment
– Consider their budget
By combining these approaches, they can find jadeite that suits them perfectly.