This section includes:

Why the Chinese Collected Jade
Why Collect Antique Jade?
Why Collect Modern Jade?

1. Worship of Nature: sun, moon, heaven, earth, clouds, wind, rain, mountains, etc. AND the spirits or gods associated with them.
2. In shamanistic ceremonies surrounding birth, death, marriage, achieving power, bearing children, curing sickness, preparing for war, etc.
3. As trade or barter money, jades were more important than silver, gold, or other barter money. Often whole cities were purchased for a single carved jade object.
4. As gifts and tribute important powers: payment of annual taxes; to cement alliances between city-states; for the buying or use of armies in defense, and even to ransom a captured king or prince.
5. In annual ceremonies by kings and emperor to ensure good crops, successful hunting, and freedom from famine, drought, plagues, floods, etc.
6. Honoring ones' ancestors on certain auspicious days of the year.
7. As symbols of rank and privilege - only the nobility were allowed exclusive use of jade. For aesthetic decoration in various jewelry-type combinations.
8. As mingqi - an honorarium for the deceased, given to the bereaved family by friends, relatives, or government officials. Placed in the tomb with the ceremonies.
9. An amulet of protection from harm - especially favored by military officers (most of whom were taken from the nobility).

1. An amulet - often given at birth - that wished good luck, happiness and long life.
2. An amulet given to students with a wish that they would be successful in business or receive a good government official appointment upon getting a high score on their exams.
3. A reward amulet for long service upon retirement; or given to a friend or relative when they reached the age of 60 or above, wishing them a peaceful and harmonious retirement/old age.
4. Lucky amulet for the newly married, wishing them happiness and a fruitful, child-filled life.

Antique Chinese jades are so varied there is something that will please any collector. There are a myriad of animal and plant subjects, Buddhist and Daoist religious jades, jades used in official ceremonies (often attended by the emperors), jades used as money, jades whose primary function was protection and the bringing of good luck, and jades made exclusively as parts of elaborate jewelry constructions. During the Song, jades became important as scholars' accessories, and in the Ming larger jades were commissioned for wall and furniture-top decorations. Finally, many jades were made expressly for burial with an important person, these mingqi being placed in the tomb during the grave ceremony (usually conducted by the local shaman).

The following is a suggested plan for starting a meaningful collection of old Chinese jade. Only you can decide how far you will take it, at what depths you will travel.
STEP 1: Acquire a few jades that interest you, and study them: marvel at how they were crafted; read about their symbolism; visit a museum that exhibits Chinese jades and bring them along to show to a curator; and think about a plan for your collection.
STEP 2: Write down a list of subjects or "types" you would like to acquire in jade. For example, are you seeking to build your collection around a theme (such as dragons, flowers, or military jades), around finding one or two from each period of history, or limiting the collection to "auspicious" jades used in the many ceremonies of Daoism and Confucionism?
STEP 3: Share this information with one or more mentors to get their reactions and advice.
STEP 4: Choose a dealer (or dealers) to help you in your quest. Give them the guidelines of price and quality that will help define what they should offer you. Study what they offer you with an eye towards learning everything you can about them.
STEP 5: Keep the channels of communication open with your mentor(s) and dealer(s) so that you will be made aware of new developments in the field, and get first chance to acquire pieces that cross their paths. Refine your quest from time to time. And don't hesitate to ask dealers to trade back items previously purchased that no longer fit your goals. A good dealer will give full credit.

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As an illustration, a bead strand of top green jadeite auctioned about 1999 for over 9 million US dollars! It is a jewelry stone with no equal, as it takes intricate carving with little fracture. Only the most extreme beating in use will dull its lustre, and it can be repolished time and again if necessary.

OTHER MODERN JADES

A NEW DISCOVERY of very hard green nephrite has been made on top of a mountain in British Columbia. Accessible only by helicopter, its location is a secret. This rare material has been marketed as POLAR JADE to the jewelry trade, and the vein is reputedly exhausted. Its green tone is slightly more subdued than the finest Jadeite, but it is a beautiful green and a most durable gemstone. I recommend it for the making of rings and suites of jewelry for these reasons.

THE GREEN TAIWANESE JADE, which comes in a yellow-green or avocado shade, is less hard than the other forms of Nephrite, and is actually a "cousin" of true nephrite. Found in jewelry stores and made into many forms, it has been mined in such quantity that carvings up to 5 feet across are known. Jewelry from Taiwanese Jade is inexpensive and not always put in solid gold mountings. Sometimes known as "costume jade", it is a natural gem, and of true color.

OTHER IMITATIONS of modern green jadeite are usually glass, or colored white jadeite (dyed). The latter is known as "B-JADE" in the trade, while "A-JADE" refers to true, natural-color Burmese Jadeite. The color of B-JADE will fade over time (due mostly to exposure to outdoor light and fluorescence (the ultraviolet part of these lights)). B-JADE is good looking and not expensive, while A-JADE value is completely dependant upon its quality.

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