Antique Jade evaluation assistance is here.
Jade is an amazing thing. For thousands of years Asian cultures have regarded Jade as a sign of wealth. Not just monetary wealth, but also spiritual wealth. The Chinese culture in particular have always been fascinated with Jade. The antique jade market is doing well.
Jade is actually the name given to two rocks. Nephrite and Jadeite. Jadeite can be seen in almost any color, while Nephrite is usually shades of green black and white. Jadeite is slightly harder than nephrite. Both jade rocks can have extremely high values. When it comes to jewelry, the color that brings the most money is the deep emerald colored nephrite.
In todays antique market there is an incredible demand for fine jade. In New York City, buyers from around the world come to find the perfect antique jade pieces.
As soon as China’s economy started to get better, the Chinese antique market exploded. In particular, the rare jade pieces have skyrocketed in value. Many Chinese antique jade pieces were sold to wealthy americans years ago. Now the rich China buyers are buying it all back (see our blog for more information).
Most of the finer jade carvings have significant age. Starting from the late 19th century and dating back thousands of years. Value depends on many factors. The color is very important. In many instances the deep emerald colored jade jewelry brings good money. However, larger jade carvings can be a pale white color and be worth millions. Another important jade characteristic is the detail of the carving. The rare expensive antique jade pieces have very intricate details. It was not easy to carve such a hard material with the tools that were available over a century ago. The artists that were given the task of creating these masterpieces had a great deal of talent.
When buying jade, be sure to buy from reputable dealers or auction houses. You can test jade in many ways, but it is very difficult to be sure. Serpentine also known as “new jade” is one of many materials sold as jade. However, it is not jade and not very valuable. Many real jade is treated to make the color look better. Treated jade is not worth much at all. The best way test jade is through a reputable laboratory such as GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Jade can be certified by GIA to be real and untreated.
If you have a rare piece of antique jade that you would like to sell, let us know.
We work with some of the most knowledgable jade buyers in New York City. These buyers are willing to pay top dollar for high end pieces because the demand is so high. Let us know if you need an antique jade expert in Manhattan. In addition to jade buyers, we work with auction specialists that would be able to evaluate and auction your jade items. We have jade specialists that are located in other states as well. These states include Texas, California, New Jersey, Florida and more. You may visit Syl-Lee Antiques a New York City Asian antique dealer for more information if you are in the New York area.