Navigating Hong Kong’s jade minefield

Hong Kong has a well earned reputation as a city where you can purchase high quality jade - the perfect gift to purchase on your next business trip to the city for someone special back home (or even just for yourself). After all, jade has long been considered to be a good luck stone and for the Chinese its a symbol of beauty, grace and purity. However, unlike purchasing gold, pearls, diamonds or other precious gems, finding a reputable jade dealer and then purchasing high quality pieces that are not fakes can be a daunting task.

Fortunately, the New York Times’ travel section recently had an article about purchasing jade in Hong Kong and listed several locations that travelers should check out depending on just what they are looking for. For those who want to consider purchasing high quality jade pieces (with prices to match), the NY Times article suggests Chinese Arts & Crafts (but don’t be shocked when you see just how much a high quality piece will cost you). However, if you are just seeking something pretty and green, then the NY Times article suggests that you visit the group of shops in Kowloon that constitutes Hong Kong’s so-called Jade Market. Here, venders hawk everything from jade amulets and jewelry to jade carvings but don’t expect to find high quality jade pieces unless you do a bit of detective work. On the other hand, higher quality jade pieces can be found at the 30 or so branches of the Chow Tai Fook – one of Hong Kong’s best known and reputable jewelers.

Once you have found a trustworthy source to make a purchase, it is important to know a little bit about the stone. Although jade comes in many colors or shades, green is the most popular color and stones with the darkest green hue are considered to be the most valuable pieces. If you wish to purchase a color other than green, then it is important to select a piece with the most intense color. Moreover, clear or semi-clear pieces are also considered to be more valuable and always avoid any jade that has visible cracks or flaws.

In addition, keep in mind that there are three grades of jade:

• Grade A are pieces that are made from pure jadeite and are natural. In other words, they are simply carved and then polished and waxed.
• Grade B are pieces are those that have been bleached with chemicals and hence, they can be more brittle as the bleaching process can leave tiny fractures in the structure of the stone itself.
• Grade C pieces are those that are poor in quality to start with and may have had artificial dyes injected into them. These pieces will likely fade over time and are not worth purchasing.

And remember: the most important thing when purchasing jade is to buy from a reputable source as some jade dealers may in fact be selling dyed quartz passed off as jade.

Keeping the above tips in mind when purchasing jade on your next business trip to Hong Kong will help you make an informed purchase of a stone whose beauty and purity will be prized for generations to come.