Jade Quality Factors

To judge the grade of a Jade piece, these are the main factors we look at arranged according to the order of importance. A combination of all these factors at their best would yield the rarest & finest Jade.

Colour

Jade comes in many different colours. Pieces with an intense, strong & evenly distributed colour will fetch a higher price. The most expensive colour is green (imperial, spinach, apple, moss-in-snow) followed by lavender, Ice, Black, Red and Yellow. 

Translucency

Jade’s translucency ranges from totally opaque to semi transparent (place the jade over a piece of paper with text & if you are able to read it, it is of excellent quality). Usually when a jade has very good translucency it also means the texture is very fine. The higher the translucency, the more light is able to pass through making the jade appear to be “glowing” & increasing its charm. A highly translucent piece can sometimes make up for the lack of colour & even command a premium price. 

Texture & Clarity

Jade’s texture that is smooth, even & fine grained are more expensive as compared to medium or coarse texture. This may also depend on the conditions of the mine whether it is old or new etc. Internal/External fractures, black spots, eye visible inclusions will affect the price.

Craftsmanship

An intricate & detailed craftsmanship by a master craftsman can greatly increase the price of a Jade because of the many years of experience, skillset, intense level of concentration & precision required to produce such a piece. It takes a high level of artistry, foresight, and a deep understanding of Jade to be able to showcase its true beauty. Also this is a good indication to measure the intrinsic value of the jade because no one will spend so much time and effort on a poor quality jade.