One of our many tours on this trip was to a Jade Factory. Strictly speaking this was not a factory, but a sales venue with an area for demonstrations. Regardless, what we saw was beautiful.
We were greeted enthusiastically and taken to a small room where a manager showed us various types and colours of jades and explained the quality and how to identify real from fake. We also saw a couple of craftsmen demonstrating how jade is carved, although the main body of that work was clearly done elsewhere. It takes many hours of diligent and careful carving and grinding to create the exquisite shapes and statues available for sale.
There are a number of colours - red, black, white, purple, yellow and of course, the familiar green. We learned that lighter colours of jade are more valuable, contrary to what many Westerners think. Most Chinese wear at least one piece of jade all the time for good life and good luck. Women receive a jade bangle from their mother or mother-in-law, upon their wedding and it is worn thereafter. Some are handed down through generations on the female side. Others are made new, on the male side. All are beautiful and most, quite valuable.
We saw the balls of life being ground. They have 3 balls within each other, all from one piece of stone. Most have the dragon and phoenix, symbols of strength and perfect balance.
We also learned that the 2008 Olympic medals were actually jade on one side and the bronze, silver, and gold on the other. All were very heavy.
A trip to China would not be complete without a visit to see and learn about jade.
The pieces were so expensive that the only way to bring one home is to take a picture of it. Here is the one that I really wanted however, it would have cost $1,622 CDN approximately.
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