CRAFT STORIES | ASIA PACIFIC | MYANMAR | STONE

The Story of Imperial Jadeite

The desirability and mysticism of Imperial Jadeite – the rarest form of Jade – endures through cycles of taste and speculation. Its global market, long centred in Hong Kong, reflects both cultural reverence and modern investment for a stone of exceptional quality and beauty. In conversation with Asprey, one of the foremost British Maisons working with Imperial Jadeite, Cabana explores the history of this extraordinary stone. 

A selection of Asprey's jewels and objects crafted from Imperial Jadeite and Jadeite, photographed at the Maison's London headquarters by Milo Brown.

Imperial Jadeite, the rarest and most coveted form of Jadeite, is quite distinct from its more common cousin, Nephrite, the most ubiquitous form of Jade. There is a quiet, almost magnetic, power to this ineffable stone, and few materials have so profoundly shaped human desire for so long. It is, in fact, often said that while gold can be weighed, measured and priced accordingly, Jadeite – and in particular, Imperial Jadeite, is priceless, due to its desirability and immeasurable cultural value.

It is the "scarcity, rarity" and elusive color of Imperial Jadeite – vivid green with high translucency levels – that makes the stone so extraordinary, according to gem specialists at Asprey. A visit to the Maison's studio and headquarters on London's Bruton Street reveals museum-quality Jadeite in a variety of presentations, from objets d'art to jewelry. The largest pieces seem to contain their own meteorology: naturally-occurring veins swirl beneath the gem's surface like storm clouds, or multiple stars illuminating a night sky. "The quality of Asprey's Imperial Jadeite is unsurpassable," agrees Jadeite specialist, Bobby Gill. "The high glass levels and translucency, together with the vivid color."

While both Jadeite and Nephrite are called yu in Chinese, and strongly associated with good fortune in Chinese culture, geologically, the two are very different stones with different chemical compositions. Jadeite is primarily found in northern Myanmar, within a narrow belt of metamorphic rock where immense geological pressure forged crystals of remarkable purity. Nephrite, meanwhile, has been carved across Asia for millennia and is softer, creamier and much more opaque in tone. 

Asprey's spectacular teapot in Imperial Jadeite, styled by Cabana at Asprey's London headquarters and photographed by Milo Brown.

The mining of Jadeite in Myanmar requires a mixture of industrial extraction and small-scale artisanal labor. Boulders are wrested from cliff faces or riverbeds and then sawn open to reveal their inner hue—often an opaque rind concealing vivid color within. Once cut and polished, the stones enter tightly controlled trade networks, moving through Mandalay to gem markets in China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and beyond. Transparency in sourcing has improved in recent years, but the trade still bears the complexities of Myanmar’s political landscape, making Jadeite rarer and much more valuable. 

Crucially, only a small fraction of Jadeite achieves the spectral green and near-glassy translucence to be awarded the superior classification of Imperial Jadeite, historically reserved for emperors. Nephrite Jade signified virtue, eternity, and authority in imperial China, but Jadeite, arriving in the 18th century from Myanmar through new trade routes, quickly displaced Nephrite at the Qing court. 

The Qianlong Emperor prized Jadeite's inscrutable tone, and called the stone, the “king of jade.” Imperial workshops in Beijing began to carve the newly discovered material into court ornaments, scholar’s seals, and ceremonial vessels, establishing the chromatic standard that defines “imperial green” today—a balance of intensity and translucence achieved by almost no other gemstone. 

Detail, Imperial Jadeite. Photographed by Milo Brown for Asprey.

The value of Imperial Jadeite has long depended less on carat weight than on texture and light, explains Asprey's Bobby Gill. Fine Imperial Jadeite transmits light with the softness of candle wax, yet its structure is tough enough to resist scratching by steel. The material’s quiet opacity lent a counterpoint to Asprey’s metalsmithing, and recent commissions continue this lineage. They treat Imperial Jadeite not as an ornament, but as a sculptural medium whose surface holds light like water. 

The desirability of Imperial Jadeite endures through cycles of taste and speculation. Its market, long centred in Hong Kong and now global, reflects both cultural reverence and modern investment; exceptional pieces command prices that rival fine diamonds.

Yet beyond commerce, the stone’s appeal lies in its continuity. Imperial Jadeite connects the miner’s rough boulder in Kachin, to the carver’s bench in Guangzhou, and the collector’s cabinet around the world. It remains a material of judgement: every shade, every inclusion, every plane of translucence matters. It resists mass production and rewards patience—a sovereign, timeless material.

Words by Camilla Frances

Images by Milo Brown

Styling and Production by Cabana