Every year, the state-owned Myanmar Gems Enterprise holds the Myanma Gems, Jade, and Pearl Emporium where boulders are sold by tender to the top jade dealers from around the world. Jadeite dealers must be some of the world's biggest gamblers because of the way they buy. Boulders are sold intact, with only a tiny window cut in the side to expose a small section of the interior. He has only his instinct, and on that basis he pays hundreds of thousands of dollars for what may turn out to be the deal of the year or a huge loss. The top jadeite jade is usually cut into smooth dome shapes called cabochons.
Jadeite bangles are also very popular in Asian countries.
Beads are also very beautiful and some important jadeite necklaces made during the art deco period have fetched hundreds of thousands of dollars in auctions in the past few years. Because of its smooth even texture, jade has long been a preferred material for carving. The most common shape is the flat donut-shaped disc called a pi, which is commonly worn as a necklace. The Emerald Buddha, the sacred image that is enshrined at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, Thailand, is actually beautiful green jadeite. Jadeite jade is most treasured for its vivid greens, but it also comes in lavender, pink, yellow, and white.