Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-09-10
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Jade Experts Watch for Missing
Treasures to Reappear


| A BUFFALO politician, long
1 \ deceased, turned up in Wash
ington at the Mckinley inaug-
ural ball CARRIED in more kinds of
diamonds than had ever before
been seen in the District of CO.
lumbia at a governmental func-
ton.
''My FRIEND" said a critic, cast
ing dubious eyes on the Buffaloni-
an, 'you are a bit overjeweled to-
night. The best people don't go
quite so far with the icebergs at
presidential affair
SIS that so?" retorted the bespan-
gled visitor, pulling a bediamond-
ed suspender buckle from under his
armpits, sit has been my expert
ence that them as has 'em wears
EN-"
Now when it comes to the pos
session and the wearing of jade,
that is an entirely different matter;
not that there is a lack of it, but
because so few of us ever get hold
of a piece worth wearing.
Not until the beginning of the
present century did jade attract at
tention among discriminating buy
ers. Prior to that, comparatively
few, and they Chinese and Indians,
had any conception of where jade
would bring up in the jewel market
of the world. The preferred jade
came from northwest China or Chi
nese Turkistan, overland to Pei
ping, where the best jade carvers in
the world turn it into jewelry. From
Yunnan and surrounding provinces,
as we'll as from Burma, a great
deal of jade reaches Canton, the
finest quality coming into Peiping,
regarded as the central trading
point for the green stone in all it's
variations. While there are over
ninety tones, tints, shades and flat
whites called mutton jade, the ver-
dant stone governs the market.
Jade Passion Spreads
Following the Boxer upheaval,
which suddenly released great
deal of beautiful jade formerly the
property of the Chinese aristocrats
and noblemen, passion for jade
spread throughout the world; prin-
cipally among people who had the
price, but no savvy as to quality.
Much of the best jade extant fell
into unworthy hands, to be banded
| l.
ordered. New jade has a way Of
changing it's luster. Old jade hav-
ing already undergone this trans
formation and completely recovered
is more sought after. Today those
Chinese who sold literally during
the depression are offering all sorts
of prices to get the jade back.
From Canton, Peiping and even
Burma, the dealers are watching
for these rare pieces to come again
into the stream of traffic. Jade
street, Peiping, trading almost ex-
clusively in the jewel from which
it takes it's name, is haunted by
eagle-eyed Chinese lying in wait for.
the green stone to return. Mr.. Pei,
of No. IA, A, makes a pre-break-
fast journey to the opposite side of
the city where the jade wholesalers
open up at seven each morning and
close at ten. He is expecting to
see missing treasures reappear for
sale.
Dowager's Snuff Bottle
Pei remembers the snuff bottle
once owned by the dowager en-
press. that sold for $40, 900, and the
massive jade ring bought for $751;
600, later cut into three pieces and
disposed Of to the wholesalers at
$4,000 per fragment.
"Pure emerald stones are trans
lucent - not transparent = and
alive" he said in describing them
to me; Enthusiastically liquid green.
In a piece of jade every cloud, no
matter how delicately it may seem
to blend with the translucent green,
is flaw. Out of block of rough
jade the cutter who rescues a piece
of pure green translucence is lucky
indeed. The presence of deep and
light green shades, streaks alter
mating in density from apple to pea
green, puts the specimen in the sec
ond and third grade column.
"Pale jade, extremely beautiful
when artistically cut, is very attrac-
tive and suits certain compilations
admirably. 1t is lovely against
young skins, but beside pure en-
erald jade it cannot compete.
How to Select Jade
In selecting jade look only for
deep green translucent stones which
appear to drip color that by some
magic attraction is held in suspen-
sion. Never be led astray by any
other tone, color, cloud effect or
blending. Dark green or nothing.
Fortunes are still to be made in old
jade, which is increasing in value
above all other precious stones"
Brownlow, an Englishman resid-
ing in Peiping, something of wiz
ard at appraising things exclusive
and genuine, put it into expressive
Ano1o-Saxon. "When Won 500 some