The Auction Legacy
A history of rarity.
Exceptional jadeite has been collected, admired and traded at the highest level of the international jewellery market for more than a century. The results below are historical landmarks — the pieces that defined what the world now recognises as truly rare.
Landmark results
1988 — Barbara Hutton Carved Jadeite Bangle
Sotheby's Hong Kong — HK$7,040,000
Formerly in the collection of Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, whose jadeite became the benchmark of imperial quality. Sotheby's archive ↗
2014 — The Hutton–Mdivani Jadeite Necklace
Sotheby's Hong Kong — HK$214,040,000 (US$27.44M)
Twenty-seven graduated imperial-green jadeite beads, mounted by Cartier. Still the world auction record for a jadeite bead necklace. Sotheby's lot record ↗
2026 — The Ethereal Jadeite Necklace
Christie's Hong Kong, 26 May 2026 — HK$200,200,000 (US$25.55M)
A strand of sixty-one matching natural, untreated (Type A) Burmese jadeite cabochon beads, 13.7–8.8 mm. The most valuable jadeite jewel to appear at auction in over a decade. Christie's record ↗
What makes jadeite rare?
Auction results are the consequence of rarity, not its definition. Rarity itself rests on a small number of qualities that must occur together in one stone:
- Colour — saturation, evenness and the depth of true imperial green
- Transparency — the inner glow that light carries through the stone
- Texture — fineness of grain, felt as much as seen
- Structure — soundness that allows a bead or bangle to survive cutting
- Size — matching diameter and volume across a strand
- Provenance — documented origin and a continuous chain of ownership
- Craftsmanship — cutting and mounting that respect the stone
Collector's guide
Every Verve Jade piece is offered with its identity documented and its origin stated. We publish our own archive because context matters: a collector should know where a stone sits within a tradition — never as a forecast of value, but as a record of what has endured.
To discuss a specific stone, or to arrange a private viewing: Request a private viewing.
Auction history provides context, not a valuation guarantee. Past auction results do not determine the value of any individual jadeite piece. Verified results cited from Sotheby's Hong Kong and Christie's Hong Kong published records.
Sources: Sotheby's — Hutton-Mdivani, 2014 · Sotheby's — Renaissance of Jadeite · Christie's — Jadeite collecting guide