Here’s a quiz: Do you immediately think of China when you think of wholesale jade? If you do, it’s not an uncommon perception… most people think that wholesale jade is strictly a precious Chinese stone, and that it’s really only found way out in the far-flung corners of the globe. Truth is, jade can be found in many places… there’s even a two-ton piece sitting in front of the Visitor’s Center in downtown Anchorage, Alaska!

Something that surprises me is the fact that jade jewelry has long been the understated adornment, even though it’s been around for a very long time (some jade artifacts have been excavated from prehistoric sites) and it’s always been considered a thing of beauty and value. Today’s jade can be found worn by many men, women, and children in China, Korea, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. It’s still got the mystique of being a treasured Oriental material, yet has deep roots in South American history as well. Another thing that surprises me is the fact that while I was living in the USA, I saw jade on a very rare basis. Living in China, I see it all the time.

I personally think we will see a big surge in the Western jade market in the coming months and years, mainly because the rising level of interest in Asian culture is in direct proportion to the news headlines that cover stories ranging from the deals gone wrong between China and Australia… to the positive changes in the realm of IPR (intellectual property rights) and… the WTO recently handing down a verdict to China — in the USA’s favor — over opening up the market for entertainment and media channels without government-sponsored middlemen. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself… those are stories for another blog.

As for purchasing jade and related pieces of jewelry, it takes a real expert to make the call on what stones are truly of exquisite value, and which ones are just polished up to look nice under showroom lights. I won’t even attempt to make you a connoisseur after reading this, but you’ll at least have some understanding of what details to look for as you search for the right seller/distributor to supply you with some jade that will entice your customers who are looking for something special and unique.

First of all, there isn’t a clear-cut set of rules and standards for the grading and selection of jade at the production level. Sometimes, a panel of experts from renowned Chinese universities will assist with the process, and there are also numerous independent experts that can also be called upon to give their perspectives on making the determinations… but unfortunately – as with so many things in the PRC – the ‘experts’ are nothing more than a few guys who have some form of protection through the Byzantine maze of connections and guanxi that China is so infamous for. What’s a wholesaler to do? Are you at the mercy of scammers, or is there anything you can do to protect yourself and your investment?

Without pointing out the obvious (due dliligence!) stuff… I will provide some items to consider, when making the leap to buying a truckload of jade from China. In fact, this sounds like a good time for another TopTen List, doesn’t it?

• Be prepared to look at a lot of different sellers. Walking away at the faintest hint of something that doesn’t feel right is usually the best course of action, and it will often save you from being roped into a deal that doesn’t suit you or your customers. Most of the major established sellers can be found on the East Coast, and places like Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Fujian Province are a hotbed of jade activity… both the good and the bad.

• Know a little about the basics of jade characteristics. Jade is a tough and fairly hard material, a lot like quartz in many respects. If you can plainly see chips and flakes of stone being produced by the goods in question, walk away. If there are cracks and breaks along the pieces, you are better off without them. Imagine you are giving this as a gift to a loved one. If it wouldn’t be good enough for you, it’s probably not good enough for your buyers either.

• Color of the stone is the single most important characteristic. Hands down. Some people prefer an intense emerald-like hue, while other jade-lovers like to see a bluish-waxy color that looks soft and buttery. All of them are okay, and to be honest, jade comes in a lot of different colors. Something for everyone!

• Intensity of the color can be a lot like looking at a piece of ice. Have you ever wondered why some ice cubes look as clear as glass, while others might have a cloudy, almost milky appearance? So have I. This will be a factor in determining the value of your jade.

• Brightness of color, and the finish is very much a subjective sticking point, and while some dealers tell you that a high gloss is preferred, others will tell you that the ‘greasy’ look is the mark of truly superb material. Research your market, and know what your customer wants before getting too carried away with this part.

• Evenness of color and depth is the last one of the ‘big four’… and it’s the one that usually separates real from fake in the least amount of time. High-quality jade is even in color, and extremely expensive. If you are getting perfect pieces of jade that show no variations in their color for a bargain price, you should know that you are still paying too much. The merchandise could very well be glass, or some other mineral that has been dyed or polished with a colored wax that will wear away faster than your reputation!

• Be prepared to make ‘em wait a while. Nothing will flush out the bluffers like making them nervous with a vague timeline, or no clear indication of how long you plan to be in the area. Of course this goes both ways, and the Chinese are no strangers to the waiting game.

• Don’t let the cargo leave your sight! I’ve heard a good number of horror stories from quite a few laowai doing business in China, and the one thing that is consistently at the top of the list (besides disappearing funds!) is the old bait-and-switch. Perhaps the best advice I have ever heard was from a guy I know who buys in China, and trades industrial uniforms and safety apparel to some companies and institutions in Africa… he told me that he personally inspects the cargo, seals the container, and then sits by it (sometimes for hours) until it’s on the ship! Pretty extreme, but then again, your blood pressure will be too… if you find out you’ve been had.

• Avoid generic names, and try to apply the proper names of the material you sell, even if it means making the extra effort at branding or marketing a new concept to the public. After all, the one thing scammers hate most is a well-informed buyer, and the only way you will weed out the bad sellers from the good ones is by making sure that your customers are asking for the right stuff by name. Words like serpentine (also bowenite), carnelian, aventurine quartz, grossularite, Vesuvianite, and soapstone should become part of your vocabulary.

• Further education goes a long way, if you want to make jade your area of expertise. Since there isn’t one single, unified global standard in the industry, and the lines are quite blurry from one definition to the next, you have a great opportunity to become the expert!

There are great advantages to being the first guy on the block to offer jade to willing buyers… but the reality of the situation is that you’ve got to make certain of the risks involved. While it’s easy to say that doing biz in China isn’t worth the hassle, frustration, and immeasurable layers of deception… it’s also quite valid to point out that being the one with the endurance to earn your chops through careful and steady forward growth will pay off in the end. I’ve said it a hundred times before: if it was easy… everyone would be doing it, right? Do you remember what I mentioned earlier about blood pressure? It’s said by numerous Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates that wearing jade can improve and regulate blood circulation… you might want to start there!