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| Zeng Sheng Lian and Mr Kan |
The interview on “The Era of Happy Ageing” (乐活新世代) begins at 1:36 of the recording.
Zeng Sheng Lian (Zeng):
Good morning, this is Zeng Sheng Lian (曾生莲) and today I’m relieving Ee Sim (逸芯). Today is Friday, the 9th of February, and 24th of December of the Lunar calendar. Today we have with us the executive director of Lotus on Water, Mr Kan Ying Loong. Good morning Mr Kan.
Mr Kan (Kan):
Hello, good morning.
Zeng:
Yes, wow, Mr Kan, wow, how should I describe you? You’re in full suit and you have a very nice tie.
Kan:
Yes, made of silk by Rui Fu Xiang (瑞福祥), one of Beijing’s Four Renowned Shops. Made from Rui Fu Xiang’s silk.
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| Lotus on Water Exquisite Jadeite Gallery: silk and golden thread tie |
Zeng:
Wow, no wonder, I really have an eye for good things.
Kan:
Yes, you are really good.
(Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Zeng:
It looks great.
Kan:
Thank you.
Zeng:
Speaking of an eye for good things, I would like to invite Mr Kan to share with us the ways to differentiate “jadeite” from “jade”. Let’s begin with the difference between “jade” and “jadeite” as most of us are rather familiar with “jade”.
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| Jadeite—Imperial Jadeite (帝皇翠) |
Kan:
This is how it goes: “jade” is a categorization and there is no scientific way to gauge whether a rock is indeed a “jade”. Strictly speaking, there are two types of “jade”: first, the “jadeite” (翡翠); and second, the “nephrite” (软玉), which is often white in colour and held or played in people’s hands, this is “nephrite”.
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| Nephrite—“Mutton Fat White Jade” (羊脂白玉) |
Zeng:
Why is not called “white jade” (白玉)?
Kan:
It would be problematic if we call it “white jade”. We, Chinese, have this problem of using the term “jade” too loosely. We call anything that looks attractive and shiny, “jade”, when in fact, there are only two types of “jade”: “jadeite” and “nephrite”.
Zeng:
There are only two types, “jadeite” and “nephrite”?
Kan:
Yes, one of their difference lies in its hardness. “Jadeite” is 6.5 to 7, diamond’s Mohs hardness is 10m while “nephrite” is 6 to 6.5. That’s how the two “jades” are categorized.
Zeng:
What about their colours?
Kan:
Colour-wise, there is a common misconception that “jadeites” are green in colour.
Zeng:
Yes, that’s what most people think, that its green must be glowing and shiny.
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| The glowing Exquisite jadeite |
Kan:
The Chinese word for “jadeite” (翡翠) comes from the term “fei hong cui lü” (翡红翠绿), which means red and green in colour. In fact, its colour ranges from white to black, it comes in blue, pink, purple etc. It’s just that the “jadeites” commonly sold in the market, highly priced or seen at auctions, are generally green in colour.
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| The Gold-Speckled Dark Nephrite (金点墨玉)—“Win Right Away” (马上赢) |
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| Prosperity to the Skies (一旺冲天) |
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| Bags of Prosperity (代代如意) |
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| Phoenix in the Skies (凤舞九天) |
Zeng:
Yes, cui lü cui lü 翠绿 (emerald colour).
Kan:
Cui lü cui lü, right? But red is actually fei’s (翡) meaning. It is also in red, purple and green.
Zeng:
Oh? Some people might not understand this and mistake it for something else, or are they the “nephrite” you mentioned previously?
Kan:
Yes, these are all “jadeite”.
Zeng:
Oh, then it’s really difficult to differentiate the two.
Kan:
It is indeed not easy to differentiate between the two. Thus, when we see that people have such misconception, we come on your programme, right?
(Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Zeng:
So what are the common colours of “jade”? The “nephrite” you mentioned.
Kan:
“Nephrite” comes in a range of colours from white to black, very much like “jadeite”. But there is a more well-known “nephrite” white in colour, called “Mutton Fat White Jade” (羊脂白玉). In fact, this black piece on my hand is also “nephrite” (Mr Kan was wearing the Heaven on Earth jadeite ring). This white part is “jadeite”.
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| The Heaven on Earth jadeite ring |
Zeng:
Aiyo. It is really hard to differentiate, really really hard. What about this I’m wearing? Is it the green piece of “jade”?
Kan:
This is “jadeite”.
Zeng:
It can’t be, it can’t be. (Shock)
Kan:
Yes, I know your idea of “jadeite” must be old and in luminous dark green, right?
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| The clear Exquisite jadeite |
Zeng:
Yes.
Kan:
This is a type of “jadeite”. We begin with the category of “jade” before moving into the sub-category of “jadeite” and “nephrite”. And in “jadeite”, the highest grade would be green—in your understanding, it should be very green and extremely transparent—high quality and shiny. This, we call it Old Cliff glass quality, otherwise known as Imperial Jadeite. (Zeng: Hahahaha) We need to look at this issue systematically.
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| Old Cliff glass quality—Imperial Jadeite |
Zeng:
As you mentioned, “nephrite” comes in a range of colours from white to black and “jadeite” comes in the same range of colours, how do we differentiate them?
Kan:
You should begin by differentiating the real from the fake. Haha.
Zeng:
Oh, so you can only differentiate the fake from the real and not between “jade” and “jadeite”?
Kan:
When we look at a piece of rock, we must first gauge if it’s a piece of “jade”. If yes, we proceed to categorize it as either “jadeite” or “nephrite”. If it’s “jadeite”, we need to ask if it’s an authentic piece or one that has been injected with chemicals? This is because “jadeite” must be 100% natural, we call it A-grade “jadeite” in the industry.
Zeng:
A-grade.
Kan:
Yes, followed by B-grade, C-grade, B+C grade, D-grade etc.
Zeng:
Haha. Just like diamonds.
Kan:
Yes, and this categorization can be done scientifically. B+C-grade, D-grade and lower are valueless as they have been chemically treated. Commonly known as enhanced jade, such jades have been injected with chemicals and they can have negative impacts on your health.
Zeng:
Yes, wow. This is not easy. Haha.
Kan:
Yes, we only look at its colour after this step.
Zeng:
They must be priced differently.
Kan:
Yes, its price depends on, let’s say A-grade, these are high-grade. Its price will depend on its transparency, the best ones would be called glass quality, which looks like glass, extremely clear. Following that would be the ice quality and so on. There are also certain colours that fetch a higher price in the market too. If a “jadeite” is of the glass quality and in bright colour, such as green, then it would be the Old Cliff glass quality we mentioned earlier on, the Imperial Jadeite. This is the one, I brought a piece for you.
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| Old Cliff glass quality—Imperial Jadeite |
Zeng:
Wow! I need to stand up for a look.
Kan:
This piece that I have with me today is around $600,000. Hahahaha.
Zeng:
Wow, careful there.
Kan:
Around $600,000
Zeng:
This, just this tiny piece?
Kan:
You often see pieces in such colour and transparency, many of them are B-grade or C-grade. B-grade means it has been bleached and C-grade means it has been injected with chemical colours. Such treatments destroy the crystal structure and they should not even be considered “jade”. What you have in your hand is A-grade, the Imperial Jadeite.
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| A-grade jadeite—Imperial Jadeite |
Zeng:
Imperial Jadeite, oh Imperial Jadeite, you’re now in my hand. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) I’m going to snap a photo of it later on. I realized it looks extremely clear under the spotlight.
Kan:
Yes, you see rays of light going through it. I’m going to show you something more amazing.
Zeng:
This is $600,000?
Kan:
$680,000.
Zeng:
This shape, what is it?
Kan:
It’s a Lingzhi 灵芝.
Zeng:
Lingzhi—FM95.8 DJ—ought to get this, $680,000. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
We call this piece “Blessings to the Soul” (福至心灵), there’s a small bat by the side.
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| Blessings to the Soul (福至心灵) |
Zeng:
Wow, let me give it a rub, rubbing off some prosperity and wealth luck. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
Just in time for Chinese New Year since it’s around the corner, right? This is coloured, we call it green. We have another transparent and colourless piece. This is heavier, be careful.
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| Glass Quality Prosperity in Blossoms (发财花开玻璃种) |
Zeng:
This is “jadeite” too?
Kan:
Yes, this is “jadeite”.
Zeng:
This is the Laughing Buddha?
Kan:
Yes yes. Now, we look at the transparency of this “jadeite”. Both the Imperial Jadeite you saw just now and this piece in your hand are glass quality, but the piece you are holding on to is colourless.
Zeng:
Yes, very clear.
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| Zeng Sheng Lian standing up to have a look at the Laughing Buddha Exquisite jadeite pendant |
Kan:
Extremely transparent, a large and clear piece. Very high transparency so the piece in your hands is worth six million dollars!
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| Sea of White Gold (遍地白金) |
Zeng:
Wow! Oh my god! I have six million dollars in my hands now! Oh my god!
Kan:
To attain such an effect, some shops might bleach it, have it cleaned up and appear transparent. But the “jadeite’s” crystal structure would be destroyed by such tempering and it would turn out to be a non-authentic piece of “jadeite”. We call this man-tempered and such pieces would be of lousy quality.
Zeng:
Why are there white spots in it?
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| Laughing Buddha descending to Earth, Heaven on Earth |
Kan:
Those are naturally formed inclusions and they are often destroyed during the bleaching process. These inclusions are maintained during carving for aesthetic purposes. You’re looking at an extremely clear Laughing Buddha, right?
Zeng:
Yes, you’re right.
Kan:
Extremely clear. If you look at it, the inclusions are scattered around the entire Laughing Buddha like stars in the skies, giving it a sense of beauty and meaning.
Zeng:
Wow, yes, wow, six million! I’m going to hold it for a while more and snap a photo of it as memento. (Kan: Haha)
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| Zeng Sheng Lian and Mr Kan sharing a shot with the Exquisite Laughing Buddha jadeite worth over six million dollars! |
Zeng:
Thank you, Mr Kan Ying Loong. Let’s listen to some commercial and news.
This is authentic and this is not. Today we have the executive director of Lotus on Water, Mr Kan Ying Loong, with us. He is sharing with us the way to differentiate a real “jade” from the fake. We were on the topic of “jadeite”, it is actually a sub-category of “jade”, and we call all of them “jade” for the sake of convenience.
Kan:
Yes, you can say that today. Haha.
Zeng:
Yes, the “jadeite” we were talking about, how many different grades of it are there in the market?
Kan:
Do you mean the difference between real and fake “jadeite” or its quality?
Zeng:
Quality, let’s touch on quality before speaking about real and fake. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
Yeah, sure. Quality-wise, we look at its transparency. Which is how much light gets through when you place it against the light. The higher its quality, the smaller its particles, hence, fewer impurities. This is proven in science, the higher the clarity, the better its quality.
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| Glass quality jadeite bangle |
Kan:
Those of higher grades are called glass quality; looks like glass.
Zeng:
Colourless? Like the piece of Laughing Buddha we saw just now.
Kan:
There are those in colours too, they are amazing as well. (Zeng: Hahahaha)
Colour is a way of differentiating, another way is by clarity—how much light passes through. The second type is ice quality, like an ice. That’s followed by gourd quality, lotus quality and bean quality. They make up the four quality-types of “jadeites”.
Zeng:
Yes, like the Laughing Buddha we just saw, the one in white.
Kan:
That’s the glass quality.
Zeng:
It has some white spots within.
Kan:
Yes, that’s one of its features. But there is also glass quality without white spots.
Zeng:
Without any? So, is it better to have white spots or not? Hahaha.
Kan:
That depends on the distribution of the spots. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
When the spots are evenly distributed, it becomes a feature, an art piece, and its value would be higher than those without spots.
Zeng:
Yeah, six million, I know that. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
Yes, I have another piece costing 13 million but I did not bring it here today.
Zeng:
Aiyo! What colour is it in?
Kan:
It’s in green.
Zeng:
Green.
Kan:
That’s glass quality, you can see that it has some green within. It’s a coloured glass quality, costing 13 million.
Zeng:
13 million, wow! (Zeng: gasps)
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| The 13-million-dollar Old Cliff Glass Quality Exquisite jadeite pendant—Jadeite Leaf on The Golden Stalk (金枝玉叶) |
Kan:
It would be more expensive if sold at an auction.
Zeng:
Oh, yes.
Kan:
These are few qualities of “jadeite”.
Zeng:
Yes, only the rich buy them, right? Or royalty? (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
It depends on where you begin. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Zeng:
Yes, we just spoke about the different colours. Now, this is important, how do you differentiate the real from the fake?
Kan:
This is a tough question. Haha.
Zeng:
Yes, you need an expert to determine that, right?
Kan:
Yes, first.
Zeng:
It’s not easy for us layman.
Kan:
Yes, there was this place in Chinatown that is no longer around, I was there at a very young age and it was easy to determine if a “jadeite” was real—just knock two “jadeites” against each other and listen if there is a sound of hitting the glass. I was very young and short when I did that, one of the shopkeepers came out and said, “Little boy, don’t try that anymore, I know what you are doing, that’s not the way to determine.” Ten over years later, I returned…
Zeng:
You did that at such a young age?!
Kan:
I started fiddling with this, researching on it, at a young age. The shopkeeper told me that we cannot use such intuitive ways to determine whether a “jadeite” is real or fake. We can send it for tests conducted by gem experts, who will grade it A, B or C, as we mentioned in the earlier segment. This is only half of the equation as some “jadeites” are double waxed and they would still turn out as A-grade after scientific tests.
Red “jadeites” are rare so when some unscrupulous businessmen would heat “jadeites” slowly until it turns red, such “jadeites” would dry up in two years and crack. Tests would show these “jadeites” as A-grade, so it is important to get your “jadeite” from reputable sellers. You get what you pay for.
Zeng:
Yes, I have seen a red piece but not entirely transparent, is that a good piece?
Kan:
Are you talking about “jadeite”?
Zeng:
“Jade”, I would say.
Kan:
You must first determine if it’s “jadeite” as red “jadeite” is hard to come by. It is possible that they used another rock or crystal that looks like “jade”, say chalcedony, to pass off as “jadeite” or “jade”. Of course, red “jadeite” are rarely transparent, if they are, it would be worth a lot.
Zeng:
Wow, it must be beautiful. Haha. Do you have a red piece with you now?
Kan:
This, this is the one. It is in a shade of red unlike that of the red packets.
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| “A Dragon's Empire” (red jadeite) 大业游龙红翡冰心 |
Zeng:
Yes, it has a shade of brown.
Kan:
Yes, it looks like a red “jadeite”, this is the one.
Zeng:
This is quite clear.
Kan:
This is considered amazing, very clear.
Zeng:
Yes, very beautiful.
Kan:
There’s something else we need to know about the red “jadeite”—“jadeites” in red or yellow tend to be thin as they are extracted from the surface of the raw jadeite boulder. Let me first tell you how much this piece in your hands cost, more than $300,000.
Zeng:
Wow, more than $300,000. This is quite okay, considering that the previous piece costs six million.
Kan:
After seeing a piece costing six million, $300,000 sounds like a small sum, right?
(Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Zeng:
I sound like royalty. Aiyo, $300,000 is nothing, it’s like $30. Haha.
Kan:
The red “jadeite” must first be thick.
Zeng:
It’s thick and transparent.
Kan:
Thick and transparent.
Zeng:
Yes, it is.
Kan:
This 3mm of thickness is what we call yi fen shui (一分水) in the industry. If it happens to be thick, transparent and red, it would be extremely valuable.
Zeng:
Yes, I’m not sure but I have heard that “jades” should have an icy feeling when you touch it. Is this right?
Kan:
You cannot say that as many things feel icy when you touch them.
Some ways of determination might be intuitive. Like some of my friends went on a vacation and the shopkeeper scratched “jadeite” against a piece of glass. That’s last time. They say that scratching a real “jadeite” against a real piece of glass would not leave any scratch marks. But glass is easily scratched by many things.
Zeng:
Yes, yes.
Kan:
This is incorrect. Such intuitive ways of determination might not be the best.
Zeng:
Yes, wow, such expensive stuff should be determined by the experts. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) So, how should we take care of “jade” and “jadeite”?
Kan:
Speaking of maintenance, it is actually much easier than maintaining diamonds. This is true, I have clients in the diamond industry. I’m going to share some knowledge here. “Jadeite’s” hardness is 6.5 to 7 and diamond’s 10, so don’t place them together in a box.
Zeng:
Which would crack when they hit each other? Haha.
Kan:
If they hit each other, the diamond would crack.
Zeng:
Why is that so? In my impression, we can leave diamonds everywhere anywhere, but for “jades”, we treat them like treasures and prevent them from cracking.
Kan:
Actually, they would both crack, it’s only the degree to which it cracks. Diamonds cannot take pressure; hence, it would crack on impact.
Zeng:
I know that, diamond’s crack is not visible to the naked eye, but “jade’s” crack is very clear.
Kan:
Yes, so don’t place “jadeite” with your diamonds as they would be scratched and these scratches cannot be easily polished. Diamonds are harder, it will scratch jadeites.
Zeng:
Yes, it does not mean that diamond is incompatible with jadeite, because “jades” are often set with diamond, right?
Kan:
They would not hit each other when set, as the diamond would be on the surface, right? There is a saying “take care of the jade and it will take care of you”, this is right, prolong wearing would make the jadeite more beautiful.
Zeng:
Yes, that’s right, that’s right.
Kan:
This is what I have observed over the years. I also believe that your complexion has improved after wearing “jadeite”. Haha.
Zeng:
Really?
(Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Kan:
Yes.
Zeng:
I did not pay special attention to that.
Kan:
Yes, so rub with your “jade” often.
Zeng:
Rub on the face?
Kan:
Yes, only use the good and authentic ones. If you use those chemically-treated with acid, your complexion will not improve. So, for those who wear good “jades”, they would enjoy a good complexion after some time of wearing.
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| Phoenix in the Sky and Wealth in your Hands (飞凤在天财到手) |
Zeng:
Wow, really? Does a piece of low-grade “jade” that has not been chemically-treated work as well? I don’t have to get the six million or $600,000 piece, right?
Kan:
Yes, it’s like that six-million-dollar “jadeite” that we saw just now, the $300,000 piece seems like nothing, right? (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) That’s why holding this piece in your hands is like no kick, right?
Zeng:
Yes, it feels icy.
Kan:
Yes, this is an A-grade “jadeite”, it’s a real “jadeite”, even though it might not be as green as the Old Cliff Glass Quality “jadeite” we saw just now. It is somewhere between the quality of “gourd quality”, “glutinous quality” and “lotus quality” but it’s still a great piece of “jadeite”. No chemical treatment, no enhancements, just carved into this spiral shape and polished.
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| Auspicious jadeite—Lotus jadeite Ammonite pendant (玉彩螺翡翠牌) |
Zeng:
It is well cut.
Kan:
Yes, that’s its workmanship. No chemicals are added and this is a great piece of “jadeite”.
Zeng:
Price?
Kan:
“Jadeites” like this range from $5000 to $10,000.
Zeng:
$5000 to $10,000, I should belong to this category. Honestly speaking, this piece in my hands feels really good, it’s icy and special.
Kan:
Great, you have my name card.
(Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha)
Zeng:
Discount discount. Haha. Yes, it’s weird.
Kan:
Sometimes, it’s “you choose the jade and the jade chooses you”
Zeng:
Yes, that’s affinity.
Kan:
There are some larger ones, this is yellow in colour, you might not have seen a yellow “jadeite”.
Zeng:
Keep this, I have not paid for it. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) Wow, this is the Thousand Hands Guan Yin (千手观音).
Kan:
Yes, this is one of the popular designs.
Zeng:
And I like Guan Yin, look at this Guan Yin pendant I have here.
Kan:
This is the yellow “jadeite”, its transparency is not too bad and while it’s not ice quality, it’s somewhere between “lotus quality” and “gourd quality”. A piece that is not too big like this would cost between $10,000 and $20,000, this particular piece is $16,000.
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| Auspicious jadeite—Thousand Hands Guan Yin jadeite pendant |
Zeng:
This is $16,000 and entirely untreated.
Kan:
Yes, it’s A-grade.
Zeng:
Wow, it feels good too.
Kan:
Besides being 100% natural and A-grade, it has neither been waxed nor enhanced. This is the most authentic and best “jadeite”.
Zeng:
Good, I’m going to snap a photo of it later. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) At least you owned it once. (Zeng & Kan: Hahahaha) This topic is inexhaustible but it’s a pity that we do not have the luxury of time today, so till next time.
Kan:
Yes, next time.
Zeng:
A big thank you to the executive director of Lotus on Water, Mr Kan Ying Loong, for joining us today in the discussion of “jade”. I believe we have a better idea in this topic now. Thank you very much.
Kan:
Thank you.
Zeng:
May prosperity, wealth and good luck be with you! Chinese New Year is around the corner.
Kan:
Thank you, same to you.
9th of February 2018
(Translated)
