Jade Industry Flourishing? News Report

Results of the December Myanmar Gem Emporium indicate a flourishing gem trade, according to a news report. This particular sale is restricted to local jewelry manufacturers who do not have mining permits. Jade sales at the event totaled about $79 million. Most recent reports have indicated a slump in jade sales.

The emporium for foreign buyers was held in June and brought traders from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan. At that event the 4,500 buyers represented a 60 percent drop in attendance from the previous year. The US doesn't allow import of jade from Myanmar, a sanction related to human rights concerns.

Book Review: Chinese Jade -- Power and Delicacy in a Majestic Art

Chinese Jade -- Power and Delicacy in a Majestic Art by Minghua Zhang, copyright 2004, published by Long River Press @ $12.95.

Modest in size, rich in illustration, this book introduces the jade of China through “history, cultural significance, and importance to the overall Chinese artistic canon.” In keeping with the small size of the book, coverage is limited to significant brief highlights.

 “Interesting and strange stories about ancient Chinese jade are simply too numerous to repeat.” However there are numerous anecdotes offered related to the history of the stone. Several times we meet poor Bian He, who made the mistake of presenting uncarved jade to the emperor. His feet were cut off in punishment for the insult. The emperor didn’t realize the marvelous qualities of the stone, for example that it could change color. However, the next king appreciated the stone and it became a treasured pendant, now missing or destroyed, called “He’s Pendant.”

“What jade lovers are afraid of most are fake jade objects.” Glass and polymer fakes are discussed.

The book also explores avenues available to the collector at various economic levels. It is advised that most jade termed “antique” is not, in part due to laws governing trade in cultural treasures. The considerable expertise necessary to identify antique jade is mentioned.

We learn that the earliest jade artifacts found in China date back 12,000 years! Various archaeological finds over the centuries are noted and related to advancement in crafting of objects and themes.

For those of us who enjoy the display rough, river-worn stones, the news is not good. Jade, we are told, is valued for the qualities of the carving. In keeping with this assertion, the illustrations are images of carved jade only.

It should be noted that this book is a translation of a work originally published by the Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. This could be taken as an indication that certain knowledge is assumed in addressing the Chinese reader that may be lacking in the western reader. However, aspects such as symbolism are often explained.

In all, this little book may offer as much as the general reader cares to know about the subject. For others it will be a gateway opened to further research.

I have not attempted to download it but it appears that a pdf of the book is available at http://eethinktank.eu/297/chinese-jade-power-and-minghua-zhang-id44422.pdf

US Sanctions on Jade Hurting Myanmar Reform Efforts

Jade traders in Myanmar say sanctions imposed by the US government force them into dodgy deals with Chinese buyers and investors. Almost all of Myanmar's mined jade, considered by many the best in the world, presently goes to China.

Industry leaders quoted in the MyanmarTimes (link here) said lifting sanctions would have helpful results such as encouraging development of finished jade products for export. At present, Chinese buyers seek only the rough stone for processing back home. There is also the belief that trade with the US would be open to regulation and taxation that do not currently exist. Critics say, basically, there is about $30-billion in annual activity in Myanmar's jade market with only $1-billion reported to the government for tax purposes.

Merchants need new markets due to China's economic troubles and a crackdown on corruption there, resulting in the closing of many shops. At the same time, Chinese miners with heavy equipment are said to be stripping the mining area ahead of installation of a new government. The new government is expected to institute reforms in the trade.

Further complications include deadly landslides blamed on unregulated mining, and recently published reports of extensive drug sales and use as well as other criminal activity such as money laundering. Critics trace that activity to the military, drug lords and cronyism.

The newspaper contacted a US embassy spokesman whose response was not exactly positive regarding lifting of sanctions. He listed a number of factors which have to improve, including "the political transition following the recent elections, the peace process, support for and protection of human rights, and constitutional reforms."

New Zealand Artists Cope With Asian Copies of Maori Designs

The market is flooded with cheap copies of Maori jade jewelry and implements. “(T)he copying of Maori designs predominantly by Asian carvers is an issue for us here in New Zealand,” according to noted carver Dallas Crombie, responding to email questions from The Jade Journey. The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian inhabitants of New Zealand. The Maori hold jade sacred.

“Not only is it the cultural appropriation but .. because of low labour costs (outsiders) can produce them at a fraction of the cost to us guys working alone. My main issue with this practice is unfortunately here in New Zealand at the moment there is no law requiring jade carvings to state country of origin,” Crombie said. His work may viewed at his Stone Culture site (link).

“Most tourists and even New Zealanders alike would not even be aware that around 80 percent of carvings sold in New Zealand are made in Asia with foreign stone,” Crombie added. He said the primary problem is that galleries and souvenir shops are not required to state where carvings originate. If that were required, he believes that “most discerning customers … would probably be prepared to fork out the extra cash to buy genuine New Zealand sourced and carved jade. Unfortunately, most people just assume that the are buying the genuine article.”

Crombie said that for the general public “it is probably quite hard to differentiate between the true and false New Zealand stone although often the price can be a hint.” A problem with that arises because some carvers are now  devaluing their work to try and compete with the Asian market. “The best way for the discerning buyer to guarantee they are getting the real deal is to buy directly off the carver, or, if buying from a gallery or other source to at least ask who carved the piece. If they cannot answer that question it is best to assume it is not New Zealand made.”

Dallas Crombie at work

Crombie hopes that building a name through quality work will be the saving grace for carvers. He adds that recently the Ngai Tahu, the principal Maori tribe of southern New Zealand, has instituted attachment of labels to carvings, guaranteeing that the piece is locally carved and sourced.

The Jade Journey sought further comment from New Zealand’s ministry of culture without response. The ministry regulates possession, sale and export of a significant amount of New Zealand jade, primarily artifacts.

Jade Mining Surges Due to Worries About New Government

There has been a dramatic increase in use of heavy equipment to mine jade in Myanmar's Hpakant region, attributed to fears that the new reform government will crack down on mining activity. Not only does the mining industry face charges of corruption and  exploitation of the labor force; recent criticism concerns environmental damage resulting in deadly landslides. Those tragedies have caused 114 known deaths although locales say 200 people went missing.
An article (link) from Myanmar quotes Hpakant elder Bran Sai: “The machinery is more powerful than ever. Previously backhoes had 300 horsepower engines at the most. Now they are 3,200 horsepower. There is also far more machinery. The slagheaps grow bigger and bigger. One of the worst things is the use of dynamite. The vibrations spread a long way. Every mine uses explosive. They want to extract as much jade as possible before the new government takes power."