JADEITE - Canadian Institute of Gemmology

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British occupation of Upper Burma they collected little or no duty; but the proceeds of the
third year left them with a margin... over and above their total expenses for the three years...
The tax was then farmed out by the British Government to Loenpin, the present lessee.
Matters between him and the jade merchants did not proceed smoothly... In addition to
rendering himself [obnoxious] to all traders in jade Loenpin had roused the apprehension of
the Kachin owners of the mines. He had made no secret from the first of his intention, not
merely to collect the duty, but to get the actual management of the mines into his own hands.
When the Chinese and Kachins, by way of reprisals, stopped the supply of jade for some
weeks, he openly announced that this did not matter, for the English were shortly coming to
put him into armed possession of the mines which he then intended to work with imported
labour from Singapore. The unpopularity which Loenpin had earned among all classes
interested in the jade trade culminated last December in the cowardly outrage made upon
him at Mogaung, which resulted in his death.
While such events as those described above and the working out of individual mines might have led
to fluctuations in the supply of jadeite reaching China, Warry comments that overall "there is no
reason to think that the supply is likely to fall short of demand" since "it is probable that the jade
hitherto discovered bears a very small proportion to that still concealed." As for China itself, he
notes that "the demand for jade is universal throughout China" and remarks that "the price of the
best stone shows no tendency to fall." Warry mentions one particularly important event in China a
few years prior to his writing: "On the occasion of the Emperor Tungchih’s marriage in 1872, it is
said that a sum amounting to four lakhs of rupees was expended at Canton in buying jade for use at
the ceremony, and a great impulse was thereby given to the jade trade in Burma."
With the coming of British rule to northern Burma, the situation there stabilized and for a time
the jadeite market expanded. However, it was not long before events in China once again hurt the
jadeite market. The 1911 revolution in China served to disrupt and depress the jadeite market, but it
quickly recovered. Goette (1976: 52) relates this in part to increasing demand by American tourists
who were "diverted from Europe to China" during the First World War (1914-1917). This served
to introduce the Americans to jadeite and created a new market for the stone. While the market for
jadeite among Americans and Europeans remained relatively small in comparison to the market in
China, it grew during the interwar years and contributed to the overall growth in the market. Goette
(1976: 52) notes that "whereas before, the stone was known abroad [i.e., outside of China] only in
comparatively rare specimens of museums, or the minor pieces brought back by the more audacious
travellers to far Cathay, it has now become a regular commodity in department and jewellery stores
catering to the more fastidious buyers." Goette notes, however, that there is a big difference between
the Chinese deep-seated love of jade and the American and European fad for it and points out (page
54) that much of what is sold to foreigners by the Chinese is of inferior quality: "This fact is
illustrated by the name which practical minded Chinese merchants have given to a poor variety of
light green jade. Because of its cheapness, this latter became very popular with American tourists
and exporters, and it soon became known among the Chinese as 'mei kuo lu' or American green."