AN EXTRAORDINARY 'IMPERIAL JADE' JADEITE BEAD, RUBY AND DIAMOND NECKLACE 超凡極品「帝王玉」天然翡翠珠 配 紅寶石 及 鑽石 項鏈

A Superb “Imperial Jade” Jadeite Necklace

The jadeite bead necklace is amongst the most coveted and luxurious status symbols a collector could aspire to obtain. The beads, numbering 37 in total, offered this season are notable in size and gently graduated. The beads boast the luminous imperial green, and as if lit from within, possesses a soothing almost unctuous tactile quality. The depth evokes a sense of tranquillity, as if staring into a lush forest canopy, with the sunlight filtering through the thick foliage. Each bead matches uniformly in color and texture, an effect that can only be achieved by carving from the same rough. Over half of a material’s rough can be lost in the attempt to cut out a presentable sphere. Beads of this quality can typically only be achieved in sizes around 5-10mm in diameter. To have 37 of such superior quality beads of such size, would have meant a tremendous amount of expenditure to top quality material, all to achieve the seamless symmetrical gradient this necklace possesses.

In 2014, Sotheby's had the privilege of selling the legendary Hutton-Mdivani necklace, which was considered the most important piece of jadeite jewelry known to the world. It achieved $27.4 million and stands as all time the auction record for any piece of jadeite jewelry and for a piece of Cartier jewelry. Now part of the Cartier Heritage collection, it has since been in multiple international exhibitions.

To envision a boulder large enough to accommodate the design in a green vein of such superior quality, and then to conceptualize the immense wastage involved in fashioning the forms, is hard to even fathom. The finished works are a perfect celebration of the material, which is a singular miracle of nature. The perfect proportion, shape and polish of this piece call for the highest level of craftsmanship in the world— possessed of supreme artistry, keen judgment and meticulous precision. The rarity of this jadeite bead necklace cannot be overstated.

超凡極品「帝王玉」翡翠珠鏈

本季呈獻的翡翠珠鏈是舉世無雙的珍品。37枚翡翠珠碩大圓潤，漸次排列。翡翠珠呈明亮「帝王綠」，如由內而外散發光芒，晶瑩溫潤，剔透無瑕。翡翠深邃迷人，如見日光照耀綠野青蔥，猶顯寧和靜謐之美。每一顆翡翠珠的顏色與紋理一致，只有同一原石取材琢磨，方得如此效果。若要切割出可觀圓珠，原料損耗可達一半之多。同等品質翡翠之珠鏈，珠子一般直徑僅5至10毫米。如本品所見，若要琢磨37枚碩大優秀的翡翠珠，則需耗用大量頂級原料，以達完美均勻而漸進的效果。

蘇富比於2014年榮幸呈獻傳奇的Hutton-Mdivani 項鏈，它被譽為當今世代最重要的翡翠首飾。該項鏈以2,740萬美元成交，並打破任何翡翠及卡地亞首飾的世界拍賣紀錄。項鏈現納入卡地亞典藏，於多個國際展覽中展出。

此件翡翠首飾翠艷絕倫，無與倫比，試想其耗費頂級玉料原材之多，竟令人難以想像。翡翠自天地誕育而成，非人為可造；其終極美態，卻需憑巧奪天工之雕琢打磨，天地、人力，兩者缺一不可。此翡翠珠鏈稀貴無匹，萬勿錯過。