【Hong Kong, May 18, 2026】Christie's, a world-leading art auction house, successfully concluded its Spring Sale 2026 recently, once again demonstrating the vibrant vitality of the high-end art market with its exceptional lineup of lots and strong sales performance. Among them, the highly anticipated Fine Jadeite Jewellery section performed particularly well, with several rare jadeite cabochons fetching prices far exceeding expectations, becoming the highlight of this spring sale.
This spring sale achieved a total turnover of US$250 million, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate by 15%, with a remarkable sell-through rate of 88%. The Jewellery and Jadeite section alone contributed over US$60 million to the total, with a sell-through rate of 92%.
The undisputed star lot was Lot 1208, an 'Imperial Green Glassy Jadeite Cabochon Ring'. This oval jadeite cabochon, weighing 15.68 carats, boasts a rich and even color, fine and warm texture, and exceptional translucency, set with diamonds. It ultimately hammered for an astonishing US$15.8 million, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of US$8 million to US$12 million, achieving a premium rate of 31.6%. Another highlight, Lot 1215, an 'Icy Green Jadeite Saddle Ring', weighing 12.3 carats, sold for US$5.2 million, also achieving a respectable premium against its US$3 million to US$5 million estimate. Furthermore, a necklace comprising three similarly sized 'High Icy Clear Water Green Jadeite Cabochons' sold for US$8.8 million, demonstrating strong market demand for rare matching jadeite sets.
Mr. Li Ming, a senior jadeite market analyst, pointed out: "The performance of jadeite cabochons at this Christie's spring sale once again verifies that top-tier jadeite, especially cabochons with characteristics such as Imperial Green, glassy texture, and high icy translucency, are increasingly demonstrating their scarcity and investment value. Amidst growing global economic uncertainties, high-quality, inheritable hard assets like top-grade jadeite are becoming a crucial choice for high-net-worth individuals' asset allocation."
From a market trend perspective, in recent years, jadeite cabochons have become increasingly favored by collectors due to their wearability, aesthetic appeal, and rarity for collection. Particularly, large carat jadeite cabochons with excellent texture, translucency, and color have seen significantly higher price increases than other types of jadeite. Over the past five years, the average annual compound growth rate for top-tier jadeite cabochons has reached 10%-15%, with some rare exquisite pieces even higher. The high premium achieved by these lots further solidifies this trend.
Ms. Anna Stone, Chairman of Christie's Asia Jewellery Department, stated: "We are very pleased with the results of this spring sale, especially the performance of the jadeite jewellery section. This reflects the market's continued enthusiasm and confidence in rare jadeite. In the future, we will continue to source the finest jadeite treasures globally to meet the growing demand from collectors."
Industry experts generally believe that with global economic recovery and continued wealth growth in Asia, the high-end jadeite market will maintain strong growth momentum. Particularly, jadeite treasures with unique historical provenance, exquisite craftsmanship, and exceptional quality will continue to be recognized and sought after by the market. However, experts also remind investors that there is significant variability in the jadeite market, and the investment value of ordinary jadeite is limited. Investment should still focus on rare, high-quality exquisite pieces and seek advice from professional appraisal institutions.