Beijing, May 18, 2026 – The highly anticipated Beijing Council International 2026 Spring Art Auction concluded successfully yesterday. Among them, the “Splendid Fire: Southern Red Agate Masterpieces” special session performed exceptionally well, achieving a total transaction value of RMB 128 million, with a remarkable sell-through rate of 92.5%. This significantly exceeded market expectations and once again confirmed the strong momentum of Southern Red Agate in the collectibles market.
The special session featured 120 exquisite Southern Red Agate lots, including carved pieces, bead strings, and display items. Notably, a “Magnificent Landscape” Southern Red Agate mountain carving weighing 350 grams was hammered at a high price of RMB 28 million, setting a new record for similar items in recent years. This represents a premium of 55.5% compared to its estimated price of RMB 18 million. Another “Persimmon Red” full-flesh Southern Red Agate 108-bead rosary, with a diameter of 12mm, sold for RMB 12 million, a 50% increase from its estimated price of RMB 8 million. In addition, several other fine Southern Red Agate carvings also performed well, such as a “Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness” plaque, which sold for RMB 3.8 million, exceeding its estimate by 25%. Overall, the average premium rate for this session reached 32%, indicating strong demand from collectors for high-quality Southern Red Agate.
Mr. Wang, Deputy General Manager of Council International Auction and Head of the Jade Department, stated in an interview: “The success of this Southern Red Agate special session is not only due to our strict control over the quality of the lots and precise market positioning, but also reflects the increasing recognition of Southern Red Agate’s cultural and investment value as a unique Chinese gemstone. Especially for top-grade materials such as Persimmon Red and Jin Red, which boast perfect appearance, pure color, and exquisite craftsmanship, their scarcity dictates their continuous price appreciation potential.”
Market analysts point out that in recent years, the Southern Red Agate market has shown a trend of polarization. On one hand, high-quality, large-carat, and rare-colored (e.g., Jin Red, Persimmon Red) Southern Red Agate continues to rise in price due to its resource scarcity and artistic value, becoming a hot spot for collection and investment. On the other hand, ordinary quality or less appealing Southern Red Agate has seen relatively stable market performance, or even some adjustments. This indicates that collectors’ appreciation level and investment rationality for Southern Red Agate are gradually improving, with a greater focus on collecting fine pieces.
Professor Li, a senior jade appraiser, commented: “The collection value of Southern Red Agate lies in its unique red cultural connotation and its non-renewable resource attributes. The outstanding performance of this Council International Spring Auction indicates that the Southern Red Agate market will continue to maintain steady growth, especially for those Southern Red Agates with clear origins, historical heritage, or master carvings, which have huge appreciation potential in the future. However, investors also need to be wary of fakes and treated items in the market, focusing on authenticity identification and quality assessment.”
Looking ahead, with the revival of traditional Chinese culture and the improvement of the national economy, Southern Red Agate, as a gemstone with profound cultural heritage, will continue to experience strong market demand. It is expected that in the next few years, the price of top-grade Southern Red Agate will maintain a steady annual growth of 10%-20%, while the mid-to-low-end market will become more rational. Collectors should focus more on selecting fine and distinctive varieties to achieve better investment returns.