Beijing Council 2026 Spring Auction: Southern Red Agate Special Session Achieves New Heights, Market Enthusiasm Continues to Soar

Beijing, May 28, 2026 – The highly anticipated Beijing Council 2026 Spring Art Auction recently concluded successfully. Among them, the “Southern Red Agate Masterpieces” special session, highly sought after by collectors, performed particularly brilliantly, with a total transaction value reaching RMB 87.5 million and a transaction rate of 92.5%, once again confirming the sustained high enthusiasm and potential of the Southern Red Agate market.

This special session featured 120 carefully selected Southern Red Agate lots, covering various categories such as carvings, bead strings, bracelets, and rough stones. Among them, a “Jinhong Persimmon Red Southern Red Agate Carving 'Fushou Shuangquan'” weighing 2.5 kilograms fetched the top price of RMB 12.8 million, far exceeding its pre-auction estimate of RMB 8 million to 10 million, with a premium rate as high as 60%. Another “Flame Pattern Southern Red Agate Bracelet” meticulously carved by a contemporary jade carving master was hammered at RMB 5.6 million, an increase of 60% from its estimated price of RMB 3.5 million. In addition, multiple high-quality Southern Red bead strings and rough stones also sold for high prices, with a set of “Full-Color, Full-Flesh Persimmon Red Southern Red Eighteen-Bead Bracelet” selling for RMB 3.8 million, an increase of 46% from its estimate. Overall, the average transaction price of Southern Red Agate lots in this session increased by approximately 18% compared to the same period last year, showing strong market growth momentum.

Market Analysis and Trend Judgment:

The success of this Beijing Council Spring Auction's Southern Red Agate special session is not accidental. Li Ming, a senior jade market analyst, pointed out: “In recent years, Southern Red Agate, with its unique red hue, warm texture, and scarcity, has become a new favorite in the high-end collection market. Especially high-quality varieties such as Jinhong, Persimmon Red, and Flame Pattern, due to increasingly depleted resources, their value is steadily rising. The results of this auction once again prove that the investment and collection value of exquisite Southern Red Agate is widely recognized by the market.”

From a macro perspective, the revival of traditional Chinese culture and consumption upgrading are important factors driving the prosperity of the Southern Red Agate market. Southern Red Agate not only has aesthetic value but also carries auspicious and prosperous meanings, meeting the current demand of Chinese people for traditional cultural and artistic products. At the same time, with the convenience of information dissemination, more people understand and love Southern Red Agate, and the collector base continues to expand, injecting new vitality into the market.

Expert Comments and Market Participant Views:

Zhang Hua, head of the Jade Department at Beijing Council Auction House, stated: “We are very satisfied with the performance of this Southern Red Agate special session. The Southern Red Agate offered in this auction not only strived for excellence in appearance and craftsmanship but also emphasized its cultural connotation and artistic value. Most of the high-premium lots feature both rare materials and exquisite craftsmanship, which indicates that collectors are increasingly valuing the artistry and master brand effect of the works while pursuing the material itself.”

A senior collector, who wished to remain anonymous, said in an interview: “Southern Red Agate has huge investment potential. I have been following the Southern Red market for more than ten years and have witnessed its price rise from hundreds of yuan per gram to tens of thousands of yuan per gram today. As long as it is a fine piece with good appearance, pure color, and no cracks, there is still great room for appreciation in the future. I believe that the Southern Red Agate market will continue to maintain steady growth in the next few years, but collectors need to pay more attention to quality and origin when choosing, to avoid blindly following trends.”

Looking ahead, the Southern Red Agate market will show a polarized trend: high-quality, rare varieties of exquisite Southern Red Agate will continue to maintain strong upward momentum, becoming the focus of collectors; while the price of ordinary quality Southern Red Agate may tend to be stable or even face adjustments. Therefore, for investors and collectors, precise vision and professional judgment will be the key to success.