【Beijing, November 25, 2026】China Guardian's 2026 Autumn Auction concluded successfully yesterday, achieving a total turnover of RMB 2.85 billion and an impressive sell-through rate of 82.3%. Among the various categories, the highly anticipated 'Contemporary Jade Carving Masterpieces' special session performed exceptionally well, with a total turnover exceeding RMB 120 million and a sell-through rate of 91.5%. This significantly surpassed market expectations, once again affirming the strong resilience and collecting enthusiasm in the high-end contemporary jade carving market.
The contemporary jade carving session featured 128 lots, encompassing various materials such as white jade, nephrite, and black jade, with diverse themes and exquisite craftsmanship. Several works by renowned masters achieved excellent results, becoming highlights of this autumn auction. Notably, a Hetian seed jade carving 'Auspicious Beast' designed and carved by national-level jade carving master Wang Jian, with its delicate jade quality, ingenious composition, and vivid beast imagery, attracted fierce bidding from collectors. It finally hammered at RMB 18.5 million, a 35% premium over the upper estimate, making it the highest-priced lot of the session. Another white jade 'Zen Landscape' plaque created by young jade carving artist Li Ming, with its unique modern aesthetics and superb thin-relief carving techniques, sold for RMB 3.8 million, doubling its estimate, demonstrating the market's recognition of emerging artists' works.
From the data, the average price per lot in this contemporary jade carving session reached RMB 937,500, an increase of 15% compared to the same period last year. The sell-through rate for high-priced lots (over RMB 5 million) reached 100%, indicating the continued pursuit of exquisite jade carvings by top collectors. The sell-through rate for mid-to-low-priced lots (RMB 500,000 to RMB 2 million) also remained above 85%, suggesting a broadening market scope and more new collectors entering the market.
Mr. Zhang Hua, Vice President of China Guardian Auctions and General Manager of the Jewelry and Jade Department, stated in an interview: "The success of this contemporary jade carving session is not only due to the exceptional quality and rarity of the lots themselves but also reflects the continuous recovery of confidence in the current art market, especially the high-end collectibles market. Amidst economic uncertainties, contemporary jade carvings, with their cultural value, artistic value, and scarcity, are increasingly becoming a preferred choice for collectors' asset allocation and value preservation. We observe that collectors' aesthetic appreciation and understanding of jade carvings are constantly improving, and they are more willing to pay for master-level works, rare materials, and unique creativity."
Professor Li, a senior jade market analyst, pointed out: "The outstanding performance of the contemporary jade carving sector in this autumn auction indicates that China's jade carving market will enter a steady upward period in the coming years. Several trends are worth noting: first, the premium ability of works by renowned masters will continue to strengthen, with their artistic value and brand effect becoming increasingly prominent; second, the scarcity of high-quality Hetian seed jade will further push up its market price, highlighting its resource attributes; third, innovative works by younger generation jade carving artists will gain more attention, as the market is more accepting of artistic styles that combine tradition and modernity. However, the market still needs to be wary of blind following and irrational speculation; rational collecting and value investing remain the mainstream."
Looking ahead, with the revival of traditional Chinese culture and the trend of consumption upgrading, contemporary jade carving, as a carrier of excellent traditional Chinese culture and a fusion of modern aesthetic art, holds immense market potential. China Guardian will continue to deeply cultivate this field, bringing more high-quality jade artworks to collectors and contributing to the healthy development of China's jade carving market.