Where jadeite bangles come from

Millions of jadeite bangles are carved every year. They can vary in price from less than $50 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. While they are produced all over China, one of the main centres of production is Píngzhōu 平洲 in Guangdong province. The richest jade merchants have access to the best stone. They buy huge boulders and slice them into sheets ready to fashion bangles. It is rare for a humble craftsman such as myself to get hold of a large slice of lavender jadeite like this. To do so I would have to buy the whole boulder which might weigh more than a hundred kilos.

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