Hong Kong, May 18, 2026 – Sotheby's Spring 2026 auction concluded successfully yesterday, achieving a total sales figure of HK$1.25 billion, significantly exceeding pre-sale estimates, with an impressive sell-through rate of 88.5%. Among them, the highly anticipated 'Imperial Jadeite' series of lots performed exceptionally well, once again affirming the strong demand and potential for value appreciation of high-end jewelry, particularly top-tier jadeite, in the current market.
The undisputed highlight of this spring auction was Lot 888, the 'Heavenly Gift Imperial Green' jadeite bead necklace. Comprising 28 exquisite old-mine glass-like imperial green jadeite beads, each exceeding 15mm in diameter, this piece boasted rich, uniform color and delicate translucency, making it a rare treasure seen perhaps once in a century. After multiple rounds of intense bidding both in the room and online, it finally hammered for an astonishing HK$350 million, with a total price including buyer's premium reaching HK$402.5 million. This sets a new auction record for a single piece of jadeite jewelry in the past five years. The final price more than doubled its lowest estimate of HK$180 million, fully demonstrating collectors' pursuit of rare masterpieces.
In addition to the 'Heavenly Gift Imperial Green' necklace, another piece, an imperial green jadeite bangle named 'Emerald Ripple', also sold for HK$120 million, exceeding its upper estimate by 30%. Furthermore, several high-quality jadeite cabochon rings, earrings, and other items were all sold at prices ranging from 15% to 40% above their estimates. The overall sell-through rate for the jadeite segment reached an impressive 95%, contributing nearly half of the total sales for this spring auction.
Ms. Quek Chin Yeow, Head of Jewellery, Asia, Sotheby's, stated in a post-auction interview: "The success of this spring auction, especially the outstanding performance of Imperial Jadeite, once again proves the resilience and vitality of the top-tier jewelry market. In the current global economic climate, rare, high-quality jewelry, particularly jadeite with cultural heritage and scarcity, is regarded as an important safe-haven asset and investment target. We have observed that collectors from Asia, especially Greater China and Southeast Asia, continue to show strong interest and purchasing power for top-grade jadeite."
Mr. Zhang Ming, a senior jade market analyst, pointed out: "The data from this Sotheby's spring auction clearly reveals several trends. Firstly, 'Imperial Green' jadeite, as the pinnacle of jadeite, is almost unaffected by market fluctuations and instead shows a counter-cyclical upward trend. Secondly, collectors' demands for jadeite quality are increasingly high; the scarcity of exquisite jadeite with excellent 'zhong' (translucency), 'shui' (clarity), 'se' (color), and 'gong' (craftsmanship) determines its exorbitant value. Lastly, the global reallocation of wealth has strengthened the influence of Asian collectors in the global high-end art and jewelry market. Their identification with Eastern aesthetics and traditional culture further drives the market demand for top-tier jadeite."
Looking ahead, the market generally believes that the price of high-quality Imperial Jadeite will maintain a steady upward trend in the foreseeable years. With the increasing depletion of high-quality raw materials and the growing demand from the global affluent class for rare asset allocation, the investment value of top-tier jadeite will become even more prominent. Sotheby's stellar performance in this spring auction undoubtedly sets a positive tone for the jewelry auction market in 2026 and beyond, signaling that the 'golden age' of high-end jewelry, especially top-tier jadeite, is still ongoing.