Jadeite Necklace Leads Poly Auction Hong Kong at HK$25 Million

Thirty-nine green beads, matched one by one. A Burmese jadeite and diamond necklace will lead Poly Auction Hong Kong’s High Jewelry & Important Watches sale on October 6, 2026, with an estimate of about HK$25 million, roughly $3.2 million at the time of writing, Rapaport reported on September 28.

What is the jadeite necklace at Poly Auction?

The lead lot is a single strand of 39 Burmese jadeite beads accented with pear-, rose- and circular-cut diamonds, according to Rapaport. It heads a catalogue of more than 240 jewels, and at about HK$25 million it carries the highest estimate in the sale.

A bead necklace is the most demanding form jadeite can take. Each bead is turned from the same rough, and the strand is judged on how closely the beads match in size, color and translucency. Collectors often describe the finest material as “imperial” green: saturated, even and glowing from within, with a glassy transparency that lets light travel through the stone. A necklace in which dozens of beads share that quality is the rarest kind of all.

How much is the jadeite necklace expected to sell for?

The estimate is about HK$25 million, roughly $3.2 million at the time of writing, before the buyer’s premium. For context, Poly’s top jewel in its spring 2026 sale was also a jadeite bead necklace: the “Emerald Radiance” necklace of 38 jadeite beads with a ruby and diamond clasp, which sold for HK$14.4 million, according to the house’s results announcement. In May 2025, a 43-bead jadeite, ruby and diamond necklace at Poly realized HK$36 million, below its HK$40 million low estimate, Rapaport reported.

In our view, the October estimate sits in a sensible middle ground: well above Poly’s spring result, far below the headline figures that the very finest strands reach at the major international houses.

What else is in Poly Auction’s October jewelry sale?

The supporting lots offer a tour of the colored-stone market. According to Rapaport, the highlights include:

• An 11.88-carat Kashmir sapphire ring, estimated at HK$12 million to HK$18 million ($1.5 million to $2.3 million).
• A 3.71-carat Fancy Intense pink diamond ring, HK$11 million to HK$15 million ($1.4 million to $1.9 million).
• An icy jadeite bangle, HK$4.5 million to HK$6.5 million.
• A Burmese ruby necklace with 50.37 carats of rubies, HK$3.2 million to HK$4.8 million.
• A 15.81-carat Fancy Intense yellow diamond ring, HK$2.4 million to HK$3.5 million.
• Jadeite peapod earrings, HK$2 million to HK$3 million, alongside a Burmese jadeite cabochon ring, Burmese ruby earrings and Sri Lankan sapphire earrings.

The Kashmir sapphire deserves particular attention. Stones from the Kashmir deposits, mined mainly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are prized for a soft, velvety blue, and an example of nearly twelve carats is a significant offering in any saleroom. We looked at how Sri Lankan sapphires have been performing in our report on a Ceylon sapphire at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.

In a jadeite necklace, the rarest thing is not a single bead. It is agreement between all of them.

Why is jadeite so valued in Hong Kong?

Jade has been treasured in China for thousands of years, but for most of that history it meant nephrite. Jadeite, the harder and more brilliant of the two minerals, arrived in quantity from Burma in the eighteenth century and found favor at the Qing court, where the vivid green material became known as feicui, a word also used for the kingfisher. The two minerals were formally told apart only in 1863, when the French mineralogist Alexis Damour identified jadeite as a distinct species.

Hong Kong has long been the center of the jadeite trade outside Burma, and its salerooms set the market for the finest pieces. The benchmark for bead necklaces remains the Hutton-Mdivani necklace, a Cartier jadeite strand that sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2014 for HK$214 million. This May, a 61-bead jadeite necklace sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for HK$200.2 million, about $25.5 million, the most valuable lot auctioned in Asia this spring, as reported by The Value.

Poly Auction Hong Kong itself is a younger house. It was established in 2012 by Poly Culture Group and runs departments spanning modern art, Chinese paintings and ceramics, wine and whisky, and jewels, watches and handbags, according to its spring 2026 announcement. The house reported that its jewelry department’s spring total rose 77.6 percent over the previous autumn.

For the Collector

• Estimate and date: About HK$25 million for the lead necklace, with the sale on October 6, 2026, in Hong Kong. The final price will include a buyer’s premium; confirm terms and viewing times directly with Poly Auction Hong Kong.
• What drives value: Color, translucency, texture and the consistency of the match across every bead. A strand whose beads vary visibly in tone is valued far lower than one that reads as a single color.
• Treatment matters most: The trade calls untreated jadeite “Type A.” Bleached and polymer-impregnated material (“Type B”) and dyed material (“Type C”) are valued very differently. Ask for a recent report from a recognized gemological laboratory confirming natural, untreated jadeite.
• Colored stones: For the Kashmir sapphire and pink diamond, origin, any heat treatment and the laboratory’s color grade are the key documents to review before bidding.
• Resale: Top jadeite has achieved strong results in Hong Kong, yet some major strands have also sold below estimate. Past prices do not predict future value.

For a wider view of this autumn’s major jewelry sales, see our preview of Christie’s Geneva in November and our report on the Van Cleef & Arpels diamond ring leading Sotheby’s Paris.

Frequently asked questions

What is the estimate for the jadeite necklace at Poly Auction Hong Kong?

The 39-bead Burmese jadeite and diamond necklace is estimated at about HK$25 million, roughly $3.2 million at the time of writing.

When is Poly Auction Hong Kong’s autumn jewelry sale?

The High Jewelry & Important Watches sale takes place in Hong Kong on October 6, 2026.

What is the difference between jadeite and nephrite?

They are two different minerals both called jade. Jadeite is harder and can be more vivid and translucent, and fine jadeite generally commands far higher prices than nephrite.

What is Type A jadeite?

Type A is natural jadeite that has not been bleached, impregnated with polymer or dyed. It is the category collectors seek for important pieces.

Sources: Rapaport, Poly Auction preview · Poly Auction Hong Kong via PR Newswire · Rapaport, May 2025 results · The Value