What is floating flower jadeite?
‘Floating flower,’ in its literal translation from the mandarin term 飘花 (Pronounced: Piao1 Hua1) are words you would commonly hear if you have been exposed to various materials of jadeite. It is used to describe patterns of contrasting colours that are common seen in natural jadeite.
This generic term is used to describe patterns that occur in all forms and shapes inside the jadeite material, making each piece of jadeite even more mesmerising.
Quality indicators of Floating flower Jadeite
While its hard to pin point whether a certain floating flower is more valuable than another, the level of translucency of the material and the “liveliness” of the floating flower plays a big part in the quality indicator.
Of course, the best types of floating flower piaohua natural jadeite would be very translucent material with nice colour contrasts to seemingly look like the patterns is floating inside the material, like swirls floating to create nice patterns – almost like three-dimensional art work.
In certain material, the granular structure is less fine and the crystalline aggregate is coarser, the floating flower will look more like its “sitting” on the base of the material surface, with less dreamy flowy effect. This is also floating flower – as floating flower means contrasting patterns to a different base tone. However, it is the less ideal commercial grade.
When we look at the core quality indicators of jadeite, it is always the granular structure and translucency of the material. Therefore, if we have highly translucent material with lively floating flowers, it would be a highly sought after material.
In addition, the colour of the floating flower would also play a part in the pricing and valuation of the jadeite piece. In the most ideal instance, the highly translucent material is accompanied with Yang (emerald) green floating flowers, which is the rarest and most expensive variety. However, the bluish green floating flowers that are floating on highly translucent material are getting rarer and increasing in price due to growing popularity amongst collectors.
Different types of Floating Flower jadeite
There are endless types of floating flower Piaohua jadeite.
Bluish Green Piaohua on white base
Red Piaohua
Electric Blue Piaohua
Bluish Green Piaohua on Pink lavender
Dark Bluish Green on light green base
Subtle Piaohua on highly translucent base
Does Piaohua add to the value of the material?
In general, all else being equal (granular structure, translucency, etc), having a nice piaohua pattern does add value to the material.
As piaohua can be found in a wide range of jade pieces and the concentration and amount of piaohua spread has endless possibilities, liking piaohua jadeite is a matter of personal preference. Some collectors like the simple clean look with less piaohua, while others want a bold statement piece with heavy piaohua across the entire jadeite jewellery.
The shade of the piaohua also varies in terms of personal preference, some like a more bluish tone while others like a brighter green tone. Some like reddish tones of floating flowers that is subtly scattered whereas others prefer it without.
Therefore, the beauty of piaohua jadeite is up to the individual – but we stick to the core quality indicators of granular structures and fineness of the crystal aggregate. That way, we will always pick out a piece of jadeite that will retain its value over the years.
For deeper insights or any questions, feel free to Whatsapp us at +65 97356878. At Little Jadeite House, we offer a wide variety of piaohua jadeites and we will recommend what is best for your skin tone and looks. Drop us a message and start your jadeite collection journey with us today.
