More than 300 pieces of jewellery and furniture, most crafted from high-quality jade, are going on sale with a total reserve price of $600 million in Asia's biggest auction of its kind.
The auction, which will be held tomorrow at the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Admiralty, features more than 260 jadeite items with reserve prices ranging from $60,000 to almost $5 million.
The most expensive lot is a necklace, a pair of earrings and a ring with six bright green jadeite stones mounted in white gold and diamonds, which carries a price tag of between $4.8 million and $6.8 million.
Jadeite, imported into China from Burma during the Qing Dynasty, is a type of jade that generations of Chinese have treasured as the best of all gem stones, said Lee Yew Khen, chairman and managing director of Dynasty (International) Auction Company, which will host the sale.
Jadeite is considered to bring good luck, wealth and health to wearers, he said.
It is also said to temper people's moods.