Jade Jade Jade

I recently came across this advert for jade extracted from the Jinshan mine in Qiemo in northwest China. It's lovely stone with very little waste. The main colours are a very decent white and a light celadon. The jade pictured here is on offer at about $20 a kilo. The only snag is that you have to buy at least a ton (1000 kilos). It's still a bargain price if you have the means to transport it, a large army of craftsmen to carve it and plenty of outlets to sell it. I was last in Qiemo about a decade ago and visited the same compound where this stone is for sale. When I asked if I could buy just a few kilos, they showed me the door.