Buying Jade in China
 

Will be visiting Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Hong Kong..any suggestions for good purchases on Jade jewelry?

I'd assume anything in China is fake. In Hong Kong, you should be able to find the real stuff from a reputable jeweler.

Good jade costs more than gold.

JGMC: Does this include jade purchased at "official" or "goverment-approved stores" too or the street vendors? Not to sound like I'm doubting you, I'm just wondering. Thanks!

Perhaps someone else has experience with "government" stores. Generally speaking, whether antiques or pearls, buy it if you like it -- just don't assume it is genuine. My Beijing based friends only buy reproductions or contemporary art. Call it caution or suspicion, but be very wary. You can still have fun!

If I really wanted to buy a nice piece of jade, I'd buy at a reputable jeweler in Hong Kong. If you just want a piece of something that looks like jade, buy wherever.

That said, many years ago I purchased a small carving of a dragon at the jade market in Hong Kong assuming that it is not jade or, in any case, not old. It's a piece I like, and while I've never had it looked at by an expert, I don't really care whether or not it's "Han dynasty" or jadite or nephrite (the two stones referred to as "jade"). I didn't pay a lot for it, and it's brought me pleasure, so who cares what it is? (I'll leave it to my heirs to figure out what it is...)