English-language listings borrow directly from the Chinese trade vocabulary, and the translations lose precision. “Water” is not a substance description; it is shorthand for how much light the stone admits and how the surface reflects it.
Reading the vocabulary
| Term | What it describes | What it does not describe |
|---|---|---|
| Water (水) | Overall translucency and lustre | Colour, or desirability |
| Ice (冰) | A specific band of translucency | That the stone is colourless |
| Bean (豆) | Coarse grain, low translucency | That the stone is defective |
A bean-grade stone with vivid green is worth more than an icy stone with no colour at all. Water is one axis, not the score.
Across the range
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Natural Type A Jadeite Barrel loose jade — Matte #0074
Deep Green · Tawmaw, Kachin State, Myanmar
$525
Natural Type A Jadeite Barrel loose jade — Polished #0124
Ice White · Lonkin, Kachin State, Myanmar
$874
Natural Type A Jadeite Square loose jade — Hand-carved #0054
Deep Green · Hpakant, Kachin State, Myanmar
$1,125
Natural Type A Jadeite Barrel loose jade — High-polish #0114
Ice White · Lonkin, Kachin State, Myanmar
$1,159