The price has doubled in ten years

Now referred to as lapis lazuli, many friends who love jewellery and jade have heard of it. And three years ago, probably few people would know or like it. In the past two years, following Turquoise, lapis lazuli quietly approached the jewellery and jade market and occupied its own “blue sky”. The fiery degree of lapis lazuli can be seen only from the increase in stalls and shops in the Panjiayuan flea market. Two years ago, there were only one or two stores specializing in lapis lazuli in the Panjiayuan flea market. Nowadays, with the increase in the number of stores operating lapis lazuli, it is also possible to see blues in the stalls and dozens of them.

In the shop of the limestone store in Tianjiafang, the home of Liujiashi in the Panjiayuan flea market, the owner Liu Yubin talked about the market of lapis lazuli and said: “We started to do lapis lazuli in 2011. We started with low prices and we didn’t know many people. However, by the year 2012, lapis lazuli began to be understood by more and more people, and prices have also skyrocketed.From 2012 to 2013, the increase of fine lapis lazuli has reached five or six times, and the old minerals have even risen ten times or more. In terms of raw materials, the new material for a dozen or more kilograms of one kilogram at the Hong Kong International Ore Exchange Center in 2012 is even better than the current three or four hundred yuan a kilogram.From last year to this year, the price increase has also reached about 50%. ”

Collection should pursue quality

With the fiery jewellery market in recent years, there is a reason why lapis, as a unique blue gem, stands out.

First of all, the cultural origins are profound. The ancient Chinese emperor worshiped the heavens and held the lapis lazuli towards the beads. Lapis lazuli is also regarded as a treasure by the Arab countries. European countries made lapis lazuli into powder and produced oil paints as early as the Renaissance. Nowadays, with an increasingly international atmosphere, lapis lazuli has become an indispensable accessory for jewelry lovers in various countries. Second, quality is extremely rare. “Things are scarce and precious”, among the lapis lazuli, the pure to blue products are very scarce, and they are often very expensive and highly sought after. Third, the bead string is ideally matched. As one of the seven treasures of Buddhism, lapis lazuli is an indispensable embellishment on the beads. With the popularity of bracelets, more and more people begin to decorate lapis lazuli in prayer beads and bracelets. Due to the bright colors of lapis lazuli and the relatively low price of turquoise, the low-end lapis lazuli beads are very popular in the wenwan market.

Lapis lazuli collection is still pursuing quality. Liu Xiaobin said: “Low-grade lapis lazuli prices generally range from a few yuan to about 100 yuan, and they are usually sold individually or in batches. Mid-range lapis lazuli are usually sold at gram prices, and 20-30 yuan/g are more normal. According to the difference in fineness, the old minerals in the Ming and Qing dynasties are rarer and the prices are higher, especially the highest grades of the Imperial Purple Labradorite. For the collections, we still recommend not to buy too much currency, so it is better to collect more quality products. ."

Buy cool anti-counterfeiting

Lapis Lazada is now an integral part of the antique jewellery market throughout the country. Lambstone is also a major highlight in the annual large-scale jewelry exhibition. In addition to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, there are many lapis lazuli lovers in Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Kunming, and East China. Internationally, in various countries in Europe, the United States and other countries, lapis lazuli also has a good consumer market. According to Liu Yubin, many domestic stars also like to collect and wear lapis lazuli. Li Lianjie, Faye Wong and other stars are collecting lapis. With the love of people, plus the hype of merchants around the world, there is an increasing reputation for lapis lazuli.



Although lapis lazuli is not easy to imitate, huge benefits have also driven some unscrupulous merchants to falsify. Frequently used to imitate lapis lazuli is quartzite, resin, glass, etc., making it hard to prevent. People who love lapis lazuli are generally aware that the texture of lapis lazuli is white and gold-free, so unscrupulous merchants will dye some lapis lazuli that do not reach this level, and shoddy, which also needs caution. When buying lapis lazuli, be sure to maintain a rational attitude. Be suspicious of ultra-low-quality lapis lazuli, look for experienced people to check or go to a qualified appraisal center for identification.