The Chinese rush for the stone is aiding international auction houses and jewelers such as Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd., while providing revenue to Myanmar, one of Asia’s poorest nations, which has been opening its economy recently since the military relinquished some control. A jade and gem auction in June fetched over $2 billion for the Southeast Asian nation’s government, which says the Chinese are its biggest customers.

Chinese buyers are still not assured of quick returns.

“Even as you own a top-quality jadeite stone, you can’t simply cash out like you trade your stocks; you must find a buyer who’s willing to pay top money for it,” said Sun, who is also chairman of photography company China-Hong Kong Photo Products Holdings Ltd. “It’s not for speculators or day- traders.”

While jade doesn’t guarantee “big money,” he is hopeful it can protect his wealth against increases in inflation.

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Jade has been seen as an imperial stone since the Qing dynasty. Jadeite, called “fei cui” in Mandarin, is believed to ward off evil spirits and symbolizes purity and longevity in China. It is cut by hand, said Kent Wong, managing director of Chow Tai Fook, China’s largest jewelry chain.

Jade is a generic term for both jadeite and nephrite, two distinct ornamental stones. The softer nephrite, which is less rare and sourced from parts of China and the Middle East, is used mainly for carving.

As the Chinese have grown wealthier and more sophisticated in their tastes, they have favored jade’s subdued allure over flashier stones. An austerity campaign by President Xi Jinping that seeks to curb extravagant official spending is giving the stone an added boost.

Jade is “more discrete” than gold or diamonds and likely to benefit from better demand for less conspicuous products, said Aaron Fischer, an analyst at CLSA Ltd.

Sun, who says he buys as a collector and not as a speculator, estimates the value of a necklace he bought some time ago has almost tripled to about HK$100 million.