Yes, it does. In fact, it is the most important determinant of the value of a jadeite piece. Jadeite comes in many colours- green, lavender, colourless (icy), red, orange, yellow, black, white, etc. The most desired and finest quality jadeite will be striking emerald green colour with top translucency- known as the “Imperial Green Jade”. Other varieties of green such as apple green (苹果青)and lao keng qing (老坑青) are also widely well liked by jade lovers.
Lavender jadeite is also becoming increasingly popular among the younger consumers. They can come in pinkish purple(粉紫)) or bluish purple (蓝紫). A good quality lavender jadeite can also worth and value more than jadeites of lesser quality green hues.
We do notice increasing demand for icy jadeite(冰种). They are particularly well received by consumers who love highly translucent jadeite with great clarity. A good quality icy jadeite (glassy variety) will also command a high value.
For red, orange and yellow jadeite, they are usually formed closer to the surface of a jadeite raw stone, hence they don’t usually exist in separate big pieces. They are usually thin and less translucent. For those that have good translucency and luster, they are considered to be rare, therefore may command a high price too.
One interesting note for jade with black hues, they can be expensive if they belong to omphacite jadeite (墨翠). Omphacite jadeite appears very black, but when a strong light pass through it, it shows a very nice captivating green hue.
In ClassicJade, we believe that ultimately, the deciding factor for colour hue depends on an individual’s taste and preference.