Why are they so valuable?

The honey colored stones were originally the rocks on mountains and rolled down to the rice field by weathering; with thousands years of erosion by wind, rain and water, the stones were gradually glossed with honey-gold. The iron materials and other elements in the rice field contributed greatly to the formation of this beautiful color.

Due to the special condition of their formation and their low output, years of exploitation, now sees the honey colored stones on the brink of extinction. For this reason, they have always been cherished by collectors especially the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911).

The honey colored stones was initially called yellow stones in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) though failed to attract people’s attention until the late Ming Dynasty. After they drew the attention from people in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

The Emperor Qianlong once dreamed that the Jade Emperor (The Supreme Deity in Heaven) bestowed him a honey colored stone engraved with 福、寿、田 (literally means happiness, longevity and field),which implied that the emperor’s supreme power was granted by heaven. From then on, the Emperor Qianlong began to collect a great amount of honey colored stones, most of which were used to carve seals. What’s more, they were usually used to worship heaven by the Emperor on New Year’s Day. To show off the status or pray for happiness and longevity the nobles and the officials had an enthusiasm for collecting honey colored stones or carving them into seals. By the late Qing Dynasty, their value was as three times as gold!

Today owing to their rarity, honey colored stones are often considered priceless and devalued when thought of in monetary terms.