From “Jade” to “Fei Cui”: How Jadeite Is Finding Its Place in the Global Luxury Jewelry World
For decades, jade has been one of the most recognizable words in the world of gemstones.
But for many people outside Asia, the word “jade” has also carried a certain ambiguity.
What exactly is jade?
Is it jadeite or nephrite?
Is “jade” a mineral name, a cultural name, or a commercial term?
And where does Fei Cui, the Chinese term widely associated with high-quality jade materials, fit into the international language of gemstones?
In 2026, these questions are entering a new chapter.
The conversation is no longer limited to collectors in East Asia. Jadeite is increasingly appearing in international high jewelry, on global red carpets, in fashion editorials, and in the collections of major luxury maisons.
And perhaps more importantly, the international jewelry industry is beginning to develop a clearer language for talking about it.
A New Chapter for Jade Terminology
At the 2026 CIBJO Congress in Vicenza, Italy, the Jade/Fei Cui Working Group presented the updated CIBJO Jade Guide, developed to bring greater clarity to the terminology surrounding jade materials.
The Guide establishes a detailed taxonomy connecting the terms Fei Cui, jade, jadeite, nephrite and Yu, while also creating a relationship between traditional Chinese terminology and terminology commonly used in Western gemmology.
This distinction matters.
Historically, the word “jade” has often been used broadly in international markets, while East Asian markets have developed much more detailed terminology around different jade materials, colors, textures and trade names.
CIBJO’s work does not simply replace one word with another. Instead, it attempts to make the relationships between these terms easier to understand across different markets and cultures.
In other words, Fei Cui is becoming part of a more clearly defined international conversation about jade.
And that is an important development for jadeite.
From Cultural Treasure to Global Jewelry Language
Jadeite has always had a powerful cultural identity.
In China and across East Asia, exceptional jadeite has been collected, gifted, inherited and worn for generations. Its value has never depended solely on its mineral composition.
Color, translucency, texture, craftsmanship, provenance, history and cultural meaning all contribute to the way jadeite is understood.
But global luxury jewelry operates through another language.
For decades, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies have occupied a highly visible position within the international vocabulary of fine jewelry.
Jadeite was different.
It was deeply established in Asian collecting culture, yet comparatively less understood by Western consumers.
That boundary is now becoming increasingly fluid.
Ethereal Sky Blue Cabochon · Nature Burmese Jadeite Ring G18K Gold
The new CIBJO Jade Guide is part of this broader movement toward clearer international communication. CIBJO describes the Guide as a resource designed to harmonize terminology and help the industry and public understand the relationships among different jade terms and traditions.
For jadeite, this is more than a technical discussion.
It creates the possibility of being understood not simply as an “Asian gemstone,” but as a gemstone with its own place within the global jewelry vocabulary.
When Jadeite Enters the World of High Jewelry
One of the clearest signs of this change can be seen in contemporary high jewelry.
In September 2026, Bvlgari brought its Eclettica high jewelry and high watchmaking collection to Shanghai.
The collection explores color through sculpture, painting and architecture, presenting jewelry as a form of wearable art. Among the pieces presented was a striking jadeite necklace worn by global Bvlgari ambassador Liu Yifei, centered around an approximately 59.10-carat Burmese jadeite cabochon and surrounded by diamonds, rubies, jadeite and onyx.
The significance is not simply that a famous actress wore jadeite.
It is the way the gemstone was presented.
The jadeite was not positioned as a traditional ornament separated from contemporary luxury.
It became the visual center of a highly constructed high jewelry composition, placed alongside diamonds, rubies, gold and other exceptional gemstones.
That changes the conversation.
Jadeite is no longer necessarily being presented as something that belongs only to a particular cultural category. It can also function as a material within contemporary high jewelry design.
And this is perhaps one of the most interesting developments to watch.
Liu Yifei and the New Image of Jadeite
Liu Yifei has become one of the most visible Chinese figures associated with Bvlgari’s global jewelry storytelling.
Bvlgari officially appointed her as a Global Brand Ambassador, describing her as an actress with a distinctive personal style and international influence.
Her recent appearance at Bvlgari’s 2026 Eclettica presentation in Shanghai offered another striking example.
The approximately 59.10-carat jadeite centerpiece was deep green, sculptural and highly saturated. Rather than relying on a conventional “traditional jade” visual language, the piece was integrated into a bold Italian high jewelry composition.
This creates an interesting visual bridge:
East Asian gemstone heritage meets contemporary international jewelry design.
And perhaps this is where jadeite’s future becomes especially interesting.
Its identity does not have to become less Chinese in order to become more international.
Instead, its cultural origin can become part of what makes it distinctive.
The Luxury Industry Is Expanding the Conversation
Bvlgari’s recent activities also demonstrate how luxury jewelry increasingly operates across cultures.
Its 2026 Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures and Crafts exhibition in Shanghai brings together jewelry, contemporary art and cultural perspectives, including a dialogue between Western theories of color and the Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements. The exhibition also includes a historic Bvlgari sautoir featuring a carved jade medallion.
This is significant because color is one of the defining characteristics of both Bvlgari’s design language and exceptional jadeite.
Green jadeite, in particular, possesses a visual quality that can move easily between traditional symbolism and contemporary design.
It can feel deeply rooted in Asian culture.
It can also feel remarkably modern.
That duality may be one reason jadeite works so naturally within today’s global luxury environment.
From Liu Yifei to Ningning: A Younger Global Audience
The conversation is also moving beyond established luxury consumers.
On September 21, 2026, Bvlgari announced aespa’s Ningning as a new brand ambassador. In the accompanying imagery, Ningning wears pieces from the Divas’ Dream and Serpenti collections.
Her appointment adds another generation and another cultural context to Bvlgari’s international ambassador network.
It is a reminder that contemporary luxury jewelry is no longer communicated through one visual language or one generation of consumers.
Chinese and Asian celebrities are increasingly part of the global luxury conversation, while gemstones traditionally associated with Asian culture are appearing in increasingly international contexts.
The result is a gradual change in perception.
A gemstone can carry its cultural history without being limited by it.
Why “Fei Cui” Matters
The growing visibility of jadeite raises an interesting question:
Why use the term Fei Cui at all?
For TATHATĀ, the answer is not about replacing the familiar word “jadeite.”
It is about understanding where the terminology comes from.
“Jade” is an extremely broad and culturally loaded word. “Jadeite” is a more specific gemmological term. “Fei Cui” carries a different history within Chinese and East Asian jewelry culture.
CIBJO’s new Jade Guide is significant precisely because it attempts to place these terms into a clearer relationship rather than treating them as interchangeable.
This matters increasingly as jadeite moves between markets.
A collector in Hong Kong, a jewelry designer in Milan, a gemmologist in Switzerland and a first-time buyer in New York may use different words to describe the same material.
A shared international vocabulary makes it easier for all of them to understand what they are actually looking at.
And for a gemstone whose value can be closely connected to color, transparency, texture, treatment and material identity, clarity of language matters.
Jadeite Is Not Becoming International. It Already Is.
Perhaps the most interesting way to look at this moment is not to say that jadeite is “finally becoming international.”
Jadeite has crossed borders for centuries.
What is changing is something subtler:
the way the international luxury world talks about it.
From private collections to high jewelry maisons, from Asian cultural heritage to global fashion, jadeite is increasingly being presented as a gemstone capable of speaking several visual languages at once.
It can be traditional.
It can be architectural.
It can be minimalist.
It can be extravagant.
It can be deeply personal.
And it can stand beside diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires without losing its own identity.
The emergence of Fei Cui within international industry discussions is therefore not simply a change in vocabulary.
It is part of a larger shift toward recognizing the cultural, mineralogical and commercial complexity of jade materials.
A New Identity for an Ancient Gem
At TATHATĀ, we believe exceptional jadeite deserves to be understood beyond a single definition.
Its journey begins deep within the earth, but its story continues through craftsmanship, culture, personal expression and the people who choose to wear it.
The world may have called it “jade.”
Gem laboratories may describe it as jadeite.
East Asian markets may know it as Fei Cui.
But perhaps the most important development is that these different languages are beginning to meet.
As international jewelry standards become clearer, as major luxury maisons continue to explore jadeite, and as a new generation of global consumers discovers its color and character, jadeite is entering a new chapter.
Not by leaving its heritage behind.
But by carrying that heritage forward.
From Jade to Fei Cui, the name is becoming clearer. And the world is beginning to see the stone differently.
About TATHATĀ
TATHATĀ explores natural jadeite through a contemporary lens, connecting the heritage of Burmese jadeite with modern jewelry design and personal expression.
Our collection focuses on natural Type A jadeite, selected for its individual color, texture and character.
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