Pearl value in China ancient time

Both of pearl and jade has always been praised in the world, it is a Chinese aesthetic consciousness and cultural heritage of the carrier.

China has a very long history of use of pearls. In ancient times, pearl is not only a decorative function and economic value, but also is a symbol of social status. Round beauty, full, shiny, circulation, all of the aesthetic sentiment obtained from the shape of these pearls, has followed so far as the aesthetic taste and aesthetic pursuit. Our China ancient people divided pearl into 9 grade, the pearl which has rounded form and shiny color would be the beautiful and favorite one, body tilt errors or wrinkled, color with yellow halo, all belong to a flaw. The larger particles of pearl, round beauty bright, colorful Avision can be issued, the more valuable.


Qing Zhao Yi's "canopy exposed Notes", has a very detailed records for the Pearl Price on the GuangDong market of China Qing Dynasty: a pearl, which size is as big as a longan, with soybean size of yellow halo, weighs about 3 Qian (about 11 gram ), asking price is ten thousand taels of silver (about 10,000*37.2g) .
If the same size, but also flawless pearls, twenty thousand taels silver (about 20,000*37.2g) may not be able to buy. And a weight of about six or seven cents(about 2.5 gram), less structured form of pearls, the price is about seven or eight hundred taels silver (about 700*37.2g); If it is the same weight, shape is very rounded pearls, its price would to be asked two thousand taels silver (about 2000*37.2 gram) .


In Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, Buddhist devotees from a wealthy family, often making pearl beads.  Select 108 pearls which the weighing is about a 4 cents (about 1.5 gram) each, and the color and shape is similar, need to take about four-five thousand taels silver (about 4500*37.2 gram). If the selection pearls's weighing is about five cents (about 1.9 gram), the price is about six-seven thousand taels silver (about 6500*37.2 gram). With the Buddha head, back cloud of beads, a string of beads, need to spend about thirty thousand taels silver (about 30,000*37.2 gram) to perfection.

Therefore, in the "Dream of Red Mansions", Cao Xueqin use "Pearl as soil and Golden as iron" to describe Xue's wealth, the pearl's precious level is enough to appear at that time.