Last month after a busy morning of back-to-back vendor meetings, the jewelry buyer and I decided to check out the new site of the Shanghai Museum, an architectural jewel situated in the heart of the city. Knowing we couldn't browse all 11 galleries, we chose one: the Gallery of Ancient Chinese Jades. Jade is favored among all ranks and classes in China for its intrinsic beauty and mystical allure, and it is considered to be more valuable than gold, silver or any other gemstone. When we spied a priceless 18th century jade bowl and rosewood stand among the objets d’art, it became the inspiration for our own luxury-for-less version!

The Shanghai Surprise Small Jade Bowl is carved to translucent delicacy to play up the natural veining of nephrite, the variety of jade most prized by the Chinese. The color is lab-enhanced for richness and consistency. About 2"H (2 3/4" with stand) x 3 3/4" diameter, yet big enough to hold 7000 years of Asian history!