Impressive jadeite and tourmaline court necklace, Qing dynasty. Photo Sotheby's

Composed of a hundred and eight pink tourmaline beads, intersected by four jadeite foudou and a gourd-shaped fodouda of semi-translucent apple-green colour, supporting a silk cord tassel intersected by a flattened rectangular jadeite pendant of similar colour in a filigree silver-gilt mount, terminating to a pink tourmaline drop enhanced by three jinian strands, each composed of blue tourmaline beads, terminating with a filigree-silver mount encasing a jadeite, lapis lazuli and pink tourmaline drop respectively. Beads measuring approximately 12.50mm. Estimate 90,000 — 180,000 HKD. Lot 1511 sold 812,000 HKD.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 10th April 2001, lot 285.

Accompanied by a round lacquered box of 'donut' design hand-painted with dragon, phoenix, butterflies and flowers; and Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 46373, dated 5 January 2010, stating that the jadeite bead is natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. MAGNIFICENT JEWELS & JADEITE, Hong Kong,  07 Apr 2010