DUE TO JADE’S RARITY, LUMINOUS BEAUTY AND POWERS OF PROTECTION, IT HAS EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED OVER FOLD IN VALUE IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS
precious and semi-precious stones, old textiles, lacquer furniture, and more sophisticated hardwood furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Lara was not keen on selling her prized possessions but economic necessity in 1996 forced her to sell many of the antiques she collected. However, in the process she realised that there was a market for Chinese antiques in the foreign community, and amongst knowledgeable ChineseFilipino collectors who appreciate the history, workmanship, patina, and uniqueness of her pieces.
Some notable pieces in her jade collection include a fine intricately carved 19th-century Chinese cabbage with a three-legged “wealth frog.” There is also a 19th-century statue of the Chinese Buddhist deity Guanyin, known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Another prized possession is an unusual jade elephant carving surrounded by children that symbolises strength, intelligence, and wisdom. The children represent the continuity of generations and the hope that sons will bring, whilst the vase is a container for blessings that that the elephant carries.
A jade carving usually depicts popular symbols of good fortune and is called the “Stone from Heaven.” History tells of an emperor who once traded fifteen cities for a piece of jade that he could hold in one hand. “In ancient times,” said Confucius, “men found the likeness of all excellent qualities in jade. Soft, smooth and glossy, it appeared to them like benevolence; fine, compact and strong— like intelligence; angular, but not sharp and cutting—like righteousness;