ALL ABOUT JADE

[Mrs_Wellesley_Todd]

They all look beautiful. My favorite one is the yellow and green one. However, I think the model must outshine all those bangles.

 

[Mrs_Wellesley_Todd]

Thank you!
Yours is amazing, the color with that size!

 

[userangl28212003]

Here is my BC jade ring. I love how it is faceted to give me that sparkle I need . I also just got this lovely Big Sur Blue jade pendant from oceans art jade. . Both have nice translucency and the green glows in the sunlight.

 

[Arkteia]

I don't have jade, I just know that if I buy it it will be grade B or so. However, who said I can not post what I saw in.museums? These ones are from FLA. All jade, from China.
Bird-man pendant, 1250 B.C.
Crested bird, 1250 B.C.
A dragon, c. 400 B.C.
A double-headed dragon, c. 400 B.C.

 

[chieftd]

I recently had a couple of jade pendants made by LEXX Stones. One is Siberian Nephrite Jade and has very nice color. The second one is Burmese Jadeite with very nice color pattern. I just need to get a bail for each to wear on a gold chain. Aloha Tim

 

[mochiko42]

Bumping this thread.

I don't think I added my grandma's Burmese jadeite ring to this thread although I added it to the 'old lady hands' thread on SMTB!

 

[Dynasty]

Bumping this thread.

I don't think I added my grandma's Burmese jadeite ring to this thread although I added it to the 'old lady hands' thread on SMTB!

Is beautiful
Thank you for sharing

 

[icy_jade]

New green pendant! Bought online so was a little nervous about the color but looks fine.



Neck shot


My other jade pendants

 

[Bluegemz]

New green pendant! Bought online so was a little nervous about the color but looks fine.



Neck shot


My other jade pendants

Lovely! I especially love the bluish green of the jade, and your Hetian pendant is gorgeous! I have a Hetian pendant which you now have inspired me to wear today after months of no wear. I just love yours!

 

[stracci2000]

Any thoughts on this jade piece?
It was given to me over 10 years ago. I was hoping it was good quality, but I'm not sure. It has some clear transparent areas, with some slight irridescence in sunlight.
@icy_jade, @Bluegemz....what do you think?

 

[Bluegemz]

First off, it’s beautiful! I just love how it looks like chunks of ice! Love it! I will try to give my impression of value, but I should explain why first.

Disclaimer; I’m not an expert, but I can share insights which I’ve learned. Jade is one of the most difficult and subtle gems to assess. It takes years of experience, or so I’ve heard.

Re Jade quality, poor quality often means simply least desireable or most common, so it’s not bad quality in the sense that we might deem such a title as a negative. Except if the jade is highly fractured or treated. So in this, I’m only talking about untreated jade. And even middle quality jade has value and can be plenty expensive.

Good quality jade is decided by valuing all the different factors together, such as grain size, impurities, presence of fractures, translucence, color, texture, thickness, size, artistic skill if it’s carved ( carved pieces are unusually less expensive than solid counterparts because carving often is done to hide or remove impurities and fractures. But the artist matters a lot in this) , and the aesthetic composition of the colors. Re size, an example of how this comes into the equation.... it takes a lot more jade to make a bangle then a cabochon. Getting a clean piece in this size adds value. A bangle in lavender which has good color but some impurities may be worth more than a high quality cabochon, especially if it has good color composition and distribution, and a medium to fine grain.

Often in more affordable jade, many of the above factors will be desireable, with one or two less than so. For example, a highly desirable green with high translucence, (2 good qualities) will be affected value wise by a coarse grain (a less desireable/more common quality).

The more of these good quality factors which a piece has, the more the price goes up exponentially. Because when a piece has all of these things, it becomes super rare.

Given the above, my valuation of it is that it has lovely translucence, maybe fine to medium grain, broken ice texture, ( there are many descriptions of jade textures, with each having a more or less rare valuation) , a small, possibly healed fracture ( if I’m seeing it correctly) and color is lovely, though it seems to be an inbetween color. If it were more colorless , it might be worth more or less, if it had more green, it would be worth more.

So you have to weigh the good qualities with the “bad”, and with size and artistic vision. My feeling is that jade has a unique ‘soul’ to it, with each piece being totally individual. In my humble opinion, it’s best to follow the heart in this matter. Wether you love it IS the most important thing.

 

[Arkteia]

Thank you very much, @Bluegemz, for such an interesting and educational post.

I think people have to see a lot of jade to even get an idea.

I have very little experience with jade (although its toughness amazes me). But what I saw twice seems to match what you have said.

Once in an antique store here, I saw a huge white carved Chinese jade vase. It was only 1K, and I planned to buy it for the office, and waited till the store got out of business. I miss it - the carving was amazing but it was probably cheap because it was old and had impurities.
And another time, I saw something that probably was the top portion of a comb. It was apple-green and rather long, and cost 80K. I thought I misheard them first. But no, 80K, and probably it made sense.
But one has to see a lot to understand why (I assume, rarity). And it glowed from inside.

 

[stracci2000]

First off, it’s beautiful! I just love how it looks like chunks of ice! Love it! I will try to give my impression of value, but I should explain why first.

Disclaimer; I’m not an expert, but I can share insights which I’ve learned. Jade is one of the most difficult and subtle gems to assess. It takes years of experience, or so I’ve heard.

Re Jade quality, poor quality often means simply least desireable or most common, so it’s not bad quality in the sense that we might deem such a title as a negative. Except if the jade is highly fractured or treated. And even middle quality jade has value and can be plenty expensive.

Good quality jade is decided by valuing all the different factors together, such as grain size, impurities, presence of fractures, translucence, color, texture, thickness, size, artistic skill if it’s carved ( carved pieces are unusually less expensive than solid counterparts because carving often is done to hide or remove impurities and fractures. But the artist matters a lot in this) , and the aesthetic composition of the colors. Re size, an example of how this comes into the equation.... it takes a lot more jade to make a bangle then a cabochon. Getting a clean piece in this size adds value. A bangle in lavender which has good color but some impurities may be worth more than a high quality cabochon, especially if it has good color composition and distribution, and a medium to fine grain.

Often in more affordable jade, many of the above factors will be desireable, with one or two less than so. For example, a highly desirable green with high translucence, (2 good qualities) will be affected value wise by a coarse grain (a less desireable/more common quality).

The more of these good quality factors which a piece has, the more the price goes up exponentially. Because when a piece has all of these things, it becomes super rare.

Given the above, my valuation of it is that it has lovely translucence, maybe fine to medium grain, broken ice texture, ( there are many descriptions of jade textures, with each having a more or less rare valuation) , a small, possibly healed fracture ( if I’m seeing it correctly) and color is lovely, though it seems to be an inbetween color. If it were more colorless , it might be worth more or less, if it had more green, it would be worth more.

So you have to weigh the good qualities with the “bad”. But jade has a unique ‘soul’ to it, with each piece being totally individual. It’s best in my humble opinion, to follow the heart in this matter. Wether you love it IS the most important thing.

Thanks @Bluegemz!
I have loved and collected jade since I was in grade school, but of course, as a child I mostly had low quality nephrite in inexpensive pieces. But I really loved and cherished them!
I still don't have anything of high quality. Essentially because I don't feel like I know enough to buy a great piece. I feel like all these vendors I have seen online are touting their pieces as the best, but how can I be sure?
I am hesitant to upgrade my bangle, because I don't know enough about treatment or grading.
So I guess, for me it will come down to (as you mentioned above) whether I love it or not.
This "donut" was given to me by a sweet lady who knew I loved jade. I saw right away the translucency, but also the large grain. It was a gift, and I appreciate her kindness. As a gifted piece, I think it carries a certain kind of energy.
I thank you for your reply and all the great information!

 

[Bluegemz]

Thank you very much, @Bluegemz, for such an interesting and educational post.

I think people have to see a lot of jade to even get an idea.

I have very little experience with jade (although its toughness amazes me). But what I saw twice seems to match what you have said.

Once in an antique store here, I saw a huge white carved Chinese jade vase. It was only 1K, and I planned to buy it for the office, and waited till the store got out of business. I miss it - the carving was amazing but it was probably cheap because it was old and had impurities.
And another time, I saw something that probably was the top portion of a comb. It was apple-green and rather long, and cost 80K. I thought I misheard them first. But no, 80K, and probably it made sense.
But one has to see a lot to understand why (I assume, rarity). And it glowed from inside.

You are most welcome!
I can imagine the pieces which you have described...it’s so interesting how jade can inspire a deep love as individual pieces, separate from quality or price, as in your examples.

You mentioned that the vase was old, which may be a part of the lower price, which reminded me that I forgot to add an important piece of information to valuation. Sometimes older, or ‘old pit’ jade carries a premium over newer pieces from newer deposits. But again, whether it carries a premium is based also on all other quality factors. Experts can sometimes get a good sense of a piece is ‘old pit’ depending on how they can identify subtle characteristics. It’s not always possible to do so, however.

 

[Bluegemz]

Thanks @Bluegemz!
I have loved and collected jade since I was in grade school, but of course, as a child I mostly had low quality nephrite in inexpensive pieces. But I really loved and cherished them!
I still don't have anything of high quality. Essentially because I don't feel like I know enough to buy a great piece. I feel like all these vendors I have seen online are touting their pieces as the best, but how can I be sure?
I am hesitant to upgrade my bangle, because I don't know enough about treatment or grading.
So I guess, for me it will come down to (as you mentioned above) whether I love it or not.
This "donut" was given to me by a sweet lady who knew I loved jade. I saw right away the translucency, but also the large grain. It was a gift, and I appreciate her kindness. As a gifted piece, I think it carries a certain kind of energy.
I thank you for your reply and all the great information!

It is especially hard in certain places, to get enough hands on experience with jade with which to gain experience! I think you are right to be cautious. There are so many treatments now that need a lab to determine, and certificates of lab valuation from China are often fraudulent. But, there are good sellers out there. Still, personal experience is needed to select the right jade, ( unless one gets lucky) and a few mistakes or regrets may happen in the process of educating through online purchasing. (That’s happened to me, but at least I learned somethings, especially about personal preferences, treatments and prices.)

I’ve thought at times of upgrading a bangle, but a part of me resists because I don’t want to love it less than I do now and I fear that I’d abandon the old one! It’s only with jade that I feel these sentiments so strongly.

The donut does carry a specail energy and it’s very lovely indeed! A win win!

 

[peacechick]

Does it help to make a list of reliable vendors/cutters of Grade A jade and nephrite?

I frequent another forum (my other vice, think bags) with an active jade thread, and one vendor that is generally considered reputable there is Ultimate Jadeite in Singapore (https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/UltimateJadeite/). Some of their bangles come with verification from the Nanyang Gemological Institute (their jade certification is respected). I bet for an extra cost, you could ask the vendor to get the bangle you want certified before shipping. It only costs $60 for the report.

I haven't bought anything from them before, because I'm still saving up for a lavender bangle and those cost a pretty penny.

 

[icy_jade]

Lovely! I especially love the bluish green of the jade, and your Hetian pendant is gorgeous! I have a Hetian pendant which you now have inspired me to wear today after months of no wear. I just love yours!

Thanks! It’s actually growing on me. Compared to my white donut (which is 37? I think) it’s teeny tiny. When I first got it I was like “ok but kinda small” but after wearing for a few days I find that’s its a very wearable size. The donut is approx 2 cm and with the bail it is 2++ cm.

I actually wear jade quite often as I treat them like a lucky charms lol. Cause jade is supposed to help ward/protect from evil right?

Any thoughts on this jade piece?
It was given to me over 10 years ago. I was hoping it was good quality, but I'm not sure. It has some clear transparent areas, with some slight irridescence in sunlight.
@icy_jade, @Bluegemz....what do you think?

This "donut" was given to me by a sweet lady who knew I loved jade. I saw right away the translucency, but also the large grain. It was a gift, and I appreciate her kindness. As a gifted piece, I think it carries a certain kind of energy.

Am not sure what you mean by good quality. If you mean treated or untreated jade, unfortunately I have no expertise and rely on certificates from reliable labs.

If you mean intrinsic quality as a jade piece, I’ll be honest and say it’s probably not top quality as a top quality donut could cost thousands (think little/no/finer grains, more even color, higher polish, etc?) But as you mentioned it was a gift and I think it was a really sweet gesture so personally I would value it as it carries sentimental value/ kind thoughts from the giver.

Is there a mark on the metal so you can tell what metal is used? In Asia at least, usually good quality pieces are made with 18k or higher gold.

 

[icy_jade]

Does it help to make a list of reliable vendors/cutters of Grade A jade and nephrite?

I frequent another forum (my other vice, think bags) with an active jade thread, and one vendor that is generally considered reputable there is Ultimate Jadeite in Singapore (https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/UltimateJadeite/). Some of their bangles come with verification from the Nanyang Gemological Institute (their jade certification is respected). I bet for an extra cost, you could ask the vendor to get the bangle you want certified before shipping. It only costs $60 for the report.

I haven't bought anything from them before, because I'm still saving up for a lavender bangle and those cost a pretty penny.

Hey I’m on the other forum too! Same handle. I’m boring that way. But (fortunately) I’m no longer so madly into bags lol. More money for jewelry!

I’m from Singapore so I can vouch for those vendors I’ve visited or I know is frequented by friends...

- Ultimate Jadeite (as mentioned by peacechick) - ask for a local gem lab cert if you are wary. We don’t have GIA here but the local labs are ok.
- Allaboutjade (https://www.allaboutjade.com.sg) has actual retail store so stuff tends to be pricier I think. But nice stuff and you can also ask for cert. They do have lots more stuff in the store (that they don’t list) than online. Photos not so hot but some really nice items irl.
- Yok Dee (https://www.yokdeejadeite.com) has a small retail presence but takes much nicer pics - conversely I was a bit more disappointed when I saw the stuff irl. Cert also available on request.

There are others but no online presence so can’t recommend them. If you are buying from overseas do ask for certs especially if you are going for pricier items like bangles. I typically don’t bother for the cheap stuff.

I want to add that I typically buy in person at these stores (for UJ I have not gotten anything but I know someone who has visited Nandar’s place a few times to see her stuff irl).

 

[stracci2000]

Thanks! It’s actually growing on me. Compared to my white donut (which is 37? I think) it’s teeny tiny. When I first got it I was like “ok but kinda small” but after wearing for a few days I find that’s its a very wearable size. The donut is approx 2 cm and with the bail it is 2++ cm.

I actually wear jade quite often as I treat them like a lucky charms lol. Cause jade is supposed to help ward/protect from evil right?





Am not sure what you mean by good quality. If you mean treated or untreated jade, unfortunately I have no expertise and rely on certificates from reliable labs.

If you mean intrinsic quality as a jade piece, I’ll be honest and say it’s probably not top quality as a top quality donut could cost thousands (think little/no/finer grains, more even color, higher polish, etc?) But as you mentioned it was a gift and I think it was a really sweet gesture so personally I would value it as it carries sentimental value/ kind thoughts from the giver.

Is there a mark on the metal so you can tell what metal is used? In Asia at least, usually good quality pieces are made with 18k or higher gold.

Thanks for your response!
There is no mark on the gold.
So I guess it's nothing special......
I'll appreciate it as a pretty gift from a friend!

 

[Arkteia]

Here is my BC jade ring. I love how it is faceted to give me that sparkle I need . I also just got this lovely Big Sur Blue jade pendant from oceans art jade. . Both have nice translucency and the green glows in the sunlight.

Lovely pieces. I just read that 90% of jade is mined in BC.
If anyone ever ends up in Eastern WA (it is possible as people come to our Bavarian village Leavenworth for Octoberfest), in a townlet of Cashmere (8 miles away from Leavenworth), there is a museum called Pioneer Village. It has many interesting artifacts from Native American pre-contact era, including tools and jewelry made of BC jade. Huge boulders of this jade were brought down via Columbia river, and then it took a long time to split them into pieces.

 

[icy_jade]

Just bought this! The color looks great from pics and hopefully is nice irl

 

[Burmesedaze]

Just bought this! The color looks great from pics and hopefully is nice irl

Hah! I'm also on the lookout for a nice pair of ruyi earrings and ring/pendant, but am still fussing over what I've seen online.

This is darker green, leaning slightly towards the blue side, nice texture, slightly on the thin side but would be ok as a pendant and I like the fluid lines of the ruyi and simple setting.

 

[icy_jade]

尺寸：全長約2cm旦面長約1.2cm 寬約2.25cm 厚約0.1cm
種地：冰種
產地：緬甸回卡礦區
重量：2.1g
顏色：艷翠綠
材質：海藍寶0.05cts 真鑽0.009cts 18白k750

Description from the vendor. The color caught my eye as all the ones described as this color looks incredible. And I also like the ruyi design. Guess am filling up my collection with “classics”.

And yeah really really thin... but the ones that are thick costs a mind boggling amount...

 

[Lina Jade]

Makeable, Jade is very fascinating. It is cold to the touch and changes when you wear it a lot. People say that the more you wear it the deeper the color gets and it get more translucent too. That is why they call it a living stone. I didn't know much about jade and when I got a few pieces I was hooked. I find that they do get shiner and the color gets deeper truly. You may not have many pieces now but you have a whole lifetime to collect and learn. We will all learn together. Dynasty the girl that started this thread has a beautiful collection. I hope she will post so you can see what I mean. I didn't think I would ever like jade but here I am. I will post a picture of icy jade for you now.

Makeable, Jade is very fascinating. It is cold to the touch and changes when you wear it a lot. People say that the more you wear it the deeper the color gets and it get more translucent too. That is why they call it a living stone. I didn't know much about jade and when I got a few pieces I was hooked. I find that they do get shiner and the color gets deeper truly. You may not have many pieces now but you have a whole lifetime to collect and learn. We will all learn together. Dynasty the girl that started this thread has a beautiful collection. I hope she will post so you can see what I mean. I didn't think I would ever like jade but here I am. I will post a picture of icy jade for you now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO so lovely this piece Jewelfreak. Can't wait to see it done up in this adorable pendant. When you get it done can you please post it for us to see. I know I am going to be soooooo jealous. Thanks for sharing. LOVELY

OOOOOOOOOOOOO so lovely this piece Jewelfreak. Can't wait to see it done up in this adorable pendant. When you get it done can you please post it for us to see. I know I am going to be soooooo jealous. Thanks for sharing. LOVELY

66, member: 78326"]OOOOOOOOOOOOO so lovely this piece Jewelfreak. Can't wait to see it done up in this adorable pendant. When you get it done can you please post it for us to see. I know I am going to be soooooo jealous. Thanks for sharing. LOVELY[/QUOTE]

OOOOOOOOOOOOO so lovely this piece Jewelfreak. Can't wait to see it done up in this adorable pendant. When you get it done can you please post it for us to see. I know I am going to be soooooo jealous. Thanks for sharing. LOVELY

They all look beautiful. My favorite one is the yellow and green one. However, I think the model must outshine all those bangles.

@Silvermom. Can u tell me more about your icyjade? Thank you

 

[goldie_locks]

Speaking of BC jade, I was in Vancouver this past weekend and couldn't help myself from picking up this bangle ... My chinese grandmother always wore one, and I think tried to pass one on to me which I have long since lost. I realize she probably wore jadeite, but it still reminds me of her and also speaks to my Canadian roots . The certificate of authenticity from the store says it's Grade A and was mined in 2016. I usually do more research before buying jewelry, but after doing some post-buying research, I think I did ok!

 

[cflutist]

My jadeite pendant collection, left to right.
A pendant that my godfather had made in Hong Kong for me when I was a young child.
A pendant that I recently purchased from Lang Antiques in San Francisco with a lab report stating that it is natural untreated jadeite from Burma.
A pendant from my late mother.
A peach carving pendant that my boyfriend gave me while I was in high school.
Another pendant from my late mother.

 

[Bluegemz]

Speaking of BC jade, I was in Vancouver this past weekend and couldn't help myself from picking up this bangle ... My chinese grandmother always wore one, and I think tried to pass one on to me which I have long since lost. I realize she probably wore jadeite, but it still reminds me of her and also speaks to my Canadian roots . The certificate of authenticity from the store says it's Grade A and was mined in 2016. I usually do more research before buying jewelry, but after doing some post-buying research, I think I did ok!

What a special piece to have gotten! You definitely got an untreated bangle. Nephrite is rarely treated and if it is, it’s via dying. It’s pretty obvious in the light as the dye lines look like a network of very fine moss. Also, dyed green nephrite will be very saturated green, with strange undertones of its more natural green in the light. I experienced this with some dyed green nephrite beads which I bought.
Congratulations on your purchase!

 

[goldie_locks]

Thanks @Bluegemz! I'm quite enamored with it already - I can see how one could develop an addiction . It does seem that buying jade can be even more complicated than buying other gemstones, especially in the US. I saw in a thread some talk about starting a preferred vendor list just for jade - did that ever happen?

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Thanks @Bluegemz! I'm quite enamored with it already - I can see how one could develop an addiction . It does seem that buying jade can be even more complicated than buying other gemstones, especially in the US. I saw in a thread some talk about starting a preferred vendor list just for jade - did that ever happen?

Here have fun with this!

https://www.facebook.com/jasminejadeite?__tn__=*s-R

https://www.facebook.com/myanmarjadeitejadependantwholesale/

Burmesedaze and I both have bought stuff from this lady and we're pretty confident it's A grade.

 

[Bluegemz]

Thanks @Bluegemz! I'm quite enamored with it already - I can see how one could develop an addiction . It does seem that buying jade can be even more complicated than buying other gemstones, especially in the US. I saw in a thread some talk about starting a preferred vendor list just for jade - did that ever happen?

It is SUPER addicting! Jade fever. I don’t think that list ever happened here. I started a list on another forum years ago, so I’m not as up to date these days with who’s who after years hiatus from jade purchasing. I’ve seen quite a few new to me promising vendors on line who claim grade A, but there are many many fake Chinese certificates out there. The only way to completely ensure is to have a piece independently tested because treatments have gotten so extremely convincing these days (for jadeite) that even experts have been fooled. I haven’t purchased yet from the newer vendors who I’ve noted so am unable to recommend. I have purchased from Yokdee, and though I haven’t had it tested, I’ve done my own tests and I’m pretty confident about it. Also, I’ve heard from other that Allaboutjade is reputable. And there are some I have from early purchases.