Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[Seastheday]

@Crimson Thanks so much! I see now how color roots are supposed to look!

 

[Crimson]

I love the color and shape; it’s like a magical drop of moonlight! Would love to see the finished product!

OK, will try to take a photo tomorrow ! Just realised I don’t have a photo of it.

@Crimson Thanks so much! I see now how color roots are supposed to look!

You’re welcome!

 

[DKT]

@Autumn in New England So happy to hear this! I shall let the jeweller know - he’ll be thrilled. I was too busy to see the ring when it was finished. By the time I got there I assumed it had been sold but it hadn’t. What a pity! Apparently, some customers deemed it too large. As we and @mellowyellowgirl know, there is no such thing as a “too big” fabulous ring so I bought it!
Speaking of fab things, here are some jadeite pieces I visited over the weekend.
@Starstruck8 the third photo is of some Chinese Deco inspired pieces.

I love the ones in the 2nd Pic. Could you share their price?

 

[Bookwyrm]

Haha, we are best friends forever. He cannot wear the purple star ring , it is a women’s style ring, so… yay for me!
Btw just a note re: glassy jadeite, if and when you look for it, think about lightbulbs. Some have a warmer, yellowish light and some have a pure white light. Those with the white light are considered more desirable and cost more. They should have that open and shut eye effect. Ideally, they should glow without any help from metal backing and you should be able to see through them

Ahhh lucky you! You truly find the most exquisite jewels!

Thank you for the note on the glassy jadeite; I think I'd prefer a pure white light. Do you think it's better to have it set without a metal backing, or would it be too transparent? I don't know if I'd want to be able to see my finger through the jadeite Ahhh this thread just KEEPS adding more and more things to my wishlist!!

How are you finding your star sapphire rings? I think I've heard it's difficult to get strong stars in a saturate royal blue material, so would the sapphires with the strongets stars have to be lighter in colour and really transparent? The one that my friend was hoping to purchase but unfortunately sold was a really pretty light grey shade.

And just curious, IF one were to visit Singapore (and mostly for jewellery sight seeing haha), how many days would you recommend?

 

[Crimson]

I love the ones in the 2nd Pic. Could you share their price?

Hi @DKT the rings are from On Cheong.
The one with the rubies is SGD23K and the one with the sapphires is SGD15K.
Yvonne from On Cheong kindly sent the photos with the prices and also on her hand so you can compare them.

 

[Crimson]

Yes please!!!!!! I would love to know!

I have sent a message to Serene via instagram. Will let you know when she replies! She has a full-time job and manages the site now and then so it might take a few days.

 

[Crimson]

Ahhh lucky you! You truly find the most exquisite jewels!

Thank you for the note on the glassy jadeite; I think I'd prefer a pure white light. Do you think it's better to have it set without a metal backing, or would it be too transparent? I don't know if I'd want to be able to see my finger through the jadeite Ahhh this thread just KEEPS adding more and more things to my wishlist!!

How are you finding your star sapphire rings? I think I've heard it's difficult to get strong stars in a saturate royal blue material, so would the sapphires with the strongets stars have to be lighter in colour and really transparent? The one that my friend was hoping to purchase but unfortunately sold was a really pretty light grey shade.

And just curious, IF one were to visit Singapore (and mostly for jewellery sight seeing haha), how many days would you recommend?

I have another star sapphire that is less translucent; and another star ruby that is also not as translucent. With them, it is easier to see a clear star with a focused light . The translucent stars more easily show stars in all sorts of light but the contrast between the body and star is less stark. The blue one has a higher dome so the star can move more. It is really fun to make the star run all over.
How many days? Haha., depends on how wild you want to get and how much you want to to see. There are all the designer stores on Orchard Road, including Harry Winston and Graff; Cartier, Bulgari and Tiffany. I regard them as amusement. For serious buying I would rather go where jewellers really know their stones.
I guess one could spend a day or two at Orchard Road’s big and small jewellery boutiques inc JannPaul and Asiatique, one day in Chinatown (you could probably spend a couple of hours at On Cheong itself), and one day around Raffles Hotel and the civic district. I have heard about fab jewellery shops in Little India but haven’t been to them — one of my friends bought a pendant, very intricately made of natural seed pearls. I would also suggest a special trip to Dempsey to visit one of our oldest jewelers, BP De Silva; and a trip to Caratell at Handy Road. There are also jewelers who will see you only by appointment, at an office.
Anyway, you can’t just jewelry shop. You’ll have to stop and eat, and enjoy the local sights!

 

[Starstruck8]

@Starstruck8 the third photo is of some Chinese Deco inspired pieces.

That's interesting, @Crimson. Those are pretty much what I would imagine if asked to visualize 'Chinese Deco'. They are also like what I found when I googled it.

But the magnificent H. H. Kung ring isn't much like them. It's Chinese in using jadeite and deco in the strong clean geometry. But beyond that,,, It seems to have no obvious Chinese motifs, nor does it have much of the typical deco detail. So was this 'simplified deco' (maybe 'Bauhaus-Chinese-Deco') a style at the time? Or was the style of the ring a one-off, loosely inspired by ideas floating around at the time? Given the provenance, this is plausible. Or was it just that with a piece of jadeite like that, best to keep the setting simple?

 

[Crimson]

That's interesting, @Crimson. Those are pretty much what I would imagine if asked to visualize 'Chinese Deco'. They are also like what I found when I googled it.

But the magnificent H. H. Kung ring isn't much like them. It's Chinese in using jadeite and deco in the strong clean geometry. But beyond that,,, It seems to have no obvious Chinese motifs, nor does it have much of the typical deco detail. So was this 'simplified deco' (maybe 'Bauhaus-Chinese-Deco') a style at the time? Or was the style of the ring a one-off, loosely inspired by ideas floating around at the time? Given the provenance, this is plausible. Or was it just that with a piece of jadeite like that, best to keep the setting simple?

You ask such interesting questions, @Starstruck8.
Geometric design features strongly in Chinese culture.
As I was composing this answer, I happened to look at my drinking cup, a gift from China. It’s in the shape of an octagon.
In China, an eight sided geometric figure represents the four cardinal directions and the other four in between them, I.e., North-East, North-West. South-East and South-Wesr. So a ring with that shape would be fitting for rulers or leaders, who are king of all they survey.
Some photos of a hotel that I stayed at in China.
It features beautiful geometric designs.
In the first photo you can see a series of openings along a long passageway .
The second photo shows the entrance to my suite. It is a moon portal.
The third photo shows the calligraphy corner in my suite, with geometric panels.
I was quite taken by the lavish interiors. Fortunately I had a generous host and didn’t have to pay for the stay!

 

[Crimson]

I love the color and shape; it’s like a magical drop of moonlight! Would love to see the finished product!

Here it is！The upper portion is a bow with diamonds.

 

[Seastheday]

Here it is！The upper portion is a bow with diamonds.

Exquisite! I love the dewy magic of the moonstone drop contrasting with the sparkle of the diamonds!

 

[Starstruck8]

Thank you, @Crimson! I see your point. I could add the Temple of Heaven, the traditional layout of cities (grid oriented to the cardinal directions) and the traditional siheyuan. Also, the restrained (but expensive!) simplicity supposed to be shown by high officials. The H. H. Kung ring would fit that very well.

When I visited Beijing, I didn't stay in a hotel like that...

 

[DKT]

Hi @DKT the rings are from On Cheong.
The one with the rubies is SGD23K and the one with the sapphires is SGD15K.
Yvonne from On Cheong kindly sent the photos with the prices and also on her hand so you can compare them.

Thank you Crimson. The ring with the ruby is lovely, although the jadeite appears more saturated in your pics.

 

[Crimson]

Thank you Crimson. The ring with the ruby is lovely, although the jadeite appears more saturated in your pics.

Yes, that’s what is meant by the saying “jadeite eats light” - they pop in bright light - which was of course just above the showcase. It is the same reason that I said the lavender jadeite fish didn’t look as good as in my photos. Some lavender ones actually look worse in light. Best to see them in person if you happen to be around the area.