Red Jade?

[Cave Keeper]

Does red jade exists?

I had the impression there is no such thing as red jade; or, more specifically, red jadeite.

Anyone knows anything about red jade?

 

[valeria101]

Red...ish more like agate "red". Sure so - not nearly as expensive as the green, but defiitely available from opaque to translucent. Red apears both solid or in combination with white, green and/or yellow - up to sort of a more colorful "moss in snow". Those combinations are really often fakes - with the color spots died in very, very convincigly.

In nephrite red may appear as thin veins in white-ish "mutton fat" color. There is a boulder like that on my desk right now. I've been collecting jade for a bit

This just about all I know about red jade and jadeite

The intro at Pala (LINK) gives some exotic names for red jadeite (table 1) and implies that the redish color is due at leats sometimes to mineral intrusions and oxidations - basically staining of jadeite. This may not apply to the more translucents reds - but the lists of types definitely span all I can think of as red jadeite.

 

[Richard M.]

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On 9/13/2004 8:17:50 PM Cave Keeper wrote:

Does red jade exists?

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For nearly anything you want to know about jade go to Mason Kay This company is among the most prestigious jade sellers in the U.S. You'll note that red jade is prominently featured on the chart.

 

[mogok]

Hello, there is some kind of reddish jadeite... especially when the stone was submitted to some heat treatment. Then you get some kind of orangy-brownish-reddish jadeite pieces.
here are some exemple of what i think is some kind of typically heated jadeite boulders:heated jade and another one: another heated jadeite
It is quite common in Burma to put such boulders in a simple fire in order to improve the jadeite color. Now I've never seen such kind of color for pieces I'm sure not to have been heated but I was told that it is possible. By the way I have to say that I'm not 100% sure that thiese 2 boulders were heated but I assume they were...

All the best,

 

[valeria101]

This is a reminder from my last shopping feat. The piece below was not all that expensive due to mottling...

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/13/2004 8:44:34 PM mogok wrote:



there is some kind of reddish jadeite... especially when the stone was submitted to some heat treatment. Then you get some kind of orangy-brownish-reddish jadeite pieces.

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I know that color as a trademark of "cremated jades"... sure label of heating, either on purpose or not.

Is it possible to obtain this reddish orange in translucent pieces through heating ? Or are they all opaque?

 

[Cave Keeper]

Thanks, Richard, for the helpful masonkay.com link.

Wish I were young again. Mine eyes can no longer see red as red: Everything red looks brown to me now; well, at least on the Internet. Strange thing is that red little round devil faced smilie spewing yellow flames out of his mouth does look absolutely red; so does that other one next to his green dollar eyed neighbour with eyes flashing bright red hearts; and there are at least 4 smilies with mischevious red tongues. It seems only when jewels are being described as red that my eyes really have a problem seeing what are obviously red.

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On 9/13/2004 8:37:47 PM Richard M. wrote:

For nearly anything you want to know about jade go to Mason Kay This company is among the most prestigious jade sellers in the U.S. You'll note that red jade is prominently featured on the chart.
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[Cave Keeper]

Was it because the two bangles don't look red; their color seems quite orangy-brownish-reddish, as our dear mogok puts it?

Thanks, mogok, for helping me recover my faith in what my eyes see (and keeping my sanity, too).

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On 9/13/2004 8:48:50 PM valeria101 wrote:
This is a reminder from my last shopping feat. The piece below was not all that expensive due to mottling...----------------

 

[Cave Keeper]

Are you refering to jade worn by corpses being cremated. This is mind-blowing.

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On 9/13/2004 8:56:40 PM valeria101 wrote:

I know that color as a trademark of 'cremated jades'... sure label of heating, either on purpose or not.
:
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[Cave Keeper]

Well, the reddest 'jade' objects are easily found at eBay where you can simply search for 'red jade'. They look absolutely red and I'm sure my eyes were not playing tricks this time.

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/14/2004 7:54:34 AM Cave Keeper wrote:

Well, the reddest 'jade' objects are easily found at eBay where you can simply search for 'red jade'.

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Those are died and dirt cheap. I don't think there is a natural equivalent: they are just fake, not imitations of anything.

The reddest jade is brownish orange and the bangle was among the reddest I saw with decent translucency.

And yeah... "cremated jade" are exactly what you say.

Now, the rust color of jade "skin" (the exposed outer layer of the typical boulders and region along cracks) appears on opaque material. I believe there is more to red jade and higher quality does occur naturally. There are traditional names for several types of red (see Pala). I did get to see samples matching each of those denominations, only it would not be fair to claim I absolutely know them to be natural. The best red I know of (brownish -red, as you say) did look like pine honey, but the two pieces were not certified and I am not an expert.

 

[mogok]

Well to tell you franckly: I've heard of red jade, I've seen some reddish pieces of Jade coming at AIGS laboratory in Bangkok... but:
The reddish pieces of jade were dyed and the best red jade i've seen is this iron rich jadeite that get this orangy brown tint (called "Chwan ni" in Burmese jade markets). It is due to the fact that ferrous oxide naturally contained by jadeite turns to ferric oxide in small fissures and pores while in contact with humidity (This process is similar to rusting) In this case the piece can be transparent same the bangles presented by Ana or the material visible inside the boulders on gemwow.com.
The "wethered skin jade" is usually less transparent following my experience this jade type is usually the result of iron and vanadium rich jadeite that was also in contact with water.

I've never seen a true red looking natural jadeite but I've heard about... (legend???) I will probably know more about soon as I plan to visit again the jadeite mines in Hpakant, Burma before the end of the year. I'm preparing currently an article and a photoreport about the jadeite trade in Burma. I will keep you informed if you wish.

All the best,

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/14/2004 8:01:25 PM mogok wrote:



I will keep you informed if you wish.

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Eagerly awaited, of course.