I love jade bangles too, and it has become a total obsession. First one I bought in SF chinatown, a clear lavender one. I told the SA I only wanted A jade and she insisted it was. Turned out to be B jade, and I don't live nearby, so I can't return it. Since then I've done tons of research and found a few reputable online shops, as well as some almost criminal ones that claim their B jade is A. A GREAT online shop is JOJOjade from China. They are one of the biggest jade processing factories in China, and can actually find the rough material you are looking for and make you jewelry. they will refund 10 times the price if they have sold B/C jade, because they don't make that. They have a huge inventory! I bought 2 bangles from them and the quality is superb. Everything is certified by a reputable lab in China. Other good sites are Ultimate Jadeite and Jade Nature Shop (ebay). I have not purchased from the last two.
Some sites that I would not recommend are Jadeisus and Ying Yu jade. Jadeisus is a total scam. He advertises all grade A, and the expensive ones come with a certificate. But on the certificate, (which does not look like one from a reputable lab), The results of the tests clearly show the presence of polymer. The items are not dyed, but they HAVE gone through acid bath. The certificates say in conclusion that the bangles are not dyed. This man is English and he writes in broken English to seem like a non native speaker in order to seem more trustworthy about jade. Then he posts about his support for orphans. A reputable dealer does not need to manipulate heart strings to appear to be trustworthy.
Ying Yu jade has some grade A bangles with B and C mixed in. She doesn't know what is what, and they are way over priced. The only ones which look like A are the lowest qualities, and is selling them for prices which are much too high for the quality. I considered once buying one from her and asked whether I could have a week longer than the return period in order to have it tested, and she would not answer my question. Kept avoiding the subject. I think she is a descent lady trying to make a living, but perhaps is not good at knowing what she sells. She purchased some and other people purchased other bangles for her inventory. She knows that she does not know what she has. All that said, I would trust her nephrite selection. Nephrite is usually not messed with the way that jadeite is.
In general, I have found that after lots of looking at images that it has become quite easy to tell the difference between treated and non treated jade, especially B jade, which is the really nasty stuff. It has a different glow and is waxier in the light. It does look cloudy and without inner structure. In person, B jade is a lot lighter than A jade because of the removed silica. The polymer is not as dense. A shines like glass. Also, B jade can be cool to the touch and have a high chime when it is struck like A jade. With A jade though, the chime will have fine reverberations of sound that slowly disappear where as in B, the sound will disappear more quickly.
It is sad that such a beautiful and alive stone is put through the acid bath process, and that there is so much on the market. Worse is the deceit about it. Buying jade can be tricky, but if you do your homework first and get a sense about B and A jades, then I believe you can get quality products in person and online. Sometimes it takes buying a treated one first as a learning experience, the way I did. At least, that is what I tell myself!
Some sites that I would not recommend are Jadeisus and Ying Yu jade. Jadeisus is a total scam. He advertises all grade A, and the expensive ones come with a certificate. But on the certificate, (which does not look like one from a reputable lab), The results of the tests clearly show the presence of polymer. The items are not dyed, but they HAVE gone through acid bath. The certificates say in conclusion that the bangles are not dyed. This man is English and he writes in broken English to seem like a non native speaker in order to seem more trustworthy about jade. Then he posts about his support for orphans. A reputable dealer does not need to manipulate heart strings to appear to be trustworthy.
Ying Yu jade has some grade A bangles with B and C mixed in. She doesn't know what is what, and they are way over priced. The only ones which look like A are the lowest qualities, and is selling them for prices which are much too high for the quality. I considered once buying one from her and asked whether I could have a week longer than the return period in order to have it tested, and she would not answer my question. Kept avoiding the subject. I think she is a descent lady trying to make a living, but perhaps is not good at knowing what she sells. She purchased some and other people purchased other bangles for her inventory. She knows that she does not know what she has. All that said, I would trust her nephrite selection. Nephrite is usually not messed with the way that jadeite is.
In general, I have found that after lots of looking at images that it has become quite easy to tell the difference between treated and non treated jade, especially B jade, which is the really nasty stuff. It has a different glow and is waxier in the light. It does look cloudy and without inner structure. In person, B jade is a lot lighter than A jade because of the removed silica. The polymer is not as dense. A shines like glass. Also, B jade can be cool to the touch and have a high chime when it is struck like A jade. With A jade though, the chime will have fine reverberations of sound that slowly disappear where as in B, the sound will disappear more quickly.
It is sad that such a beautiful and alive stone is put through the acid bath process, and that there is so much on the market. Worse is the deceit about it. Buying jade can be tricky, but if you do your homework first and get a sense about B and A jades, then I believe you can get quality products in person and online. Sometimes it takes buying a treated one first as a learning experience, the way I did. At least, that is what I tell myself!
