Qn on jade bangle

[Silver Mom]

Yes supply is available however most common is green jade, possibly white since it is still the older or middle aged generation that wears jade. Jade here is not quite trendy with young people (i mean in their 20s - 30s) like semi-precious stones or Tiffany is. Red, black is also favored but mostly as pendants or earrings, rings etc and I think, younger people who wear jade prefer the softer colours like lavender. I haven't really seen a "blue" one, I rarely see this on a woman who wears jade. As with any place, similarly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia there is a lot of jade - we have street markets where vendors sell cheap jade, or nephrite, maybe even flourite , but being sold as"jade", mostly these are just very affordable fun pieces to have. Prices can be very cheap $50-200, just don't expect too much as you won't be getting top quality there. But some are really pretty. On the other hand there are the generic jewellery stores which sells gems, also carry a small section where they sell jade, another member here just mentioned above, that their jade is just "ok" and I think she's correct on that point. A number of jade specialty stores exist here, and these tend to be multi-generation or business that have been in business for decades and are masters of their trade. The jade is top quality, very well cut and prices could well burn a hole in your bank account for a number of years. Bangle maybe is in the range of $3k - $10k and $20k for very special ones.

There is some growing interest in young designers to incorporate jade in their jewellery. Examples are the 2 pictures I earlier posted. They use jade that is probably decent, not top quality but the focus of their design is traditional with modern interpretation. This could well attract a much younger crowd who find traditional jade very boring.

Wow Jadeite, thank you for the education and the pictures of the jades. I guess good jade is expensive no matter where you go. We are lucky to have people like you on our forum.

 

[Silver Mom]

Silver Mom, the one my husband bought was expensive, but he tends to buy the best. There are probably cheaper ones. Just google around. I know about blowing money, and after I pay for the Yukon snow nephrite jade bangle, I'm going to just save and wait for either a lavender one, or some blue jadeite earrings custom made from jojo. It will be a while. Might be able to do that gold work on the green one meantime.....

Can't wait to see how your green bangle looks after you do the gold work.

 

[clairejune]

Some thought about modern jewelry like the contemporary pieces which Jadeite posted; I wonder what the price of these things are in terms of how they compare to higher quality jadeite. Those pieces were designed for large scale production, as the gold work is rough, and the gems are most likely berrillium defused, glass filled, heated and what ever else they do to gems for mass production that is so common in designer pieces. I think jewelry like that is gorgeous, but should not be in the same price category as finer quality. All these embellishments don't make up for the lower quality in terms of color and translucency. You see this all the time now. Many expensive, designer jewelry use gold with mother of pearl and clear quartz over it and other, cheaper alternatives. Yet, they are sold at an expensive enough price to compete with higher quality jewelry. Yes, I know you pay for a name brand and designer anything these days, but the trend extends beyond the designer name. For example, rough, industrial grade diamonds are sold uncut and in beads, and fetch a huge price for what they are just because they are diamonds. There is little human workmanship involved. The resale value of these items usually very low. This is an interesting situation and redefines what people imagine as fine jewelry. Just look at the designer fine jewelry on the Neimen Marcus website. So far, I haven't bought any thing like that, but it is an amazing marketing accomplishment.

 

[gga]

Oh man. I wish I'd read here earlier. I know nothing much about jade, and I have a feeling it led to a "bad move" kind of purchase. I got this one off Ying Yu jade site. It looked more of a honey color in the pic I bought from, while the reality is an interesting, if slightly too cool-toned gray/brown sort of green. So break the bad news, if y'all would: is this one my major learning experience?

 

[gga]

And this is one I've been coveting for a couple of months now. It's honey brown, and not at all a popular shade, but is it even jade? This one isn't from Ying Yu. It's a seller off eBay who seems to sell predominantly older items. The costume jewelry and items she sells in categories I DO know about are all legit and priced on the lower side. Like above wholesale, but toward the low, low end of retail. But as I said above, I know next to nothing about jade.

 

[clairejune]

Gga, that bangle from Ying Yu jade looks natural to me. If it were B jade, it would have more translucency, and the brown tones would be gone. Dyes are also more brilliantly colored, so I think you got an A grade bangle. She does carry a few, but my concern would be that you overpaid. I would guess, comparing similar ones from jojo and Ultimate Jadeite, that you should have paid between $100-$300. Maybe you did well. About the yellow one, it has a sugary texture that some jades have, and that is a yellow seen in jadeite. It is unique because I've never seen a pure yellow one like that except in Hetian (nephrite) jade. My advice is ask, ask and ask again. If your in the mood for some risk, then go for it. It's a learning experience. You know, I don't regret having waisted $400 on my B jade that broke because it lead to my personal education about jade. Now, I look back and wonder how I could have believed for a second it was A jade !!!

 

[Silver Mom]

And this is one I've been coveting for a couple of months now. It's honey brown, and not at all a popular shade, but is it even jade? This one isn't from Ying Yu. It's a seller off eBay who seems to sell predominantly older items. The costume jewelry and items she sells in categories I DO know about are all legit and priced on the lower side. Like above wholesale, but toward the low, low end of retail. But as I said above, I know next to nothing about jade.

I think this one is pretty. KInda looks like mine.

 

[Silver Mom]

Clairejune, went to the facebook page that Jadeite suggested and I saw this most beautiful jade with gold work. Made me think about your green jade piece. So, so pretty and delicate. I know you want the gold to be thinner but just thought I'd show it to you. By the way this shop has beautiful pieces.

 

[gga]

Gga, that bangle from Ying Yu jade looks natural to me. If it were B jade, it would have more translucency, and the brown tones would be gone. Dyes are also more brilliantly colored, so I think you got an A grade bangle. She does carry a few, but my concern would be that you overpaid. I would guess, comparing similar ones from jojo and Ultimate Jadeite, that you should have paid between $100-$300. Maybe you did well. About the yellow one, it has a sugary texture that some jades have, and that is a yellow seen in jadeite. It is unique because I've never seen a pure yellow one like that except in Hetian (nephrite) jade. My advice is ask, ask and ask again. If your in the mood for some risk, then go for it. It's a learning experience. You know, I don't regret having waisted $400 on my B jade that broke because it lead to my personal education about jade. Now, I look back and wonder how I could have believed for a second it was A jade !!!

Thanks for your thoughts, clairejune. I did way overpay on the first one, because it was nowhere near the $100-300 price. If it weren't I such cool/cold tones in person, I wouldn't mind as much.

I'll ask questions of the seller on the second. I do find myself gravitating to Hetian jade, over and over. I bought this necklace at an estate sale in a nicer part of town, had it looked at, and it came back as jade. The receipt with it was dated in the 50s, just said antique necklace on it. Knowing a teeny bit more, I think it's almost got to be mostly or all Hetian jade. The beads are huge and heavy.

 

[gga]

I think this one is pretty. KInda looks like mine.

Oh cool! Thank you!

 

[clairejune]

Gga, At least you got A jade. You lucked out in some ways. I've said it before, the learning curve about jadeite is harsh and steep! I think it's a beautiful, natural color combination. Very earthy, and you can't go wrong with that. That nephrite necklace is GORGEOUS! You found a treasure there. I love how full and sculptural the beads are. Very elegant, modern and unpretentious. I adore nephrite. It has amazing energy and luster. I've ordered a Yukon snow bangle from Jade Divers. You should check out that nephrite, and the Polar Jade on Jade Mine. Amazing variety of greens and contemporary bangle carving on that one.

Silver Mom, now I am regretting being the last person in the industrialized world not yet on Facebook! I love that image and idea. It's definitely in the style I'm going to have made. Thanks for posting that, otherwise I'd never have seen it. I'm getting excited now....

 

[BreadnGem]

Oh girls, i feel i must share my impulse buy with u, altho it isnt jade. Bought this peachy/orange/white agate bangle on a whim. Love how girly the colours are, couldnt resist . The SA assured me it is natural, not dyed. I dont know enough about agate to be sure but decided to just take her word for it, not over-think & simply enjoy it as a pretty piece of jewellery.

The pics dont do it justice:

 

[clairejune]

You know, the seller from whom I bought the green jadeite bangle that s/he thought was nephrite has a sister bangle that's a bit smaller. It also has that beautiful, emerald green, but a tad less intense. Looks like it is from the same rough as mine. I've asked about what the stone lines are like on that one and am waiting for a response. I was thinking that I could have a set. If I don't get it, and others are interested, let me know. The green is amazing and delightful. And it is cheap! Of course, I didn't mention that it's jadeite.

 

[clairejune]

Breadngem, that is beautiful and so delicate. Great find! You are one lucky lady. Wow. FWIW, it doesn't look dyed to me.

 

[Silver Mom]

Oh girls, i feel i must share my impulse buy with u, altho it isnt jade. Bought this peachy/orange/white agate bangle on a whim. Love how girly the colours are, couldnt resist . The SA assured me it is natural, not dyed. I dont know enough about agate to be sure but decided to just take her word for it, not over-think & simply enjoy it as a pretty piece of jewellery.

The pics dont do it justice:

This is so pretty!