Qn on jade bangle
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Clairejune, I think you are right about this yellow jade being pure yellow. It might be heitian jade. When I went to the jade dealer to find out if my yellow bangle was jadeite she did mention that it probably was because there was some white in it too. Her actual words were "it's a good sign". I think gga's bangle is very beautiful. I also read that a lot of the yellow jades are heitian. Wonder if that is true.
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I would like to share my experience buying jades from Myanmar, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Myanmar - home of jadeite - actually did not have the nicest things. The best rough are usually shipped out to Hong Kong for cutting, and then sold to China the biggest jade market of all. I saw mostly spinach green and white stuff at the Mandalay jade markets; the cuts were a bit rough and the polish was basic. My friend however spent a bit more time in Yangon and managed to reward herself with an imperial green pendant. I don't recall how much we paid (their currency was very confusing) but our purchases did not burn any holes in our pocket.
My next purchase, a bangle, was in Yunnan province of China. That's near to the border of Myanmar's jade producing region, so by proximity, Yunnan has A LOT of jadeite. My jade bangle was certified by the Chinese government lab no less, but to this date I'm still unsure if it's an A or B. It was priced as a grade A for sure. I've shown it to dealers in Taiwan and Singapore who say it's a B. In fact they tell me most jades from China are B, so it's buyer beware. Having lived in CHina for many years, I'm fairly used to it when people get suspicious of things from China. That includes the mainland Chinese themselves, that's why many of the rich prefer to fly to Hong Kong or Europe or Singapore to get their LV bags and diamonds and such, they just don't trust their own local sources.
My few trinkets purchased in Taipei were definitely B, B+C and so on. They were just rings and pendants that didn't cost much, and frankly back then I didn't know or care much about acid treatments and colour dyes. Some merchants were upfront about what was A and what was B or C, but there were shady ones who insisted theirs was A and they could issue a cert to prove it. It got a bit hilarious when I did ask for a cert and the seller directed me to the main reception counter. When I got there, the receptionist said she can issue me a cert ONLY IF the seller so says it's A. I went totally like... Huh???
As for Singapore, where I studied and still visit twice a year, the merchants are generally upfront about what is what. Singapore is a place where the trust level is high. However I find the selection of jade to be limited, perhaps because like the earlier posters said, jade is not popular with the younger generation. They think it's old fashioned, or they think it has religious links (you'd hardly see Christians wear jade for example, but the Buddhists and Taoists do). Li Hong and Peach Blossom are the 2 most well-known jade vendors here, but I find their selection to be unexciting and the colours are run of the mill, compared to what you can find on Jojo for example. They stock some modern colours that appeal to younger buyers, but most of their lavender jades are really just the common yam-coloured variety. For that, I think they charge way too much. But Li Hong has nice designs, including square-shaped bangles. If you want a central place to browse and bargain, go to The Bencoolen where most merchants actually hail from China and I do think most sell Grade A, but you need to bargain hard. For me, I'm happy to have narrowed my sources to 3 reliable old-businesses that have been dealing in jade for many years. They've been in the jade business for decades and their wares are of outstanding quality. I won't disclose them here as I don't want their prices to go up astronomically, but if you're visiting Singapore please pm me I'll be glad to share.
My next stop will be Hong Kong. Anyone has recommendations of where we can shop there there? I'm sure Hong Kong is the most sophisticated place to shop for jadeite!
Myanmar - home of jadeite - actually did not have the nicest things. The best rough are usually shipped out to Hong Kong for cutting, and then sold to China the biggest jade market of all. I saw mostly spinach green and white stuff at the Mandalay jade markets; the cuts were a bit rough and the polish was basic. My friend however spent a bit more time in Yangon and managed to reward herself with an imperial green pendant. I don't recall how much we paid (their currency was very confusing) but our purchases did not burn any holes in our pocket.
My next purchase, a bangle, was in Yunnan province of China. That's near to the border of Myanmar's jade producing region, so by proximity, Yunnan has A LOT of jadeite. My jade bangle was certified by the Chinese government lab no less, but to this date I'm still unsure if it's an A or B. It was priced as a grade A for sure. I've shown it to dealers in Taiwan and Singapore who say it's a B. In fact they tell me most jades from China are B, so it's buyer beware. Having lived in CHina for many years, I'm fairly used to it when people get suspicious of things from China. That includes the mainland Chinese themselves, that's why many of the rich prefer to fly to Hong Kong or Europe or Singapore to get their LV bags and diamonds and such, they just don't trust their own local sources.
My few trinkets purchased in Taipei were definitely B, B+C and so on. They were just rings and pendants that didn't cost much, and frankly back then I didn't know or care much about acid treatments and colour dyes. Some merchants were upfront about what was A and what was B or C, but there were shady ones who insisted theirs was A and they could issue a cert to prove it. It got a bit hilarious when I did ask for a cert and the seller directed me to the main reception counter. When I got there, the receptionist said she can issue me a cert ONLY IF the seller so says it's A. I went totally like... Huh???
As for Singapore, where I studied and still visit twice a year, the merchants are generally upfront about what is what. Singapore is a place where the trust level is high. However I find the selection of jade to be limited, perhaps because like the earlier posters said, jade is not popular with the younger generation. They think it's old fashioned, or they think it has religious links (you'd hardly see Christians wear jade for example, but the Buddhists and Taoists do). Li Hong and Peach Blossom are the 2 most well-known jade vendors here, but I find their selection to be unexciting and the colours are run of the mill, compared to what you can find on Jojo for example. They stock some modern colours that appeal to younger buyers, but most of their lavender jades are really just the common yam-coloured variety. For that, I think they charge way too much. But Li Hong has nice designs, including square-shaped bangles. If you want a central place to browse and bargain, go to The Bencoolen where most merchants actually hail from China and I do think most sell Grade A, but you need to bargain hard. For me, I'm happy to have narrowed my sources to 3 reliable old-businesses that have been dealing in jade for many years. They've been in the jade business for decades and their wares are of outstanding quality. I won't disclose them here as I don't want their prices to go up astronomically, but if you're visiting Singapore please pm me I'll be glad to share.
My next stop will be Hong Kong. Anyone has recommendations of where we can shop there there? I'm sure Hong Kong is the most sophisticated place to shop for jadeite!
My jeweler buys the jade in the rough and has her cutters in Hong Kong cut them. She says that the people in China are crazy for Jade and the prices are very high. Too bad we don't have an endless supply of jade. The unusual colors are particularly hard to get. She says when she buys the rough you can't be sure what colors they are until it is cut. Maybe that is why jade is so expensive. If you are lucky enough to get a really nice piece of rough it is worth all the stress you go through.I would like to share my experience buying jades from Myanmar, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Myanmar - home of jadeite - actually did not have the nicest things. The best rough are usually shipped out to Hong Kong for cutting, and then sold to China the biggest jade market of all. I saw mostly spinach green and white stuff at the Mandalay jade markets; the cuts were a bit rough and the polish was basic. My friend however spent a bit more time in Yangon and managed to reward herself with an imperial green pendant. I don't recall how much we paid (their currency was very confusing) but our purchases did not burn any holes in our pocket.
My next purchase, a bangle, was in Yunnan province of China. That's near to the border of Myanmar's jade producing region, so by proximity, Yunnan has A LOT of jadeite. My jade bangle was certified by the Chinese government lab no less, but to this date I'm still unsure if it's an A or B. It was priced as a grade A for sure. I've shown it to dealers in Taiwan and Singapore who say it's a B. In fact they tell me most jades from China are B, so it's buyer beware. Having lived in CHina for many years, I'm fairly used to it when people get suspicious of things from China. That includes the mainland Chinese themselves, that's why many of the rich prefer to fly to Hong Kong or Europe or Singapore to get their LV bags and diamonds and such, they just don't trust their own local sources.
My few trinkets purchased in Taipei were definitely B, B+C and so on. They were just rings and pendants that didn't cost much, and frankly back then I didn't know or care much about acid treatments and colour dyes. Some merchants were upfront about what was A and what was B or C, but there were shady ones who insisted theirs was A and they could issue a cert to prove it. It got a bit hilarious when I did ask for a cert and the seller directed me to the main reception counter. When I got there, the receptionist said she can issue me a cert ONLY IF the seller so says it's A. I went totally like... Huh???
As for Singapore, where I studied and still visit twice a year, the merchants are generally upfront about what is what. Singapore is a place where the trust level is high. However I find the selection of jade to be limited, perhaps because like the earlier posters said, jade is not popular with the younger generation. They think it's old fashioned, or they think it has religious links (you'd hardly see Christians wear jade for example, but the Buddhists and Taoists do). Li Hong and Peach Blossom are the 2 most well-known jade vendors here, but I find their selection to be unexciting and the colours are run of the mill, compared to what you can find on Jojo for example. They stock some modern colours that appeal to younger buyers, but most of their lavender jades are really just the common yam-coloured variety. For that, I think they charge way too much. But Li Hong has nice designs, including square-shaped bangles. If you want a central place to browse and bargain, go to The Bencoolen where most merchants actually hail from China and I do think most sell Grade A, but you need to bargain hard. For me, I'm happy to have narrowed my sources to 3 reliable old-businesses that have been dealing in jade for many years. They've been in the jade business for decades and their wares are of outstanding quality. I won't disclose them here as I don't want their prices to go up astronomically, but if you're visiting Singapore please pm me I'll be glad to share.
My next stop will be Hong Kong. Anyone has recommendations of where we can shop there there? I'm sure Hong Kong is the most sophisticated place to shop for jadeite!
Druzy, thank you soooooo much for all this information. Love learning new stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Clairejune, I''ll be interested! My size is 51-53mm. Let me know if you decided to pass it up!
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:
I like this!
Druzy, be sure to tell us about your experiences in Hong Kong when you go. I am dying to find out what jade shopping is like over there.
Hi everyone!
I have been lurking on this thread for a while--I really love and admire all the pieces that every has been posting, so I finally decided to join and officially post!! While I certainly do not have the breadth of collection that some of you have, I thought I'd share what I have. My love for jade didn't really start until this year, when I visited China with my husband and parents--I always thought jade was kind of "old school" lol. Then when I was there, I was amazed by the variety of jade the girls and women wore--that's when my obsession began! I ended up purchasing a bangle (which turned out to be B jade and subsequently broke once we got back to the US). While in China, my mom bought a beautiful jade leaf necklace for me in Beijing. And though my husband teased me forever about my "jade obsession," he secretly bought me another bangle to replace my broken one. This time it was an "A" grade bangle from Desire Treasures (the Ebay store). I can definitely vouch because my bangle came with a legit government certificate that I could even go online to verify! Now I always wear my necklace and bangle 
. It's not letting me post pics (maybe because I am new?), but I will do so in a bit!
I have been lurking on this thread for a while--I really love and admire all the pieces that every has been posting, so I finally decided to join and officially post!! While I certainly do not have the breadth of collection that some of you have, I thought I'd share what I have. My love for jade didn't really start until this year, when I visited China with my husband and parents--I always thought jade was kind of "old school" lol. Then when I was there, I was amazed by the variety of jade the girls and women wore--that's when my obsession began! I ended up purchasing a bangle (which turned out to be B jade and subsequently broke once we got back to the US
). While in China, my mom bought a beautiful jade leaf necklace for me in Beijing. And though my husband teased me forever about my "jade obsession," he secretly bought me another bangle to replace my broken one. This time it was an "A" grade bangle from Desire Treasures (the Ebay store). I can definitely vouch because my bangle came with a legit government certificate that I could even go online to verify! Now I always wear my necklace and bangle . It's not letting me post pics (maybe because I am new?), but I will do so in a bit!
REALLY, REALLY Beautiful. I love the colors on the bangle and the pendant is lovely. I bet the green veins on the bangle will grow and the bangle will get even more beautiful.Ok I figured out the pics I think--they were too big! Here are some pics of my bangle and pendant
Thank you Silvermom! I do feel that the green veins have already gotten greener since I received the bangle in June! Here are a pic from the seller and my first pic with the bangle...
Thank you! I got it for around $450, if we are talking about the honey colored bracelet. The necklace was $50, and I've been told I stole it at that price.
The seller said it's nephrite and roughly 50 years old.
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