The JADE thread!

[piosavsfan]

I've been drawn to grey and I want a carved bangle but it's hard to find large carved bangles that are affordable and so this auction seems doable. The carving looks kind of "messy" to me, it's hard for me to tell what's what, but I really like the flower. There is also a carved white bangle with a splotch of dark green that SC has in my size, but again hard to figure out the carving:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=262025197034&alt=web

 

[nexiv]

Hi nexiv,

I have 3 bangles from this seller. Of the 3, "The Big Jade" and "Elsa" are carved bangles and I'm very happy with both of them. What I've found is that this sellers pics tend to show off the bangle's translucence, and that is often affected by lighting conditions. I find that her pics and descriptions are pretty accurate, but I do wish she'd consider more photos under different lighting.

For this bangle, I would assume more opaqueness than translucence, probably similar to my Elsa.

Carved jades tend to be flawed and the carving is meant to disguise the flaw in a pleasing manner. This often affects pricing... helping bring otherwise more costly colors/translucent jades into a lower price range.

Here's some throwback pics of The Big Jade and Elsa to help illustrate:

Seller's original pic of The Big Jade

differences in translucence pics

Flaw as part of the carving..

Nexiv,

That bangle has lovely proportions. It has stone lines which seem to be healed. The carved leaves run parallel to one long stone line. The darker one which runs across the bangle is healed and very ancient. One can see this because it's stained darker, as if it was the path on which minerals seeped into the Jade. When they are colored like that, they have usually been calcified and 'healed' over the centuries.

Colors are very light, almost like faint moods, which is very dreamy together with the translucence.

It's a bangle with a very dramatic contrast between the signs of rough geologic birth, and an ethereal peace. One is aware with this bangle, of just how ancient it is!

I don't think the lines will be a threat to strength since I believe that they are healed, and because she describes it as 'densely crystalized'. My daughters broken lavender with no stone lines was not 'densely crystalized' as a comparison.

In re stone lines: my opinion is that, coupled with carving, when human art interprets the stone in the right way...feels the drama within the stone, it can be extremeley powerful and will provide enough drama to last a lifetime of interest. Some people prefer flawless Jade. It's my opinion that on bangles, the flaws can make things much more interesting. And because it's reasonably priced, I don't see any cons. You could even offer her slightly less if you feel that would make it easier for you to decide.

Thank you both for brilliant insights! It's great to really be able to understand a piece of jade and fully appreciate it. I'm very certain on obtaining it and she has agreed to a payment plan, however it's not going to be easy to meet the minimum she'd like at this point in time. Need to have a discussion with the other half to see what can be done about perhaps incorporating Christmas (yes, I'm that desperately poor at the moment lol )

I've been drawn to grey and I want a carved bangle but it's hard to find large carved bangles that are affordable and so this auction seems doable. The carving looks kind of "messy" to me, it's hard for me to tell what's what, but I really like the flower. There is also a carved white bangle with a splotch of dark green that SC has in my size, but again hard to figure out the carving:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=262025197034&alt=web

The photos on that second bangle are like.... waaaa? But I REALLY like the opaque look of the white, and I'm a firm lover of splotches. The carving looks really beautiful too. Perhaps ask for more pictures?

 

[Junkenpo]

I've been drawn to grey and I want a carved bangle but it's hard to find large carved bangles that are affordable and so this auction seems doable. The carving looks kind of "messy" to me, it's hard for me to tell what's what, but I really like the flower. There is also a carved white bangle with a splotch of dark green that SC has in my size, but again hard to figure out the carving:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=262025197034&alt=web

It has a bat! I love bats. All my carved bangles have bats on them. If this were in my size, I'd definitely consider it. SC is usually really easy to work with and since she takes returns, if you don't like it, you can send it back.

 

[ms_loKAbLue13]

I ve been looking for my birthday bangle...and I found it...it's a dark opaque... idk why, but I ve been dr aww n to opaque lately...
Anyway...at first I was looking at 2 super translucent bangles--1 was an auction which I lost and the 2nd one---well that was a trip, IT WOULDNT ACCEPT MY CRÉDIT CARD??? I tried and tried, I tried all night and this morning....I tried again this morning and this afternoon..
So I tried my 3rd choice--it was more expensive then the one that was my 2nd choice---but the more I looked at , the more I loved it---and I have no black/grey bangles at all.
Anyway---the card went thru with no issues, and I'm hoping to get my black/grey bangle asap.... she looks so smoky.... already I think I'm in love...
SO NOW I FULLY UNDERSTAND JADE KARMA----that jade I tried to push and buy and buy...it just wouldn't work--not even my $$ would work with it..I guess it's meant for someone else and another pretty translucent is down the road for my in my future hopefully
Happy Sunday y'all!
NOW to get my kiddos ready for the Greek festival!
I can't wait to see all my people there!!!!

 

[piosavsfan]

The photos on that second bangle are like.... waaaa? But I REALLY like the opaque look of the white, and I'm a firm lover of splotches. The carving looks really beautiful too. Perhaps ask for more pictures?

I really like the opaque white, too. I've asked her for more pictures on another bangle before, and honestly they were worse than the originals lol.

It has a bat! I love bats. All my carved bangles have bats on them. If this were in my size, I'd definitely consider it. SC is usually really easy to work with and since she takes returns, if you don't like it, you can send it back.

I didn't even realize there was a bat! But I see it now, it's cute!

 

[clairejune]

Looking around on the net today, I found these lovely things which I found inspiring!

This rough, Guatemalan blue jadeite is my dream jade for a pair of bangles! Also, check out these amazing, creamy nephrite bangles....

 

[clairejune]

Aside from my Siberian, today I wore Deep Ocean with Sonoma. These colors look unexpectedly good together and create a happy mood. Maybe the colors give me a sense of joy because they remind me of the colors which were around in the mid 70's, when i was a small child!

 

[clairejune]

What's everyone wearing today?

 

[2boys_jademommy]

Aside from my Siberian, today I wore Deep Ocean with Sonoma. These colors look unexpectedly good together and create a happy mood. Maybe the colors give me a sense of joy because they remind me of the colors which were around in the mid 70's, when i was a small child!


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I love Sonoma! Is it nephrite or jadeite? The orange patch is so sunny and cheerful. I can see why it puts you in a good mood Deep Ocean is darker literally and figuratively. It's mysterious. They balance each other and compliment one another.
I would love a yellow / orange bangle. I have greens, white and lavender but not orange...

 

[clairejune]

I also found some beautiful jade cabochons, some with the Turkish lavender jadeite, which is around 50% jadeite. There is a trade law that mentions that it is required that, to be called jadeite, a jade needs 80% jade, but people call this stone jadeite anyway because it is a beautiful hybrid. This brings me to the subject of other minerals in jade, which there always are, because jadeite is an agglomerate stone. I saw a relatively affordable bangle at UJ, which had a bright, deep lavender spot. It was advertised as jadeite/albite bangle. I thought it was beautiful. I bet it would have been in the thousands if not for the albite part, even though the strength is not compromised. I saw a similar jadeite one on a different site for 25k. I find these mixes very interesting, and a great way to buy vivid lavender jadeite affordably. Here is an example of a Turkish jadeite cabochon. I bought a navette shaped one to do a peyote stitch around....Can you imagine this color with rose gold!??

Anyway, here is the link. He's an old man, and he does lovely, affordable cabochons!!!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JdcGem?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count

 

[clairejune]

Hey thanks Jademommy! It's a Jadeite bangle which my husband bought secretly and surprised me with when visiting Sonoma county in California during Summer vaca a year ago! i love the color, even though I don't think I can wear yellow all that well compared with cooler colors. I think you're right, the differences in mood are what make them work together! I never would have imagined these colors/moods working as they seem to.

Thanks for the comps on Deep Ocean too! She always changes depending...sometimes showing depth, and sometimes only some texture. She's got a mix of watery jade and some texture of varying colors of grain. The mystery is what I image when I think of the abysses in the ocean..., hence the name.

 

[clairejune]

So, I am curious, how do you all feel about jadeite 'hybrids' such as the Turkish jadeite, Albite/jadeite, and Maw Sit Sit, as examples? Do you feel differently about them because of the distinctions? Or, do you love them as you do the other jades?

For me, they are part of the jade family, but more like cousins that one sees only once in a great while...I find them equally lovable and fascinating too.

 

[2boys_jademommy]

How romantic of your husband Claire! He has great taste too! The colour of Sonoma looks nice on your arm.
For me I find lavender looks nicer on me when I am tanned in the summer.

 

[clairejune]

Nexiv, I am very excited for you about that lovely bangle!! Even if it takes a while to pay off, you can be super excited about it the while time! The time will go by, and you'll be wearing it soon if it's fated to be yours.

 

[2boys_jademommy]

So, I am curious, how do you all feel about jadeite 'hybrids' such as the Turkish jadeite, Albite/jadeite, and Maw Sit Sit, as examples? Do you feel differently about them because of the distinctions? Or, do you love them as you do the other jades?

For me, they are part of the jade family, but more like cousins that one sees only once in a great while...I find them equally lovable and fascinating too.

I don't own any of the above. Heck I don't even own nephrite but I think as long as you know what you are buying it is ok. To me there is somehing special about jadeite. I like the glassy shine and the translucence of it. I do find myself liking nephrite more and more too. I like the creaminess of nephrite and I love the shiny surface and colours of jadiete. Other stones are lovely but not quite the same....
Just like diamonds and sapphires are my favourite. Although rubies and emeralds are gorgeous too they don't quite appeal to me the way diamonds and sapphires do.