The JADE thread!

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#10,111
2boys_jademommy said:
Not plain and simple all - more like super sparkly and chic!
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Oh you are so sweet [emoji178] 2boys_jademommy thank u so much [emoji41] I find in the summertime I swell and I feel sometimes it gets to be too much when I wear a lot that's when i want to take it all off so less is better feel more comfortable this way [emoji259]

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#10,114
2boys_jademommy said:
Hi Crosso! How is Pillar? Have you determined if Pillar is indeed jadeite? Not that it matters as it is beautiful but i was just wondering. It definitely looks like jadeite to me
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Hi jademommy! As definitively as I can determine without sending her off to a lab, she's jadeite. The seller responded and said that he/she wasn't sure, because the SG was only 3.31, whereas jadeite should be 3.33, so not being 100% certain, sold it cheaply. From my research, there is a range for natural jadeite and nephrite and this is too high to be nephrite. Below is just one source I found from U of Texas Geology dept. So I think I got a great deal!
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#10,115
crosso said:
Hi jademommy! As definitively as I can determine without sending her off to a lab, she's jadeite. The seller responded and said that he/she wasn't sure, because the SG was only 3.31, whereas jadeite should be 3.33, so not being 100% certain, sold it cheaply. From my research, there is a range for natural jadeite and nephrite and this is too high to be nephrite. Below is just one source I found from U of Texas Geology dept. So I think I got a great deal!
22d36586956c16bd64d3f5bca662aa6b.jpg


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Yes definitely has the characteristics of jadeite - 3.31 is is ever so close to 3.3. It's interesting that the article says it is near imps oboe to distinguish jadeite from nephrite visually but I find there is a significant difference. Usually colour is a give away and just a different sense I get from the two types of Jade. Anyway I would bet that Pillar is jadeite.
Have a good night Crosso and all the Jadies here
 
#10,116
designergoods said:
Recently received a black jadeite bangle purchased on the whim! Its 21mm wide with even color all the way around. There are crystals you can see throughout in bright light with black streaks here and there. Here is a picture in direct light to show one of the streaks and texture. Introducing Fur...a happy purchase :smile:
View attachment 3395592
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Thanks you DG! Fur is mystical! It looks gorgeous on you as always [emoji6]
 
#10,117
udalrike said:
One of my UJ bangles:

View attachment 3395780
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fanofjadeite said:
thanks, cyanide rose :smile:
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zipcount said:
View attachment 3395945 Happy fourth to the jadies in the States. Here's my attempt of red, white (Hetian), and blue (sugilite).
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Udalrike, I love the nephrite bangle, it's the perfect width and the hetian carved is TDF! [emoji173]️

Fano, you are so welcome [emoji4]

Zipcount, so patriotically beautiful! Love anything and everything you share with us [emoji5]
 
#10,118
designergoods said:
Uli, more like "Glam-ma" of Dragons since you have so much style, look young and have great taste with your jewelry - glamorous! I watch the GOT and with all your dragons, you have reminded me of that Dragon Queen :yes:
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2boys_jademommy said:
WOW!! Gorgeous Independence Day stack :)
Happy Canada Day (tomorrow) to my fellow Canadian Jadies and a Happy 4th of July to the American Jadies on Monday :) So nice to have a long weekend!
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Glam-ma is perfect for you Udalrike! I totally agree with DG, your dragon collection is just unbelievably amazing! [emoji5]

Happy Canada Day to the Jadies in Canada!

Happy 4th of July to all the Jadies in the states!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, with beautiful weather and plenty of friends and family! Of course wearing your gorgeous Jade pieces is the perfect cherry on top [emoji5]
 
#10,120
2boys_jademommy said:
Yes definitely has the characteristics of jadeite - 3.31 is is ever so close to 3.3. It's interesting that the article says it is near imps oboe to distinguish jadeite from nephrite visually but I find there is a significant difference. Usually colour is a give away and just a different sense I get from the two types of Jade. Anyway I would bet that Pillar is jadeite.
Have a good night Crosso and all the Jadies here
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You too 2B_JM. Rest well[emoji5]

Wrong smiley lol
 
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#10,122
hi jadies!

lovely pieces all! Here's another article for us to peruse. This one is from last year and Nikolai is quoted in it, too. I was searching her site and she had a faceted jadeite bangle listed for $4k retail. It looked very much like mine. I didn't pay nearly as much for mine, thankfully.

72N1kKi.jpg

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Rocks On: Jadeite prices up, even as US ban goes on
By Brecken Branstrator March 26, 2014

New York--While the story of a challenging supply isn’t unusual to anyone familiar with the colored gemstone world, fine jadeite has a particularly rare story to tell.

With a ban currently in place that prohibits the import of jadeite mined in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to the United States, American gem dealers must work with what they’ve already got or explore new avenues.

The problems in Myanmar can be traced back to the 1962 military coup that ended ********ic rule in the country and marked the military junta’s rise to power. Since then, there has been widespread human rights abuses as well as oppression of any ********ic opposition.

The extent of the issues really came to light for the international community in 2007, when the military regime--then known as the State Peace and Development Council--cracked down on a peaceful revolution for ********ic reform with violence, leading to the death of hundreds of unarmed protesters and thousands more being detained, imprisoned, beaten or tortured.

The U.S. government originally put sanctions on ruby and jadeite from Myanmar in 2003. The ban was tightened in 2008 with the passage of the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-********ic Efforts) Act, which prohibited the importation of jadeite or rubies mined in Myanmar into the United States, no matter where they are cut.

And while many in the gemstone trade object to the ban, saying it hurts small-scale miners and dealers and does little to disrupt the junta, it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime in the near future.

President Barack ***** has lifted some of the sanctions against Myanmar during his presidency, but a few remain, including the ban on the import of jadeite.

(Though the terms jade and jadeite often are used interchangeably, jade is actually a broader term for two different minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite is the more expensive, finer material, and it is specifically jadeite that the ban mentions.)

For many, this has meant either entering the estate and vintage jewelry market to find old pieces of jadeite already in the country or working from an inventory that they built up before the ban was enacted.

Meanwhile, the prices for fine jadeite of all colors have all been moving in the same direction--upward, without much chance of slowing unless something changes in supply soon.

The supply side
As far as sources of fine jadeite go, Myanmar is pretty much it. Though there are a few other countries mining it, the material coming from elsewhere rarely is gem material that can be used in fine jewelry, leaving few options for jadeite suppliers.

“For us, this (ban) meant a shift to buying in the domestic market, which is second-hand estate pieces,” said Jeff Mason of jade wholesaler Mason-Kay, adding that he’s had to explore other avenues over the past few years, including jewelry stores, pawn shops and even consumers looking to sell old pieces.

Roland Schluessel of gem dealer Pillar & Stone said that though they are working mostly off the jadeite inventory they were able to build before the ban, they are open to buying high-quality estate pieces if they can find it.

Their location in San Francisco actually gives them an advantage, since the city has a strong history of dealing in jade, he said. Long before the ban and dating back to nearly a century ago, there was market for it in the city, Schluessel added, which has led to a stronger resale market than is found elsewhere in the country.

He added that the U.S. does have a strong estate market for jadeite when compared to that of France, Italy, Germany or England, where demand for the gemstone has been slower.

In addition to the ban creating problems for American dealers, there’s also the added concern in the jadeite market about how long the mines in Myanmar will last and what kind of supply will be left in the next decade or two, Mason said, driving prices up even more.

China’s buying power
Accounting for the same quality factors across the board, fine green jadeite is almost always the most expensive.

After that, both lavender jade and ice jade, which is colorless and can have an adularescence similar to moonstone, are becoming very popular and have been increasing in price. Red jade also has been gaining awareness and popularity over the last five to six years.

Schluessel described the difference in demand that he’s seeing among colors as such: Buyers are actively requesting fine green jadeite from him and go looking for it on purpose. Meanwhile, lavender jade might be something that they happen upon and end up liking and buying, but the request is not as active.

So, despite the higher price tags, fine green jadeite continues to be coveted. It is even seeing record prices at auction these days.

Last April, a jadeite bead necklace with a Cartier clasp sold for $27.4 million at Sotheby’s, crushing its pre-sale high estimate of $12 million and setting a new world record for any jadeite jewelry and Cartier jewel sold at auction.

Called the Hutton-Mdivani necklace, the piece boasts 27 jadeite beads of “magnificent green color, excellent translucency, extremely fine texture and majestic proportions,” according to Sotheby’s, ranging in size from 15.40 to 19.20 mm.

The question of supply in the international market continues to drive the price of fine jadeite high, and the main group who’s willing to pay those prices these days are Chinese buyers.

Not only has jade long been a part of Chinese tradition, but the rising upper class in the country has brought about a consumer segment willing to spend on luxury items, and they make up the strongest buying group currently when it comes to fine jadeite.

The necessary education
Interest in jadeite also has increased notably in Western markets over the past few years, especially as buyers start to learn more about the gemstone.

Designer Nikolai Tsang of Jade by Nikolai said that she’s seen a lot more education behind jadeite in the last five years, adding that she’s noticed a big difference in buyers’ knowledge levels about the gemstone at the last two AGTA shows in Tucson.

The majority of her demand comes from Western markets, which Tsang thinks could be because she’s stepped away from the more traditional flat, smooth designs to give her creations an updated look with 3D carvings so that people can really see the characteristics of the jadeite.

“The more contemporary look really speaks to the U.S. buyers,” Tsang said.

In addition to making sure that buyers understand what’s out there and the difference between the types of jadeite, another issue that has come up in the market surrounds treatments and disclosure, or, rather, the lack of it, Mason said.

He estimates that a majority of the jadeite supply that was coming into the United States before the ban had been treated in some way.

“As long as you disclose it, there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. “But since there’s not a lot of knowledge (about the gem), there can be a lot of deceit. And sometimes it’s not deceit, it’s just that the source didn’t know it was even treated in the first place.”

This latter situation is much more common in the estate jadeite market, where pieces have been handed down and the original information about the gem and its quality gets lots somewhere in the transitions.

Though it might be less of a problem at the high end, where not much is needed to enhance those stones, treatments can have a substantial impact on what jadeite is worth.

An example Schluessel gave is a cabochon non-treated piece of Imperial jade--highly saturated green jadeite that is semi-transparent--which could be valued at around $1 million or more for a 20x13 mm piece in its natural state. If treated, it could end up being worth just $5.

“As soon as it’s treated, the value plummets,” he said.

 
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