The JADE thread!

[2boys_jademommy]

I think 2boys_jademommy was right about the interchangeability of the terms glassy and icy. Icy jadeite, however, is the more common term because most jadeite products available on the market now are from waxy-icy (冰糯) to high-icy (高冰). A piece of jadeite can only be called "glassy" if and only if you can place the jade on a piece of newspaper and still be able to literally see the letters behind the jade. Notice I said "see" but not "read." This is because for floating-green glassy jadeite 8mm thick or above, you can only merely make out the general shapes of the letters, but not clearly enough to be able to "read" the text.

As for nephrite jade, I think green nephrite is in vogue nowadays. Green Russian nephrite is generally better than Canadian nephrite. For white nephrite, however, the best comes from Hetian in Xinjiang of China. Hence the name Hetian jade.

For many foreign jade lovers, jadeite has a more intrinsic beauty in itself. For Chinese Jade lovers, Hetian jade has cultural-historical value--one that is over 7000 years old. Jadeite rewards the eye with its watery, glassy sheen. Hetian jade rewards the touch with its soft-and-smooth-as-baby-skin feel. Jadeite has many colors (even on the same piece) for the artist-carvers to explore and put to great artistic use. Hetian jade forces the artist-carvers to embrace strict conventions and formalism. In short, it's a modernity versus antiquity sort of case.

Just a warning though, trying to buy the real Hetian jade (meaning jade mined in Hetian) is a brave attempt. There's hardly any official methods to verify origin. Testing centers in China will unscrupulously put "Hetian jade" on any kinds of white nephrite (whether they come from Hetian, Russia, Korea, or Qinghai). Sellers use this ambiguity to trick buyers, telling them the jade is from Hetian to inflate prices. However, that doesn't mean all hopes are lost. I am now doing research on reliable Hetian jade sellers. I will keep you guys updated if anyone is interested.

Thank you Henry James for that wealth of information. Really enjoyed reading your post
A lot of sellers do use the word Hetian to inflate the cost of nephrite regardless of where the stone came from. Same as saying jadeite is from Burma regardless of its origin. I believe though that the Nephrite from Siberia has been gaining much recognition and respect for its beauty in recent years.

 

[Silver Mom]

I think 2boys_jademommy was right about the interchangeability of the terms glassy and icy. Icy jadeite, however, is the more common term because most jadeite products available on the market now are from waxy-icy (冰糯) to high-icy (高冰). A piece of jadeite can only be called "glassy" if and only if you can place the jade on a piece of newspaper and still be able to literally see the letters behind the jade. Notice I said "see" but not "read." This is because for floating-green glassy jadeite 8mm thick or above, you can only merely make out the general shapes of the letters, but not clearly enough to be able to "read" the text.

As for nephrite jade, I think green nephrite is in vogue nowadays. Green Russian nephrite is generally better than Canadian nephrite. For white nephrite, however, the best comes from Hetian in Xinjiang of China. Hence the name Hetian jade.

For many foreign jade lovers, jadeite has a more intrinsic beauty in itself. For Chinese Jade lovers, Hetian jade has cultural-historical value--one that is over 7000 years old. Jadeite rewards the eye with its watery, glassy sheen. Hetian jade rewards the touch with its soft-and-smooth-as-baby-skin feel. Jadeite has many colors (even on the same piece) for the artist-carvers to explore and put to great artistic use. Hetian jade forces the artist-carvers to embrace strict conventions and formalism. In short, it's a modernity versus antiquity sort of case.

Just a warning though, trying to buy the real Hetian jade (meaning jade mined in Hetian) is a brave attempt. There's hardly any official methods to verify origin. Testing centers in China will unscrupulously put "Hetian jade" on any kinds of white nephrite (whether they come from Hetian, Russia, Korea, or Qinghai). Sellers use this ambiguity to trick buyers, telling them the jade is from Hetian to inflate prices. However, that doesn't mean all hopes are lost. I am now doing research on reliable Hetian jade sellers. I will keep you guys updated if anyone is interested.

Thank you so much for this detailed and informative post. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing Henry.

 

[JadedJae]

View attachment 3520671

Valuable information! Thank you!
I went on taobao and was intrigued with this page. Do please translate for all of us jade lovers....

I'm gonna give it a try (I'm Singaporean Chinese but most of my Mandarin's quite rusty haha):

The top row identifies four different general jade classifications from left to right namely the glassy type (玻璃种), icy type (冰种), waxy type (糯种), and bean type (豆种).

The middle row basically describes the texture from very fine to coarse (grain from <0.1mm to >1mm).

The bottom row is per what Henry James has decribed, far right describes the "foreign particles" seeping in to visually affect the colour of the jade (绺有明显的外部侵入形成杂色). The second one is describing how cracks severely affects the quality of the jade (裂 , 翡翠较为严重的瑕疵 ). The third box refers to veins or patterns that affect the outward appearance of the jade (颜色或结构上的差异影响美观). The last box described the natural occurring inner cotton threads / cloudy inclusions as a characteristic (原生内部特征棉线棉絮状).

 

[JadedJae]

Hi JadedJae, I have not purchased from the sellers you listed. Nor can I with any confidence comment on their cost and service. However, I do advise that when you purchase from the sellers in Guangdong or Guangzhou, you should ask for certificates issued by reliable testing centers such as ZhongGong. If you buy from Beijing sellers, you should ask for certificates issued by Beijing university jade testing lab. Any jade certificates with the barcodes on them not working will prove the certificates to be fake. If you happen to buy from Taiwanese sellers, the matter will be different but no less complex.

Buying jade from big companies costs the most money. Their jade may be of the same quality as that of normal sellers, but the price difference is huge! That, however, doesn't mean buying from less popular sellers will save you money. As in the case of Ultimate Jadeite and JoJo, I find their products notoriously overpriced. Of course, you'd have to admit that (and allow for the fact that) they are pioneers in selling jade online. However, seeing so many foreign customers fleeced by Ultimate Jadeite and JoJo, I cannot help but feel I have an obligation to point out to them that the jade is overpriced. Whether they still buy or not is entirely of their own volition. After all, it's not about how much you can pay to get jade. It's about how much sentiment, culture, love, and joy you can attach to your piece of jade.

Hi Henry James,

Thanks for confirming regarding the Taobao sellers - i would have been quite surprised if you did purchase and got really good deals there I personally only purchase low-ticket items on Taobao and would surely be hesitant to buy jade unless someone else has prior purchase experience with any of them

 

[Henry James]

Hi Henry James,

Thanks for confirming regarding the Taobao sellers - i would have been quite surprised if you did purchase and got really good deals there I personally only purchase low-ticket items on Taobao and would surely be hesitant to buy jade unless someone else has prior purchase experience with any of them

Hi JadedJae, actually, I did purchase 4 times on Taobao and get good deals there. However, I purchased through Taobao agents, who charged me 10% value of the item for service fee. The most expensive jade I bought there was about 5500 RMB. It was a good deal (see the attached pictures).

Before I purchased, I did contact the sellers via Wechat and asked them many questions (many times). Ha ha, I feel quite guilty now, looking back. But I employed so many ways to check the sellers, asking them questions without end, such as "is this ok?" "is this grade A?" "can I return items within 72 hours?" "is this jade good?" "is that jade bad?" "I think this is not so, this is not "高冰" yet" etc. I did that many days, weeks, months before I actually placed the order. Haha. Not sure how they felf. But had I been the seller, I would have been exhausted by then. Surprisingly, one seller and I became good friends on Wechat. And even though I don't buy from her anymore now, we still chat daily.

 

[JadedJae]

Hi JadedJae, actually, I did purchase 4 times on Taobao and get good deals there. However, I purchased through Taobao agents, who charged me 10% value of the item for service fee. The most expensive jade I bought there was about 5500 RMB. It was a good deal (see the attached pictures).

Before I purchased, I did contact the sellers via Wechat and asked them many questions (many times). Ha ha, I feel quite guilty now, looking back. But I employed so many ways to check the sellers, asking them questions without end, such as "is this ok?" "is this grade A?" "can I return items within 72 hours?" "is this jade good?" "is that jade bad?" "I think this is not so, this is not "高冰" yet" etc. I did that many days, weeks, months before I actually placed the order. Haha. Not sure how they felf. But had I been the seller, I would have been exhausted by then. Surprisingly, one seller and I became good friends on Wechat. And even though I don't buy from her anymore now, we still chat daily.

Wow, this piece looks amazing! Seems very 高冰 to my very inexperienced eye and the translucence is amazing... Well I'm sure the sellers that actually take the time to explain and answer questions are the most reliable as they understand that they need to have the patience with genuine buyers and to build the trust and assurance too.. after all online buying is so much more difficult than buying in person where you can see and touch the actual piece of jade.

That Guan Yin piece is just ethereal

 

[JadedJae]

Hi all,

Was thinking of getting the below two pieces but wanted to get some thoughts on an approximate price (assuming both are indeed grade A with slight inclusions, relatively translucent, no cracks) - I know cost and value are two very different things but just wanted to hear any thoughts from Jadies here

Much appreciated!

 

[Silver Mom]

Hi all,

Was thinking of getting the below two pieces but wanted to get some thoughts on an approximate price (assuming both are indeed grade A with slight inclusions, relatively translucent, no cracks) - I know cost and value are two very different things but just wanted to hear any thoughts from Jadies here

Much appreciated!

Assuming that they are both Grade A, I would be happy with either. Both very beautiful. It is very hard to put a price value on jade because every seller can charge whatever someone is willing to pay so there is no standard that we can fall back on. I have seen huge price differences from each and every seller on comprable pieces. Wish I could be more helpful but even amongst the sellers I know there would be huge differences in price.

 

[JadedJae]

Assuming that they are both Grade A, I would be happy with either. Both very beautiful. It is very hard to put a price value on jade because every seller can charge whatever someone is willing to pay so there is no standard that we can fall back on. I have seen huge price differences from each and every seller on comprable pieces. Wish I could be more helpful but even amongst the sellers I know there would be huge differences in price.

A very valid point, Silver Mom! I was just hoping for some opinions and praying that I don't end up buying both... Haha

 

[2boys_jademommy]

Hi all,

Was thinking of getting the below two pieces but wanted to get some thoughts on an approximate price (assuming both are indeed grade A with slight inclusions, relatively translucent, no cracks) - I know cost and value are two very different things but just wanted to hear any thoughts from Jadies here

Much appreciated!

They are both gorgeous!! Very different looks though...The first one is a classic. Very feminine and I love the fresh green colour. It is timeless. The second one is more modern and has a spunky fun personality to it with the swirls of darker green. Which calls to you more?
Are you getting both or trying to just buy one?

 

[Silver Mom]

A very valid point, Silver Mom! I was just hoping for some opinions and praying that I don't end up buying both... Haha

LOL Just buy both. They are both beautiful.

 

[Henry James]

Hi all,

Was thinking of getting the below two pieces but wanted to get some thoughts on an approximate price (assuming both are indeed grade A with slight inclusions, relatively translucent, no cracks) - I know cost and value are two very different things but just wanted to hear any thoughts from Jadies here

Much appreciated!

If I were you, I would buy the latter.

 

[JadedJae]

Hehe thanks Silver Mom, jademommy and Henry James! I'm meeting the seller on Friday and shes gonna bring both pieces as well as a few others around my budget.. I'm currently leaning towards the "moss in snow" piece but who knows what will happen when you see them all will definitely share pics after!

 

[2boys_jademommy]

Hehe thanks Silver Mom, jademommy and Henry James! I'm meeting the seller on Friday and shes gonna bring both pieces as well as a few others around my budget.. I'm currently leaning towards the "moss in snow" piece but who knows what will happen when you see them all will definitely share pics after!

How exciting! Please let us know what you choose The fit and feel of the bangle will help with your decision along with the look of course. Keep us posted

 

[JadedJae]

Hey Jadies!

I actually met the seller today instead as we were both available and guess what I ended up with??



Didn't expect the seller to bring along a translucent light lavender bangle in my size but she did and i simply couldn't resist... she did highlight that this piece had many darker lavender veins (in first photo below) and the inner surface has a pretty long visible vein(?) which she says is not a crack - in my opinion it may be a healed internal fracture but the surface is completely smooth when i ran my fingernail over it:



As for the icy "moss in snow" piece, it is relatively thicker/much heavier and chimes lower than the lavender one (though the sound still resonates).

I'm seriously hoping that its grade A and not some mixture of glass (does glass chime lower?) as its really seemed quite a steal for the price I paid. Might take it to NGI to get it tested if it continues to bug me :/

That aside, I ABSOLUTELY fell in love at first sight and just had to have it! I took a side shot to show the moss veins and how they seem to be spaced out perfectly in a triangle.. Sharing some initial pics and will send mod pics in daylight when I get a chance



Sorry for the super long post but I'm just terribly excited and wanted to hear your thoughts / opinions, especially on my concerns and if theres any validity in them :/ thanks so much!