Ying Yu Jade
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Last day for End of the Month Sale is October 31. Save on jade bangles, and/or something on your wish list. Click here for details. October 30
Jade Trivia:
In some countries its rubies, others diamonds, but in China jade is the
most precious of gems.
Jade is loosely understood in China as the collective name for most precious stones, and jade carving in this sense constitutes an important part of Chinese arts and crafts.
Crude jade tools have been found among the archaeological finds dating back to the New Stone Age. There is, however, no evidence to indicate that neolithic people attached a great value to jade ware; they chose jade only because it was hard and good for making tools and fighting weapons.
As time went on, people came gradually to appreciate the beauty of the stone, which after carving and polishing might be turned into things not only useful but also nice to look at.
"There is a price for gold but no price for jade", says a Chinese proverb. Jade ware is often described as "worth a string of towns". An ancient story tells how King Zhao of Qin once offered 15 towns in exchange for the another's round jade.
What are the two characteristics that make jade so valuable?
A. Beauty and coldness;
B. Re-sale value and color;
C. Scarcity and hardness;
D. Transformability and opacity
ANSWERS:
If you answered C you should consider becoming a gem dealer! Jade is prized
for its scarcity and hardness.
Jade is very difficult to extract
from nature, especially green and white jade. Ancient people on a treasure
hunt had to trek on the back of yaks in mountainous regions to get at
the rocks containing the gems, exposed or half exposed, by the stamping
of the animal's hoofs.
October 28
Our last day of "visitation", I forget my USB cord for my camera, so readers won't get bored looking at my family photos. We fly home tomorrow. And we need to warm up as the weather is so cold it was spitting snow here in Pittsburgh today. I wore a high energy jade bangle for the trip, to keep my body balanced in this cold weather we are unaccustomed to. I wore a softer, more peaceful jade the last few weeks, but this dark "modern" jade splotches were wonderful energy. Tuesdays Daily Special is a fine grained high quality jadeite bangle, one that will become prettier and brighter as you wear it. A jade bangle that color is more flexible for traveling, "goes" with all your outfits, better than the one I'm wearing. It's an old photo with my old camera, it's much prettier than the photo shows. Oct 27
Friday's "Fabulous" Daily Special is a light green old mine lao pit jadeite bange in a larger size. Old mine lao pit jadeite is the best quality of jade because it is fine grained, has a high chime, and lots of "flowering" in the pattern that shows off the jade stone. This jade is precious, and rarely made in the larger sizes, usually only smaller "Chinese size", so this jade bangle is a great bargain at it's regular price, and a fabulous bargain with the discount. The Special will end earlier than usual, because we are leaving for a few days and will update the web site before we leave. If you wear a large size jade bangle, this is a "no brainer", a great gift if you don't wear this size, so grab it while you can. Oct 23
We're going "north" to visit our families for a few days. It's not a real vacation, it doesn't feel like a vacation because being the "big sister" I do a lot of work, seems like I'm always cooking! We call it "visitation" instead of vacation. If you need an order shipped, please place it by 6 PM EST on Friday, orders placed after Friday evening will be shipped when we return October 28. No, it's not really a long enough time to visit family, but will be ashort and sweet visitation! October 21
Some of us love
our jade bangles so much that if they crack, we will figure out a way
to repair it so we can continue to wear it. Last month I showed a photo
of a wire wrapped jade pendant from Val, and she unfortunately has a cracked
jade bangle. But being a jeweler, she wire wrapped the "injured"
area and fixed so it looks great, and feels good to wear again. She is
so clever! October 20
I stayed up all night to get the work done to get certified for the credit card companies, that my web sites are "safe" to use your credit card for payment. I didn't have to change anything, the site has always been safe, but I had to "prove" it by figuring out how they wanted the information recorded, what to document, blah blah blah, pay their outrageous fee for the service, and then allow them to scan my sites to determine their safety. I don't know if I get a logo to display. Now I can get back to what I really care about, the jade! If you like the old river jade, you will love the goldfish carvings, although the seller didn't know the origin of the jade, I do! It has those honey/hong colors that come from river minerals in the jade. I realize these are worth more than the price listed, but I want them to get good homes instead of sit in a cupboard. October 19
I feel really "behind" in getting everything done. I've sold a lot of jade recently, and I know I'm behind in getting products and photos replaced. There are so many things small business owners need to do to stay in business, from the new security compliance for credit card sales, to getting taxes completed. And I'm trying to get all my new "holiday" products purchased and delivered. My shipment from China that I expected this month is delayed until early November. I went to a gem trade show yesterday, and purchased some jade carvings from one of my favorite jade sellers, as well as some other things and really want to get them photographed and listed. It takes about an hour to get a good photo and list a product, adding it to the web site, then the shopping cart system, then linking everything up. When you read the Policies about the high restocking fee for returned products, it's because it is costly and time consuming to list each item, and relist any returned item. Most of Ying Yu Jade items are one-of-a-kind. I've seen some jade bangles on web sites that have more than one, and when you sell color enhanced jade, you can have more than one that looks the same, but natural color is going to be one-of-a-kind and one only. So, do watch for new items, maybe some this week, but certainly in November. AND with the new security policies for credit cards, you can be assured your payments are safe. October 17
Friday's daily special is a fabulous vintage jade bangle, really wide for a "cuff" of jade. It's so pretty and rare and could be in a museum, but it's also very wear-able, substantial. It is rare to offer one at a discount, a Daily Special. I collect only very good quality vintage jade, I sell only what I would wear, so you are getting beautiful jade when you purchase from the vintage section, wonderful to collect AND wear. October 16
I sold a really nice quality large carved jadeite bangle today, and was looking for another one to replace it. I found a smaller one that is truly wonderfully carved. This jade bangle has a very traditional soft green translucent color, and translucence is rare in genuine jadeite that is carved. When I was closely examining it to see what the carving is, I was so surprised to see how nicely the carving was done. You can tell it's standard pattern carved, as each carving is extremely detailed. There's a small flower carved with a little stamen, a nice rat/mouse, immortal lotus plant, and other small carvings which is called "ruyi" pattern. My buyer notes indicated I paid a high price for it several years ago, and I thought it was a mistake until I looked closely at it. The carving is nicely polished off, also, so you can wear it without worrying about it getting chipped. Sometimes I come across truly unique well-done craftsmanship, and although the photo hardly captures it accurately, this is a jade bangle you do not want to miss if it is in you size. October 15
My Chinese jade supplier is getting my shipment ready. I am purchasing the old river jade bangles, ben wa balls, rollers, gua sha tools and jade eggs for kegel exercise, as well as a few other things. These items are made from China's National Jade, which for the most part is from government owned mines. As the economy in China is becoming more capitalistic, the government is turning businesses that were government owned to private owners. This means that the price of jade is going to rise. My supplier told me that businesses who buy this jade are buying up huge pieces of rough while the price is still government controlled. The thought of Ying Yu Jade purchasing huge amounts of rough is beyond my ability to handle! I am sure it would be a disaster, so I'm just going to have to deal with the rising prices. It's amazing how "communist China" is now really a haven for capitalist ventures. China focuses on nationalism, domestic policies, and their economy is certainly one of the fastest growing in the world. When I write that jade is an investment, it is true, the price will only go up. October 14
Thanks for your
feedback. Most readers commented that there are already many jade bangles
to look at and more aren't necessary, but those who would like a more
unique high end jade bangle would pay the price to own something really
special. Chinese sellers often think we are all "rich Americans"
and this one doesn't want to even "bargain" with me on price,
so I'll wait awhile, see what happens. I don't think there are many jade
sellers willing to add expensive new inventory to their business during
these harsh economic times. I didn't even send out a monthly newsletter
this month, not wanting to join the hoards of internet companies who overload
email boxes with "buy buy buy" messages. You know where to find
Ying Yu Jade, and you know jade has good value here, there is no sales
pressure.
October 12
A gf and I went to Southern Womens Show today. It's a large show for women with lots of vendors selling things of interest to women, services of interest, food samples. I have attended every year since we've lived in Florida, so this was my fourth time. We had a great time, got mini massages, samples, snacks. I looked for some of my favorite sellers of hand crafted jewelry, but none of them were there. Lots of China made jewelry, handbags, but nothing really "spectacular" to buy. Perhaps its a symptom of the economy, the good stuff that is more expensive being pushed out by the cheaper "junk". I would rather not buy anything and use my money for one really nice item. I'm trying to decide about purchasing some very expensive carved jade bangle bracelets, very different from anything I've seen sold, but cost at least 15 times more than what I usually spend on a jade bangle, and therefore if I priced them accordingly, they would be in the $3000-5000 price range. I hesitate because I see how the people who sell really unique items have been pushed out of the market. And if I spend my "jade budget" on these, it means that I can buyer fewer of the "regular" jade bangles, the kind I sell the most. So feedback time, dear readers. What do you think? You are the buyers, and I want to offer the kind of jade you want to buy. Sorry I don't have photos of these, jade is difficult to photograph and the sample photos are quite awful. October 9
A friend wrote to me about her jade bangle cracking. She noticed that her wrist was hurting "like a toothache" and when she took off her jade bangle, she saw a big crack in it. We discussed how people wear jade for protection, and the jade protects by taking an injury to spare the person who wears it. She described an emotionally dysfunctional person at her work, and how she deals with her by avoiding her, and wondered if perhaps the negative qi caused her bangle to take the "blow" instead of her. Other readers have written to me and shared similar stories, from having a nasty accident and the jade getting a crack but the person was safe, to more non-physical protection from their jade. Jade is an amazing gemstone, with much Chinese lore attached to it. Of course we hate it when our jade gets damaged, but better the jade than our bodies. October 8
If you made an offer yesterday, you probably got the best "deal" of the year. I even got two offers from people living in China! Beautiful, natural high quality jade and jadeite at really, really good prices. I am aware of what retail prices for jade is at jade shops, "jade factory" tourist rip-off stops tours, and try to keep my prices slightly under Chinese retail prices. Plus, Ying Yu Jade offers fast shipping, and responsive customer service, regardless of where you live. If you missed out on "make an offer day", the next one will probably be after Christmas so you can spend your Christmas money on something you really want. (P.S. Established customers are always welcome to make an offer) October 7
There is a Chinese saying, "Diamonds and gold have a price, but jade has no price", which means the price of jade is not fixed per weight and size as is gold, diamonds. There are NO PRICES at the wholesale jade markets, which means I "bargain" for every piece I buy. Today and Monday you can make your best offer on jade bangles or other jade regular price $250+. Internet offers only, there is a link to a form that includes tips for making an offer. "Make and Offer" day occurs every three or four months, so now is your chance to make your best offer on jade your have been waiting for. Sept 5
At least once every week, I get asked if it's OK to wear more than one jade bangle at the same time. The answer is yes, of course. In fact, Ying Yu Jade offers "sister sets", a smooth and carved jade bangle closely matched and the same size. Sometimes we have two or more favorite jade bangles that are pretty, or give us the energy we need. Sometimes we enjoy hearing two or more jade bangles "clink" together. If you do wear more than one jade bangle, be careful that they don't clink together too much. Occasionally someone asks me to wear a jade bangle to see how it feels energetically, so I wear it along with my regular jade bangle, as I always wear a jade bangle. I have small 24k Asian gold bangles that I wear as "spacers" because I am active, and I really like the look of jade and gold together. If you would like to see photos and read more about this, click here. I purchased some good quality gold tones "bamboo" bangles at a trade show last weekend. I have purchased from the seller in the past, and the jewelry is very nice and weara well, none of mine has lost it's gold. I'm offering them as the Weekend Special. I've experimented with them and they look good with jade bangles sizes 57-65mm. Of course, you can wear them by themselves, two sounds good together. I purchased only a few, if you like them I will get more at the next trade show. October 4
There wasn't any remodeling progress today because no one showed up to do the work! My husband, bless his heart, did as much as he could and I crawled around helping to get some plumbing connected. We finished the linen closet, which will be a linen closet later but right now is a shipping supply storage closet, and got some things put away. Found my camera's battery charger, and took a couple of photos. The Daily Special is one of the old river Chinese jade that gets its beautiful natural color from minerals. They are usually 59-63mm, a little thicker and wider than the other jade bangles, and quite spectacular. If you like colorful jade, and a big "look" which is popular now, these jade bangles are a good choice. They are perfect for autumn and winter, and just looking at it while you wear it will cheer you up as the weather turns into winter. October 3
We've been doing some remodeling, and the two week anticipated time is of course taking longer, we're going into our fourth week. I've reached the point of not being able to get to my "things", which includes Ying Yu Jade business things, like inventory and packing and shipping material. So please pardon some of the packaging you might get your items in. Some of it is whatever I can pull out when I reach my hand through the stacks of "stuff" waiting to go into drawers and shelves that haven't been completed. What a mess! Tomorrow I might hide everyone's truck keys so no one can leave until they finish up. And my husband and I have been helping, doing the painting, installing some of the shelving, doors and hardware, hoping they can get done faster. I haven't replaced items that have sold, the jade bangles, Ming pottery shards, hollow carved bottles, and other inventory, but as soon as I can get to my camera's battery charger, I can take photos again. Even though you don't physically come into my "store", the remodeling chaos is affecting my customer service. Can you smell a little construction dust? October 2
The
Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade complete
October newsletter is available online now, click here. This month
features Chinese medicine wellness information for October regarding balance
of body, mind and spirit. There is information about what kind of jade
to wear this month if you wear jade for your health, and more.
October 1
