Readers have asked what is a good jade to wear on New Years Eve, or for the New Year, and Chinese New Year. I'm wearing a "little black dress" on NYE and will take out my special "fu lu shou" carved jadeite bangle AND a coordinating smooth fu lu shou jadeite bangle. The three color classic fu lu shou pattern and words are the names for the Chinese gods of happiness, luck and wealth, and longevity. And of course they are beautiful, very special to wear.They really stand out with the little black dress and I will have fun wearing them. December 30

Today's special is a very good energy jade to wear in winter. It has some gorgeous green veins on creamy white, and white is the qi energy color of the lung meridian, which is vulnerable in cold weather. Sometimes bad things happen to good jade, and this has a couple of small surface cracks but they don't extend into the jade bangle. It's clearance price AND has the Daily Special discount on it, so a great buy for this time of year. December 28

I've been "hoarding" a jade bangle that I've enjoyed looking at and listening to. It's an old mine "lao pit" jadeite with a high chime. After I wrote about "chime", several readers responded that chime is one of the qualities of jade bangles they like best, and a feature that attracts them to the jade. BB2388 didn't want to photograph well in the bright daylight when the photo was taken. I think it's "yin" nature didn't like the brighter light. I've tried to get photos of it several times over the past few months that really show it off, and that's a reason I decided I should hoard it, keep it in my personal collection. But it's listed now, I can share! Sometimes after a Daily Special doesn't sell, a customer will ask if they can get it at the Daily Special price even though it has its regular price. One of the reasons we offer a Daily Special price on a new item is because we haven't done all the work required to get it on the web page and in its own category. There's a lot of work and cost goes into getting the photo, putting it on the web page, adding it to the automated shopping cart system with all the information and links to the product page, and linking it all up so you can buy it. A new listing as a Daily Special hasn't been completely integrated into the web site, so if it's purchased we don't have to do all the work and costs involved, and pass that on to you. So if you think you like something, and it's on Daily Special, get it will it's got a great price because even if it becomes a Daily Special later on, it won't ever have that Preview Price. December 26

Best wishes to all the Blog readers for a very happy Christmas. December 24

A friend stopped by yesterday while I was working with the new jadeite bangles that are listed this week and when she walked in my work room, she commented that she thought I was doing something with crystal glassware because she heard the "clinking" of the jade bangles together as I was putting them in their wrappers. That "clinking" is the "chime" of fine grain jadeite stone, and that's one of the reasons it's so fun to work with jade. High quality jade sounds wonderful, it's actually very therapeutic to me as I work with it. I get the energy of the jade stone, as well as the energy of the sound of the chime. And that's why some women love to wear two jade bangles on the same wrist, because they love the "chime". If your jade is natural color, hasn't been bleached and especially if it is one of those described as "substantial amount of jade", they will be fine together, because they haven't been bleached with acid to remove color, which makes jade stone brittle. So enjoy the wonderful "chime" of your jade during this holiday season. December 20

I've been getting emails from some of you who see that jade bangles have been marked "sold" but no new ones added to take their place! It's afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas! I first got all the orders received ready to ship tomorrow. I take all photos in natural daylight and the light was really good so I got some photos of new bangles and a pendant taken, cropped and ready for the web sites. A girlfriend stopped by to see why I hadn't made an appearance today, and saw me in my pj's and started laughing because although I look a mess, I had an elegant jade bangle on my wrist. I'm thrilled to be caught up, and put a classic round jadeite bangle on the Daily Special at a ridiculously low price, I must be euphoric today! Hope you all have the holiday spirit, too. Watch for some new jade bangles as Daily Specials early this week. And I promise to get your orders out fast (but I can't control how slowly the mail is being delivered :) December 18

In the "tourist market" in Asia, any green stone is often called "jade", but if you ask if it is "real jade" then the seller might pull out some real jade. Regarding yesterday's blog about the very green stone that is not jade, one of the "jades" that is popular in Asia, and in the western world, is "malay jade". And to complicate matters, there is natural malay jade, and dyed malay jade. "Malay jade" is actually quartzite. The deep green is usually dyed, but the natural quartzite is very beautiful and looks very natural. I keep a bangle of each, dyed and natural quartzite, in my display area so I can compare them when I am trying to identify a green stone of some sort. In fact, the malay jade has such a beautiful and natural appearance that it is often sold as jadeite. In China, I have seen malay jade getting fake certificates to be sold as "grade A with certificate Burmese jadeite". At least malay jade isn't made in one of the "glass jade bangle machines"! December 16

I was contacted today by a supplier in China who wanted to sell me a machine that makes glass "jade bangles". He commented that I could make a much bigger profit, sell more and charge less by selling glass as jade or jadeite. He told me that was the newest method in China to make jade bangle bracelets, and that "everyone in China" was selling these kind of jade bangles now. I had received a few comments from potential jade buyers asking me why our prices were so high because the cost of jade bangles had gone down. One lady told me she was able to buy a beautiful clear and translucent jade bangle for $10, similar to what I might sell for $500. Well, now I know why. Those glass "jade bangle makers" do make a beautiful bangle, and you can get a gorgeous green color, very translucent bangle out of them. I was in a Vietnamese nail salon recently and there was a small display of very green jade bangles at very cheap prices and when I touched one I thought it looked and felt like glass, but the Vietnamese woman assured me they were very valuable, supplied by her brother in Vietnam, and much better than the "cheap" jade bangle I was wearing. I think there are a lot of women wearing "jade bangles" that aren't jade, and a reason I think that is sometimes I get a comment from a first time customer that the jade she purchased from me doesn't look anything like her other jade bangles and she wondered if YYJ's were fake because they looked like "stone" and not glass" Now I understand, yes I do. Hope you do, too. December 15

I received an email from a jade loving lady in Venezuala who has a set of Chinese jade bangle bracelets purchased in China that she cherished. She took them to a prestigious jeweler in Caracas who told her they were not jade, not even serpentine (Chinese jade is NOT serpentine), and were "worthless to own". She was very upset to hear this because she loves wearing them, appreciating a part of Chinese culture. Jewlers are the last people to ask about your Chinese jade! It's not graded A, B and C like Burmese jadeite is, so it is not considered "gem quality". Outside of USA and other western countries that have embargos on Burmese jadeite, the only jade that is sold in jewelry stores is the jadeite. But in China, especially in Beijing and north, and the western China, the Chinese jade is very cherished because it is China's national jade and has been the kind of jade Chinese people have worn for centuries, before jadeite was introduced in the 20th century. High end shopping areas in Bejing sell this kind of jade to "locals" and I have often seen young women with their boyfriend being thrilled to purchase a lovely Chinese jade bangle bracelet as an engagement present. (By the way, the "jade factories" you might go to on your China trips are for foreigners only, and no respecting Chinese person would be caught dead in one of them, with their low quality color treated and pricey jades.) So enjoy your Chinese jade bangle bracelets. They are still a traditional and cherished jade worn by Chinese women, in and outside of China. December 11

The mail has been moving extremely slow the last couple of weeks. EMS express international mail usually arrives in 5 business days and it's taking two weeks. Domestic priority mail usually takes 2-3 days and is taking a week. First class mail can sometimes be faster than priority mail when I use the small bubble mailers, but has been taking a week or more. Some first class mail is taking 2 weeks! So keep that in mind when you are placing orders for gifts. Personally, I am getting all my gifts to family and friends packed and ready to ship on Monday, and will get my holiday cards done as soon as I can. The USPS has cut back so much and closed sites, and we are really experiencing the results now. December 9

I received an email from a woman who broke her jade bangle and was looking for a replacement. We discussed several jade bangles, helping her choose one that she liked. One of the questions she asked was if it would change color like her broken jade bangle did, that went from a soft lavender and green to almost clear white. That let me know she had had a C grade jadeite bangle. The jadeite was bleached with acid to remove what was probably a gray and spotty natural color, then color treated. The acid bleaching makes the jade stone brittle which makes it easier to break. And poorly applied color will fade over time. Natural jadeite does not change color. It will look brighter as you wear it, and some of the softer hues and veins will look more prominent as your body qi and body heat affect it. But the actual dramatic color change, losing all the coloring, is not a characteristic of natural jade.
December 7

In the spirit of giving, I am going to make a donation to an organization that helps women who are looking for jobs prepare for job interviews. They also provide professional clothing, and I have two bags of clothing I collected that I will donate on Wednesday. When I was looking at outfit options, I thought about how nice they would look accessorized with one of our hand knit scarves. A scarf would not only make the outfit look more fashionable, but add some joy and confidence to the woman who will wear it. For every scarf purchased through Wednesday, I will donate a scarf to the organization. Your scarf purchase will not only make a great gift for someone on your holiday list (or yourself!), but will also help a woman who is job seeking this winter. December 4

Do you ever wonder why we feel more comfortable when our lives our orderly? Why it bothers us when the house is messy. Or when we make up the bed, why we go back and straighten up the quilt so it hangs evenly. Or why when we add an accessory to our home it gives us a sense of pleasure. Or why we think we need a new jade bangle bracelet. It's the energy we are experiencing from everything in our lives, and that's the basis of feng shui which is part of the Dao, being in harmony with nature. When everything is in harmony, we feel good. When our jade qi is compatible with our body wi, we feel good. You don't have to know all the details about feng shui, and sometimes the more you read about it, the more you get confused which is the exact opposite of what feng shui is supposed to accomplish. Be still, get a "feel" for your surroundings, and trust your instincts to make a change to cause a better energy flow and feel. Everything on our web site is related to feng shui, whether it's for your body or your surroundings. It makes you feel good. December 3

Happy December! My email boxes have been filled almost daily with special offers from online companies I have previously purchased from, and some of them are welcome, most are annoying because I am suspicious of "regular prices" when there are "sales" every day. The Ying Yu Jade email list has been around for almost 10 years and there are lots of old and no longer existent emails on it, so I am going to collect emails again because some of you want to get special offers and coupons from Ying Yu jade. I promise to send one out every month, not more than two, and you will get coupons only available to mailing list customers. If you would like to be on the mailing, here's an easy form to complete and submit, click here

The Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade complete December newsletter is available online now, click here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for December 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. December 1

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