A new contest-click here to vote

Today I received an order from a director of the Tyra Banks Show for three jade rollers. The jade rollers are becoming more popular. I've sold hundreds of them, either one-by-one or in small wholesale lots, and often with the "frown ease" pad. I've consulted with Dr. Charles Li about making the heat pad more beneficial and he advised me which Chinese herbs to put in them, and he entered the contest about what to do with broken jade bangles, crush the pieces and use them in the pads, and in the Chinese medicine pillows. Thursday I'll have the contest feedback and you can vote on the results. Also, for Leap Year we're having "make an offer" sale, if you've had your eye on a special jade bangle, or you want to purchase more than one item and wish you could get a discount. Click on the feedback "earth" to make your offer February 29-March 1. February 28

My list of what I want to buy gets longer every day. I'm not taking special requests, although mostly people ask for dragon pendants. I personally like the three dimensional kind of dragon pendant that really looks like a dragon carving, although those are actually rare. They are usually a dragon carved onto a small stone of jade. I want one for myself, too. Every time I wear one, someone offers to buy it right off my neck, and then I sell it and don't have one. Last year I bought a carved phoenix jade bangle for myself, very unique, a large chunk of jade in which the phoenix was carved as part of the bangle, not the carving onto the bangle. It's not practical or comfortable to wear as the phoenix is heavy and drops to the bottom as the bangle hangs on my wrist, but it sure is gorgeous and a collector item. It's a good thing I have the philosophy that I only sell what I myself would wear, because I buy everything I like and even it's not my size, I can enjoy it, then sell it. Otherwise, I'd probably buy one for me, one for the business, one for me, one to sell...........two for me, one to sell. February 27

One of my Chinese friends who has recently been to the jade market told me that in the last year there is more of the A quality natural color jadeite than the B and C quality, but the colors are not very good as in the past. One of my readers wrote that her Asian relatives were skeptical about her YYJ being A quality because they "heard" that all jade now was B and C and A was not even being sold. I think for awhile there was more B and C quality, but according to my friend the carvers are preferring to make more A quality now. Of course I can't wait to see for myself. Most of the jadeite that's mined is not bright colors, most of it is very pale with lots of spots. That's why it is bleached and color enhanced, and why it can be sold so cheaply on ebay. Although good color enhancement is permanent now and looks natural, and is often more expensive than A. You see a lot of YYJ bangles are pale, some are more solid than translucent, and are priced $200, or under, that that's because while they are A quality, they're not bright, colorful jade. The veins of green and other color are more rare, more "fancy" and therefore cost more. Oh, it certainly will be interesting to see what's new in the jade markets! February 26

Two weeks until our trip to China! I want to make room on the web site for the new jade I'll buy, so this week I will offer some super deals on jade bangles. If you have a favorite piece of jade you've been hoping would go on sale, make me an offer this week! February 25

A reader asked about the Daily Special, why I can discount certain jade bangles for a Daily Special at a greater discount than others. Some jade bangles are "special, fancy jade" that are more costly to purchase, but I don't mark them up to a "real" retail price, instead I keep the price lower, and I really can't offer these at a "Daily Special" deeper discount. Usually the jade bangles with Daily Special prices are bangles that I have several that are similar, and I can sell them discounted because there are more in inventory. But sometimes I do choose one of the "fancy" jade bangles for a Daily Special. I've discounted some in the Jewerly Box occasionally, and if you are lucky enough to be the buyer, then you have an exquisite collectable piece of jade. February 24

I love jade, and I love to buy it, sell it, wear it, play with it. But in order to sell it, I've had to learn a lot about good ecommerce practices. I completed a webmaster course and was certified in 2000, and every day I read something about SEO and optimizing web sites so that people can find you, and trying to implement one new thing to keep the YYJ web site in the first one or two pages of search engines. This is quite time consuming, but necessary. And I've learned to not get frustrated when I discover other jade sellers blatantly take my html codes, and other strategies to use on their web sites. The last few months I've been reading about the importance of having a social presence to draw readers to web sites, and it took me awhile to figure out what that means, which is interactive aspects of ones web business. I've been blogging about figuring out how making videos for Youtube, and that's one of the aspects. I made a video about how to measure for a jade bangle bracelet, and it actually took two weeks to do this, and I'll make a better one when I learn more. It's difficult enough to take accurate jade photos for my web site, and the unless I get some really good video equipment, the jade isn't going to look very good, so I've experimented a lot. And really, all I want to do is buy, sell and wear jade! But it seems like I spend 90% of my time doing the things I need to do to have a good web site. Podcasting and RSS feeds? Oh my! I have a lot to learn. February 22

Make your own daily special on jade bangle bracelets regular price $175, take off $25 using coupon code BANGLE25. Also save on jade rollers and gua sha tools, as we have received a discounted price from our jade carver in China. I have YYJ rollers and gua sha tools carved with better quality jade and more substantial than commercial quality, so you will get a nice piece you can use for a long time. If you've ever wanted to try these, now is a great time.
Received a lot of feedback about the man jade bangle photos. Some people who have purchased this size use them for other purposes. One of my customers used a large jade bangle for a trick in his magic show! I saw a vintage little handbag that had a jade bangle handle. If I knew how to crochet, I would like to crochet a little bag around the bangle, it would be a fabulous evening bag. February 21

A male reader sent me photos of himself wearing a jade bangle. I often received questions from the guys asking if they can wear jade bangles, and the answer is "yes", and it's a very classy "look". With his permission I used the photos to make a web page about jade bangles for me. I recently had some jade bangles carved in a 70mm larger men's size, just right for a man. Check out the photos of a man wearing a jade bangle. February 20

My husband found an article on MSN about travel in China for single women, that recommended they could travel outside major cities and stay in very cheap hotels, and be OK, but then went on to write that the biggest problem traveling in China is the language because even in major cities very few people speak anything other than Chinese. He wanted to know why we didn't stay in some of these cheap hotels, $10 per night. I reminded him of the Chinese style hotel we used as headquarters to take a rest in after an overnight train trip, that had a twin lumpy bed and a common "hole" in the hall for a toilet. And that was probably a $20 hotel! The article written by a Frommer went on to suggest that you should get a language CD and learn some words so you can communicate. I've spent 8 years learning Chinese language, although I don't have anyone to practice with here and I only know words I use (like "too expensive", "please make it cheaper" and to the taxi driver "please don't drive around in circles"). The problem with knowing a little Chinese is that when I speak it, then the response is in rapid Chinese I often can't comprehend. One of my favorite activities is listening to people on the bus talk about me in Chinese, then when I get off the bus, say a few polite Chinese words to them, and watch them wonder if I understood everything they said. Anyway, Frommer is a major publisher of travel books, and I looked at their latest edition about China. One of their suggestions regarding shopping is not to buy jade or pearls because they are all fake. I disagree with this because you have a pretty good chance of buying a nice jade piece that you will enjoy and have good memories of your China trip. I have quite a few customers who told me they had recently returned from China, and looked at a lot of jade but didn't buy it because they didn't know if it was fake, and just didn't feel comfortable buying it, but felt confident buying from Ying Yu Jade. I've also had customers send me photos of their jade bangles they paid $1000+ for in China. If you are going to China, and you love jade, I recommend buying something you like, be sure to bargain for it, and feel comfortable with the price you pay, then don't worry about "how good it is", just enjoy it. February 19

I've been trying to figure out how I can keep my readers updated when I'm in China. It would be fun to show not only photos, but also a short video of interesting things, like the jade markets, shopping, fabulous jade things that are so expensive I won't buy but would like to show readers. I'm exploring Youtube and the possibility of uploading videos there, with a link from the blog so you can see the latest video. But I don't know if I can do this behind China's firewall. If readers have suggestions about some of the social web sites you visit and what you like to see, let me know. February 18

A friend wrote about how she uses her jade bangles as "medicine" to keep her healthy, and it reminded me about something I forgot to write about in the February online newsletter under the Chinese wellness. Dr Charles Li told me that often in February when we're weary of winter our hearts feel heavy and we often feel tired, and might have difficulty sleeping. Briskly tapping the inside of each wrist with the fingers of the opposite hand helps get qi un-stick, and keeps the heart qi smooth. A close fitting jade bangle also stimulates these acupuncture points and keeps your qi flowing smoothly. A classic round inside stimulates more effectively than flat inside. However, when my qi feels very stuck, a rounded bangle is almost too much stimulation and a flat one is more comfortable, then as my qi improves I can change to a rounded jade bangle, which then really unsticks that qi. How do I know when my qi is stuck? I play tai chi every day, and when my qi is stuck, my movements are choppy and my balance is off. You can probably feel when your qi gets stuck, but not know that's what's going on with you. So, make it a daily practice to tap your wrists, and wear your jade bangles
February 17

There's so much to do to get ready for our China trip next month. I keep notes from previous trips to help me remember what I need to do, or can improve on for the next time. Right now I'm trying to find an English speaking local person for an assistant for a couple of day. I want to go to remote areas and need transportation as well as someone to accompany us. And I need assistance getting everything packed up to ship back home rather than rely on the airline to transport it safely. Luggage gets lost, ransacked by TSA and baggage handlers, but I can trust UPS. And if I find a local person who is also interested in jade,perhaps I can get shipments when my inventory gets low. My regular supplier lives a two-day train trip from the big southern jade markets, so it would be helpful to work with a local person from Guangzhou. There are some services for interpreters and business assistants but that's not quite the relationship I hope to find. I have friends and associates in China, but this is a specialized task, and I've been working on it for several weeks. It's interesting that the people who have responded are mostly women, and they always provide their education, experience and age. They are proud to be young, 22, 24 years old, but I really prefer an older person who is more mature, ideally 30+ and these young women don't "get it". It's odd how in China now, youth is appreciated for employment, while age and experience is not. It's very difficult for a 35+ year old Chinese to get a job. I much prefer to work with someone with wisdom, maturity and good judgement. Remember when old age was revered in China? Not in New China. February 14

When you wear a jade bangle all the time, it usually looks prettier as you wear it because of your body qi. Today I noticed that my jade bangle looked "sick". something odd about the color. When I touched it, I realized it was really, really dirty. Usually when you bathe with your bangle on, that's enough to keep it clean. I use oils and lotions, which I think got on my bangle, and built up, and it also had a lot of hairspray on it. I was really embarrassed that it had gotten so dirty before I realized it. I had to take it off and soak it in warm soapy water, then used a small brush to get that hairspray off. After I rinsed and dried it, I sprayed it with Pledge, then polished it with a soft cloth. Good as new, except really better because it still glows with my body qi. Jade pendants can get dirty, too, so slowly you don't often realize it until one day it looks awful. You can clean them the same way. You and your jade will be more happy when it's clean! February 12

I often receive requests asking to purchase my own personal jade bangles. Some of them have great emotional value attached to them, and others have value in not only the jade itself, but in the acquisition, although not personal. I have a rare and extensive collection of jade pieces, including bangle bracelets. So I put three on the estate/trade in pages today. Of course, the quality is excellent and the prices reflect it. If they sell, I hope they go to good homes. Although I might wake up in the middle of the night and regret I put them on for sale and remove them! I do like to show off some of my favorites. February 11

I hope you've been wearing your most festive and colorful jade bangles in celebration of the Chinese New Year. In China, the New Year celebrations go on for at least a week, and people often leave a week or more before the Lunar year celebrations to be with their families, and don't return until a week or two after. It's auspicous to clean out the old, and have new things for the new year. Chinese people are known for being frugal, and don't succumb to advertising like we Westerners do, so new things are special to them. If you have a jade story to share regarding Chinese New Year, and you share it with me, I'll be happy to post it here. February 9

We're about 50 miles west of the Kennedy Space Center, but can see the space shuttle take off, like a fire arrow. It's very emotional, and there's usually 100 of us who gather by our lake to watch. We've had unseasonably warm weather, lot of sun and warm breezes, definitely more fun to be outside than inside working. The Chinese New Year special this weekend is a sale on jade bangle bracelets on our sister web site, jadebanglebracelets.com. Click here for details. February 7

I changed my jade bangle today, it's the carved bangle at the bottom of this page. It's festive, almost fu lu shou for Chinese New Year Thursday. If you wear a jade bangle all the time, your body qi makes it look more beautiful as you wear it, and you get a good feeling from the jade qi, so it really feels strange when you take it off. Then when you wear another bangle, the qi exchanges again, and it feels really good. I usually make the change before I go to bed, especially when I change to a bangle that's clunkier, like the carved bangle that is thick from inside to outside, so my body gets used to it while I sleep. Natural jade doesn't change color as you wear it, but becomes brighter, prettier as you wear it. And if you're not well, you might notice your jade doesn't look as good either. If you're not feeling well, wear your most green jade bangle for the healing qi. February 5

I purchased another camera this weekend and have been trying to get used to using it. The camera I have been using for almost all the photos is really old, the 3.2megapixels was the highest for the time I bought it. I purchased several additional cameras since then, Nikon, Canon, and none of them take as good photos as the old Fujifilm. It lets in enough light to provide adequate and even lighting, gets good close ups without out-of-focus areas, and the photos don't need much editing. I like to purchase from the Ritz-Wolfe Camera stores because the sales people are very knowledgeable, let you try the cameras which are always charged up and ready for use. But jade is just so very different from other things to photograph. It's not until I get it home and try to put a photo on the web site that I can see the real quality of the photo. And the new Nikon doesn't take a very good photo. OK, ok, yes they are point and shoot, but the professional cameras don't do the job, either. So I may as well have a point and shoot I can also take with me on trips, for photos like I use in the travelogs of China. I spent all weekend taking photos, behind on the blog, and everything else. It takes nice short videos which I am thinking about making some about jade for Youtube. And if that works, maybe I can give a daily update of my China trip, show off what I buy! Now I wonder if I can upload to Youtube behind the Great Red Firewall! February 4

Winter, according to Chinese tradition, is ending and Spring beginning in February. Chinese New Year traditionally is called Spring Festival, and welcomes the warming of Spring.

However, if you live in northern US or Canada, it's still really winter in February. When I lived in Ohio, February was cold, dark, snowy and slushy wet, and seemed like it would never end. So you if you live in a cold area, you can still use the winter Chinese medicine wellness tips from January. Here in Florida, it is really still winter, also, as the night temperatures can dip to freezing and the daytime temperatures are often cool enough to "bundle up". Winter is an important season and if we follow the Dao, living in harmony with nature, we can use winter to improve our body, mind and spirit. In the solace and depth of winter we find our strength, our renewal, and our rejeuvenation. The winter provides an undeniable suggestion from the earth itself to move inwards, rest, restore, to accept darkness and hibernate within ourselves. To honor this natural cycle is to recharge the battery pack that generates energy, fire, and stamina for the year to come; for the body and soul. As we embrace the depth and solitude of the season and of ourselves, we also cultivate the energy to burst forth in the spring to come. In the dormant seed of darkness lies the promise of spring, new growth, and the outward expression of re-birth that awaits us at the end of the long winter.

The entire Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade February newsletter is available online now, click here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for February 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. You can also take a look at the jade bangle bracelet I'm wearing now, and reasons why.
February 1, 2008

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