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Thanks for all your feedback about the identifying jade page recently discussed. Sometimes people think that any jade they purchase from a Chinese person is going to be good jade, because Chinese people always know about jade. But that's not true at all. Just because one is Chinese, does not mean they understand jade. It is very difficult for me to have to tell someone who sends me a jade piece that has been passed down in their Asian family, or a gift from an Asian in-law, that their jade piece is not "A" quality, or not even jade. I sometimes get samples from Chinese sellers, and when I test the piece in the lab, it's not jade and the seller is very offended, so I'm guessing that some Chinese sellers are sincere in believing that what they are selling is A grade, or genuine jade, when it really is not, and don't know jade well enough to know the "real thing", and don't test it, either. If you don't have years of experience in jade, then it must be tested. And of course there are sellers who sell "jade" for very cheap prices, just to make money, and don't think customers know any better. I was in a Chinatown and spotted some bangles that looked like jade, but when I handled them I could see they were not, the color was very poor color treatment and I was awed at how someone would sell them as "jade", and that an unfortunate customer would think they were buying jade. The Chinese seller smiled and said "jade, you buy?" and I asked if it was real jade, natural color, he smiled and said it was. Then I asked in Chinese if it was real jade, and he took all the "jade" off the counter and walked away, not smiling at all. That's why I will continue to add the jade identification page, photos and discussion, to help you make good choices, because you can find wonderful jade pieces in unexpected places, and even if it turns out to not be jade, if you got a "deal", it's still something you can enjoy. January 30

A reader asked me to write about mawsitsit which is sometimes sold as "jade". Mawsitsit is not jade or jadeite, but it is a close cousin. It has more black in it due to its chemical makeup and is not highly valued by Asian people, but is often marketed as "rare and valuable" to Western people who will pay high prices for it if they like the color and want a "rare jade". I don't own any because I don't like the energy. I don't like the energy in green nephrite, either. It makes me feel weak and anxious when I wear it. I prefer the balancing energy of jade, jadeite. You can see a photo of mawsitsit and read about identifying fake jades, click here. I have a collection of fake jade, and a collection of photos of fake jade, which I show when I give talks about jade. There's nothing "wrong" with "jade" that isn't jade, but you do want to get what you think you are getting, and what you pay for. So you want to know what you are buying. January 28

I received some emails from Chinese friends. They told me about the things they are doing to celebrate the new lunar year, and the most enjoyable things to do include visiting with family, which may be a visit of several days, that includes a lot of eating special foods, a favorite in Beijing and the north being dumplings. They also enjoy walking around the temple festivals, buying and displaying paper cuts, watching and setting off fireworks, and more eating. The holiday goes on for several days. Many people in China are migrant workers and travel great distances to return home to their families for the Lunar New Year, bringing money and gifts, and often stay for a few weeks before returning back to their jobs. With China becoming a more capitalistic society, the weeks of business closures are becoming shorter, as people need to get on with their lives and the business of business. China sure is changing, so if you get a chance to be there during a Lunar New Year celebration, go and enjoy it, and report back so we can share your experience. January 27

I live in central Florida in an area that has Hispanic culture, and no celebrations of Lunar New Year. So I started the day with tai chi and qigong, then sent greetings to Chinese friends, and other friends who celebrate the lunar new year. I am wearing a beautiful fu lu shou jade bangle, and may wear it a few days but I have a lot of outside work to do, cleaning up dead plants after the frost last week, and don't want to wear an expensive jade bangle doing yard work! My Chinese astrological sign is Ox, and friend Pig sent me an "ox box" of gifts to celebrate, and still have two things to open. I truly enjoy Chinese culture, but have never lived in an area where there is any, so do what I can to feel festive today. And wearing a special jade during the New Year is pretty special! January 26

Happy Chinese New Year! You can read about the Year of the Yin Brown Earth Ox, click here. To celebrate today and tomorrow, I've discounted jade bangles $500+ by $100, and the precious "fu lu shou" jadeite bangles by $200. It's very auspicious to wear the fu lu shou jade during the Chinese New Year celebration, to bring you good luck, health and happiness in the new year. Click to visit the Daily Special to get your coupons for these special jade bangle bracelet. January 25

I'm often asked where and how I get the pre-owned and estate jade bangle bracelets. Several years ago I would accept any trade in jade for a credit towards the purchase of a "new" jade, but most of the "jade" I traded for was fake or very poor quality jade, so I discontinued the trade in program. But I still love old and vintage jade. I go to estate sales, search pawn shops, and sometimes buy privately. When we travel, I check out the pawn shops and have purchased very unique pieces. The best pawn shops are in Las Vegas, and the downtown area used to have several good pawn shops, but now there's only a couple. Some of the downtown casinos cater to Asian customers, and the California really gets a lot of customers from Hawaii. We're going to Las Vegas for a short vacation early February, so I'm excited about what I might find! I've been raiding my own jewelry box to find vintage jade to put on the site, and those are the small ones you see, so I do hope to find some goodies in larger sizes to share with you. I'm not a gambler, but I am a shopper, so wish me luck! January 24

From a reader: "Have you thought about bad dream and Jade?
While awake, you can look at jade piece or feel good energy from it, but how about while you are sleeping? I had a really bad dream last night. Coincident or not, I wasn't wearing a jade bracelet.
Maybe, I was just tired or my pillow wasn't good, but I wonder if I was wearing a jade bangle,,,
Do you feel or sleep better when you are wearing your jade piece?"
I keep jade under our bed, and I'm careful about the kind of jade I keep in the bedroom. I often sleep on a jade pillow cover, and it is soothing to my brain, helps with headaches, stress, confusion. It's Chinese jade, and I think the Chinese jade has the best of the healing energy which is the reason why the jade rollers, gua sha tools, ben wa balls and eggs are made from Chinese jade. That's the kind of jade I store under the bed, for the energy, kind of like a jade mattress, but not so hard! If your jade feels good and is appealing to you during the day, it will be the same at night. However, sometimes you might need to change your jade, for the energy. A favorite jade bangle I've been wearing is very yang, it's wide and dark without really green jade, and I love it. But sometimes it's too strong for me. I had to take it off a couple of days ago, and I put on my other jade bangles until I found a white one with a big vein of imperial green, my arm tingled in a good way when I put it on. But it didn't have enough energy, it looked dull and I felt dull, like I was getting a cold. So I switched this morning to a jade bangle I don't really like, but has good green and good energy, and I felt much better all day, and am sure my good sleep and good dreams will start again tonight. I'm sensitive to qi energy, as I am a qi healer and Reiki master, so it affects me strongly. And I always wear a jade bangle, don't take it off at night. Thanks for asking! January 23

Thursday daily specials are choices I would recommend for President Obama. Deirdre sent me information about the presidential family and accepting gifts, so I'm not going to simply send them jade bangles and hope they will get them! However, if the opportunity is there and I can get jade bangles to them, I certainly will. By the way, the Chinese government censored parts of Mr. Obama's speech, the part about removing references to communism and dissent, and quickly halted state television’s live broadcast of the address when Cold War-era animosities were mentioned. One television official tried to downplay the cutaway as a normal break in programming while an editor with the China Daily newspaper’s Web site said staff who censored online versions of the speech likely did so because they were “duty-bound to protect the country’s interests.“
In other Chinese news, the goverment told the people to be patriotic and spend more. Some economists have suggested that the frugal Chinese "savers" have contributed to the present economic problems, and if that Chinese spending may be the cure of the global economic downturn. The Chinese government is hoping that spending for Lunar New Year stimulates the economy, similar to the USA holiday spending."Active consumption is patriotic; to love your country is to love yourself." Interesting! January 21

Today when I was watching the inauguration activities, I was thinking Michelle Obama needed a jade bangle. I would love to send her one! If anyone know how to send something to her, let me know! I looked at my jades and chose two I think would be good for her, color and energy, and made them Wednesday's Daily Special as a "First Lady" special. I would guess he would wear 58-60mm. I think Mr Obama and the "girls" should have jade bangles, too, and will show some choices on other Daily Specials this week. So let me know what you think! January 20

I sure got a lot of emails from readers telling me their awful experiences with getting mailed delivered through USPS. I lose hundreds of dollars as a result of "mysterious disappearance" that the insurance claims don't cover. Of course, that adds to the cost of doing business, I'm sorry to say. Enough....
Almost every day I get emails from people looking for a jade bangle "just like the one they saw awhile ago", but didn't get. And would I please get them one in their size on my next shopping trip. I have never been able to get the same kind of jade that I previously purchased, because it's all natural,comes from different parts of the mine, and when it's cut and made into bangles and pendants, that's the end of it, it's gone forever. The next time I shop there will be jadeite from a different part of the mine. I had some rounded and flat white with apple green bangles that I bought in 2003, a lot of them, and I sold them between $100-$250. Last year that kind of jade did not have the nice translucence, and the wholesale price was around $400 per piece. I bought one for myself. Because if I hadn't, I would have regretted it, and you know my saying "get it, or regret it". Another thing I can't do when I'm shopping and make a "deal" is get a specific size. I sort of measure some of them with calipers, but if I start asking for a specific size, the price will be much too high because then the seller will know I really want it. The sellers are clever, they watch the buyers face and eyes to see how much they want something, and then you pay accordingly. Having worked as a mental health counselor for many years, I have experience not showing anything on my face, who would have thought that "counselor face" would serve me so well! I watched a flight attendant buying a jade bangle for herself, going through all of them like you do when you are shopping, trying them on, and I have to say, I did lose my "counselor face" when I heard the price she agreed to pay. She got a jade bangle she liked, she was happy with the price she paid, so that's all that matters, I guess. But Ying Yu Jade bangle buyers certainly get a better price on jade bangles then she did! January 19

The US Post Office raised their rates today. I didn't see any advance advertising about increased rates, and didn't know this was happening until I logged into my postage program to print shipping labels. The cost of first class stamp for letters didn't increase, so I guess it wasn't worth mentioning to the "general public". I offered a customer free shipping on a priority mail package that weighs two pounds and my jaw dropped as it cost more than $3 what is used to cost. It looks like Priority Mail, Express Mail, EMS international mail have all increased. That's the bad news. The good news is that for most "normal" parcels, which are first class or Priority Mail of one pound or under, it's not that much of an increase so I won't increase my standard shipping charges. While my shopping cart system can accommodate a variety of shipping methods, it's too confusing for customers to choose the best method of shipping because jade pieces need special packing and I've learned through experience the best way to ship. So we'll keep the present shipping table for now, see how it goes. Your shipping includes not only the actual postage, but packing material, insurance, and in many cases signature confirmation, and tracking. Do you think with the increased postage charges your mail will get to you more reliably and in better condition??!! January 18

I've been ordering samples of jadeite bangle bracelets during the last few months to check out quality and if they are Ying Yu Jade quality, I want to meet with the sellers when we go to China for shopping The color has been natural, they have been A quality, and more solid in appearance instead of translucent. Some solid jadiete is more translucent than others. One of my customers in Australia wrote: "I was wearing the very first bangle I bought from you, which is a white one with lavendar and green undertones, with a light grey cardigan yesterday. And throughout the day, I was amazed at how vibrant and alive the bangle appeared next to the flat greyness of the cardigan fabric. I was wary of wearing the 2 together because I was worried that the grey fabric would make this icy bangle appear grey. But it was completely the opposite. I couldn't stop admiring the bangle all day!"
Her jadeite is solid, and old mine lao pit, so it does have natural translucence, and that's why it looks good with whatever she wears. The men that send me these samples don't understand what I am looking for in a jade bangle, so I guess I have to buy each one myself to get the quality I want. Anyway, I don't receive these in any kind of box or wrapper anymore. They arrive all taped up in layers of bubble wrap or packing material and tape, so much tape in fact that I sit on a big soft fluffy area rug to unwrap them because I have to use tiny sharp scissors and cut and cut to get them out safely without dropping them, and then they are all sticky and filthy, and some have tiny chips and nicks which come from rough handling. I don't understand why they don't just put the bangle in a box, or traditional rice paper and silk wrapper which is lightweight. I don't get a good "feel" for the seller or the jade, and you might be able to identify them on the web site because they are newly listed and lower prices, some are in the clearance section. I am so careful with the jade I handle, when it's in my inventory here it is so carefully handled and stored, and loved! And that's the kind of seller I want to buy it from, someone who really loves jade. When I shop at the jade markets, I might not understand everything the jade sellers are telling me in Chinese, but I can understand which sellers are also jade lovers, and that's who I buy from. January 16

Thanks for all your submissions, guessing the most popular selling Ying Yu Jade product. It was fun to hear from you today. The answer is: jade ben wa balls. I can just barely keep these in stock. You would think they would be easy to get, easy to make, but half of them are unusable, so I pay for half and pay for shipping for half that I can't use. What makes them unusable is flat spots and gouges, or not being round. But they are extremely popular. There were two correct guesses, Pamela P and Joan W who will receive $10 YYJ store certificates. Thanks for your guesses! January 15

I've been finishing up the bookkeeping for 2008, and was looking at some of the sales statistics. Guess what the most popular selling jade product is! If you guess correctly, your name will be entered in a drawing for a $10 credit in the Ying Yu Jade store. Place your "guess" by using the feedback form at the bottom of this page, contest ends at the end of the day Thursday, January 15. Answer will be in Thursday's blog. January 14

If you live in one of the parts of the country that is experiencing winter storms and below zero temperatures, you probably don't want to hear that this week I've been picking oranges and roses and our weather has been sunny and warm. Our weather here in Florida will change with possible freezing nights (there go the roses...), so now I can emphathize with you who are asking about jade energy to help with keeping the body warm. Generally, the greens that are more olive color and have hues of honey, yellows, reds are warming. Jade with peppery color pattern is also warming. There is enough "yang" to warm but still keep your body qi balanced. The fu lu shou three color jade pattern is very popular and traditional for Chinese New Year, coincidentally it is often the most cold time of the year. The "hong" orange/red and yellow jade has energy for overcoming adversity, which seemingly never-ending winter feels like sometimes. If you wear one of these jades for the warming energy, I recommend you wear it all the time until the weather starts to warm so you can build up the qi of the jade to help you. January 13

My regular supplier has been shipping me my January order. I received the old river jade bangles in wide "cuff" size, very modern as any kind of wide bangle is popular now. I only ordered a few and am pricing them about the same as the higher priced regular width river jade bangles because I would rather see them on your arm than in my inventory boxes. These deserve to be worn, and are really pretty. You can wear a larger size in these. I wear a 52-53mm for my regular bangle, but a 60mm works out because of the width. There's a lot of jade in them, they're heavy, and they didn't come with boxes because of the size. They are limited quantity, I hope you get one while you can. January 12

I went back to the trade show today, it was the final day, and I wanted to get some things that I saw but didn't buy. I stopped by the vendor who had the small jade carvings and bought a few more, he had only a few left, and asked him to bring me fish next time, in May. Then I bought some other things you will see soon, enough stuff that I had to make three trips to the car because of the weight and I couldn't carry them around, but of course jade is heavy. I looked again at the sellers who had the jade knit necklaces and they saw my jade bangle and exclaimed over it, then offered to show me the "good stuff" they had behind the counter that they don't show people because they think the price will scare them off (true, it scared me off). Today I wore a 3/4 length tee shirt so my wrist was showing, and all the Chinese vendors who were women commented on how beautiful it is. One woman was amazed at the small size on a Western woman and had to squeeze my hand to see how flexible it was. I bought some very high quality sterling silver and jade pendants from a Chinese woman who was wearing a very pale rounded jade bangle, I guessed she was from one of the northern provinces in China where they cherish that kind of jade, and was correct. She told me she wore that bangle for 9 years, and that it would get brighter and prettier as she wore it, but it had some cracking from wear, and still very beautifully pale. She gave me a little extra discount, but they were still kind of expensive, and I'll offer them close to my cost since Valentine's is coming up. Most of the sellers started packing up in the morning, business was not very good, and here in Florida the economy is worse than in some areas. But I did my part to stimulate the economy, and pleased with my purchases. Everything is on the dining table, so I'll get it listed as soon as I can to clean up the "mess". January 11

Today I went to a gem trade show. I was surprised and pleased to see about twice as much jade as there was last time. My favorite Chinese jade seller had some carvings set aside for me, which you will see listed soon. The jade that was set in gold was all very dyed, some of it didn't even feel like jade, and the prices were quite high, so I was disappointed not to get some for the web site. Most of the prices were fair, and if it weren't for the jadeite bangle bracelets, I could get most of the things I sell at these trade shows now. But then they would be ordinary, not the unique things I find in China. There were even some fake jade sellers, jade bangles with the "stone" painted on! I have been hearing about people buying these kinds on ebay, but hadn't seen any. When a reader told me about her "jade" bangle she bought on ebay that washed out in the shower, I wondered what she was talking about, as she said the swirling pattern was painted on and it was plastic underneath the paint. So I got to see these in person. I purchased some beautiful crystal gemstone touchstones (worry stones) for calmspirit.net, which I'm going to sell for Reiki distance healing sessions, infusing them with Reiki then sending them to the person requesting the session so we can connect more effectively. I love to feel the energy of stones, and other buyers do, too, as we "feel" our way through the selections, commenting on the energy. I could have wandered around at the show all day, but it is overwhelming, all the things to look at. I truly do only buy and sell what I myself like, so it was fun buying all these new items for Calm Spirit and Ying Yu Jade. Watch for them! January 9

I've been negligent blogging, sorry about that. I've been spending my time trying to line up some new products for both Ying Yu Jade and Calmspirit web sites. I won't say what they are in case it doesn't work out (but NOT jade bangles this time)! Since I purchase wholesale, I try to negotiate a good price. The shipping from China is really expensive, sometimes the shipping is almost equal to the product. So I bargain, and bargain some more, and sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. It's very time consuming and tiresome, and I finally reach a point of exhaustion in the evening, and evening is the time that the business day is starting in China. So I go to bed with my head full of wonderful things I want to buy, but lots of frustrations actually getting them. The orders are actually small trial orders from sellers I hope to meet with when I go to China in March to build that all-important "personal relationship" that is requisite in Asia for doing business. Then if everything works out I can make my orders and payments and bring back as much as I can, or ship. Everything is cash, and I'd rather do that in person than send money by bank wire transfer. So that's why I'm behind in life, getting back to people by email for information requested, and keeping sold items replaced. These tough economic times are, in my opinion, the best time to build up new business to get ready for when the economy improves and business get back to selling again. With all the good jade energy from Ying Yu Jade, it's easier to keep positive! And do wear you jade during difficult times, because that's when you need the good energy the most. January 8

A friend was discussing the prices of the jade bangles in the clearance section, and commented that it was difficult to understand how jade is priced. The clearance jade bangles are really good bargains that I want to offer, and if you really know jade, you will know which ones are the best bargains. And I have to say it IS difficult to price the jade. When I write that "diamonds and gold have a price, but jade has no price", what that means in "real life" is that when I am in the wholesale jade market, none of the jade has any price marked. The price is what the seller asks, and then what I want to pay, somewhere in between. When I write in the travelog how exhausting it is to shop, it's because I have to "bargain" for every piece of jade, in Chinese language. So, there's the actual price of the jade, plus what it takes for me to get it and bring it back, plus internet hosting and shopping cart fees and fees for me to take your credit card or paypal payment payment, and advertising. Gold and diamonds are rated by quality and size and there's a fairly standard price you can expect. But jade truly has no price. And I have to determine a price, a real challenge! January 5

A Chinese Story: At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius from the state of Lu set out on a tour to various states with his fellows to win acceptance of his political views.First he came to the state of Wei. Duke Ling, the governor of Wei, ignored the state affairs and left the power to his wife, Nan Zi, who had bad virtue. When she received Confucius, she made the jade ornaments on her clothing very noisy when she moved around. Wei was a state with strict observance of etiquette and Nan Zi's behavior resulted in all kinds of disputes and criticism.One month later, Confucius rode in a carriage with Duke Ling and Nan Zi together to parade through the streets. People on the streets didn't approve of this. Being embarrassed very much, Confucius left Wei with lots of complaints and shame.
Moral of the story: Don't "parade in the streets", showing off your fortune. January 3

I added several old and new jade bangles to the clearance collection, and readers have been asking me "what's wrong with them". Absolutely nothing! As a special offer to regular customers who often read the blogs, check out the clearance section, I wanted to have some really nice jade bangles at low prices as an appreciation sale, which is good luck for customers, good luck for sellers. One lucky customer who has excellent taste in jade even found an old mine "lao pit" jade bangle in the clearance I put there at an exceptionally low price, just for luck for both of us! So do enjoy shopping the clearance specials, as I'm adding new ones as they sell, but these low prices won't last very long.
January 2

Happy New Year! I wish you a very joyful, peaceful 2009, much good luck and fortune, health and happiness.

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

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