This is Chinese Wellness Weekend for our specials. Special offers will be available on the Chinese jade health tools, including the jade gua sha tools, and jade ben wa balls and eggs for women's kegel exercise. As we end June and enter July, more of the web pages will be updated, including the Blog pages. So next time you access the blog, it will be on the updated web site and have a different URL address. So if you have the Blog bookmarked, you will want to change it. The archives will remain on the old web site, and the new archives from July 2014 and forward will be on the "new" web site. If you see the bamboo banner at the top like on this page, you know you are on "old" web site pages. When you see the longer logo with with green bamboo leaves, that's the "new" web site pages. I am working on the new blog pages now, and will add a link to the top of this page by the end of the month so you can "find your way to the blog". Thanks for your patience while all this updating has been going on. It will continue until all the resource and extra pages are completed, probably 2-3 more weeks.
June 28

The main web site pages have been updated, but the information and resource pages, and some other pages still need to be done. If you are a long time blog reader, you probably know that Ying Yu Jade started after my quest to learn Chinese medicine for self healing in China. I have had fibromyalgia for many years, and was amazed at the way Chinese medicine helped, and then thrilled to discover jade can be used as medicine for its qi energy. I knew it was going to be very painful for me to spend all day, every day for a few weeks with the web site, and I didn't want to take any strong pain medicine because I need to keep my head clear to do this. So my doctor and I discussed 3-4 months of oral prednisone. And if you have taken prednisone, you know that the decision means that the relief of symptoms needs to be stronger than the prednisone side effects. For me, the worst side effects had to do with eating and stomach. I craved food, the salty, sweet, fatty bad stuff. And prednisone causes weight gain. And constipation. After 6 weeks I gained 4 pounds all around my stomach. While I was working on the small jade bangles, I was very drawn to the bangles that had yellow jade, which are related to the spleen meridian. I put on a jadeite bangle like the one in the photo below, and set aside a "river jade" bangle with honey and yellow as a back up. WIthin 4 days, 2 pounds were gone, stomach puffiness was gone, food cravings were gone, and system feels like back to normal. I usually wear a light "yin" green jade bangle, and really like the qi of the Chinese green translucent jades. The yin qi balances the yang of the inflammation from the fibromyalgia. These past few weeks I needed additional "jade medicine", and jade medicine is so much nicer to use that "regular" medicine. This weekend we will feature the jade health tools as the specials, including a set of jade ben wa balls. And regarding jade ben wa balls as medicine for vaginal dryness, "gotta go" feeling, difficulty urinating, loss of tightness, using the yin light green jade qi to balance the yang of those symptoms is much more natural, and you will see results in a week or two. So jade is not just for wearing for its beauty. You are attracted to it because your eyes, mind know it will help balance your body qi. Watch for the specials over the weekend. June 27

I am currently working on updating the Burmese jadeite bangle bracelets pages, which is the final section that needs to done! Looking at the photos of those gorgeous jades made me slightly euphoric! While I was checking the photos to make sure they look like the "real thing" I was wishing more of these were on wrists instead of boxes. And in my JES (Jade Euphoric State) I lowered the prices on more than half of the #BB jade bangles, and lowered some of the prices to less than half, especially on the old mine "lao pit" bangles that you can't even get this good quality jade stone anymore. Not a good business decision, but I do want these to have a wrist. Maybe a jade bangle you have been looking at is one of them! We have completed pages 1-7 on the "old pages" and hope to get a few more pages done today. Here is a link to the "old pages" which will disappear when the new pages get uploaded, click here. If you click a link from the shopping cart to any item that has been added to the "new pages", you won't be able to navigate because the new pages won't get linked up until the work is completed. So it might be more challenging to find your way around. However, if you discover the price on one of your favorites has been reduced, I suggest you snap it up because checking the links and correct prices is one of the final steps. By lowering the prices on the item #BB jadeite bangles, we won't be able to offer them at an even more reduced price as a Daily Special, but that's part of the over all plan for streamlining, so customers can see something and go ahead and buy it without asking for additional discount. And by the way, if you have feedback, please contact me at yingyujade @ yingyujade.com. Your comments make YYJ more "customer friendly"! June 23

The site updating is moving right along, and most of the pages are completed. We hope to finish the Chinese jade pendants pages today. Yesterday we completed the Burmese jadeite pendant pages and the part that took so long was determining prices. Since all of our jadeite was purchased prior to the Lantos law in 2008, it's older jade made by more talented jade carvers and you can't buy this kind of jade new now. It's actually "vintage" because of the quality and the workmanship. But, since I would rather see jade on a jade lover, not in a box in inventory, the prices were lowered on most items 20-50%. The US dropped many sanctions on Burma last year, and USA business is going into Burma. These are big businesses, some are energy related, some are manufacturing. When you look at the whole picture, the embargo on jadeite and rubies is so insignificant overall. Except to jade lovers. I checked with the State department and the Lantos embargo is still in place. There is supposed to be a vote on repealing it in August, but for some reason there is a well-financed political group that wants to keep the ban. And it's truly ridiculous, because Chinese jade sellers are always selling jadeite to USA customers, denying it is illegal, but anyone in USA who buys jadeite shipped from another country to USA is in violation and the consequences are quite severe considering that it's only jadeite they are buying. Ying Yu Jade has a large internet presence and we would never take the risk of trying to illegally import jadeite. When jade business was respectable, before the Chinese make a joke out of selling fakes, it was considered an honorable profession and if the seller worked in an honest way, they would have good fortune and luck. My good luck was that I purchased every piece of jadeite I could get my hands on during the years 2000-2004 when I was working at my "real job" and spending every extra dollar I made on getting a big jade inventory so I could work jade business full time. I didn't know Lantos embargo was in the scheme of things, and I had no idea how much the price of jade would rise. So I have jades that are rare, precious, valuable, and real, genuine, carved well. There are Chinese and Hong Kong jade sellers who beg me to sell them my inventory because even in China, they can't purchase the kind of jade in YYJ inventory. And if you are in USA, and you purchase from YYJ and not from a Chinese seller in China or out of USA, you are not not engaging in criminal activity. Jade is auspicious, lucky, healthy, but if purchased under illegal circumstances, how can it be "good for you". Sometimes I have a customer who buys a jade, then wants to return it for a refund. And sometimes the "return" I get is not what they purchased from me, but is a fake jade or an empty box instead. How do they think keeping jade they cheated someone with will bring them any of the auspicious qualities of the jade? I am glad I had several years of being in jade business when it was honorable, and it's painful to see what has happened. And the Lantos embargo contributed to this sad situation. Secretary of State John Kerry will have the greatest influence on whether this get repealed. One of the results would be more competition for the YYJ business. But it's so sad to see people who have no idea what good jade and jadeite really is. June 21

I truly appreciate the feedback I get from customers and blog readers. It helps me to get a perspective on topics that I had no, or limited awareness. One of the topics is the "Daily Special". The question is "what is today ?". We have international customers and "today" is different throughout the world. People who live in Asia are perhaps 12 hours ahead of the time zone Eastern Standard time (ie, New York, Miami) when it's the dead of night here. Sometimes I start my day with frantic emails about the Daily Special, is it still valid? When you click the "order" link, if something has been sold, you will get the message "product not found". Otherwise, we are very liberal with the timeframe. But, to make it easier and less frantic for wondering about timelines, we started keeping the Daily Special on one more day, and adding the most current Daily Special to the top of the page. As long as you see the Daily Special on the page, and it's not a one-of-a-kind item that was sold out and you can't access the link to check out and purchase, you are very welcome to get the discount at the special price. Hope that helps! And keep sending me feedback. June 19

One of my girlfriends who is also a neighbor and her husband went on a China tour last year. They loved their trip and bought a lot of Chinese souvenirs to bring home, including jewelry. She is not a jade bangle bracelet wearer, but she does like jade. All of the jade she bought has "certificates of authenticity" and while they are real jade, none of them are natural color. And she paid a high price for all of them at the special stores their tour guides took them too. She was appalled when I told her the tour guides get a percentage of what the tour group spends. I have remained friends with a tour guide, who has told me about all of the things to beware of. Her favorite piece of jewelry is a jade and silver multi-color jade link bracelet. She showed it to me recently because she was wondering why the "silver" turned gray and flaky and why the jade changed color. You can guess. She was angry with me when I told her, which I did explain as gently as I could. I even offered her one of YYJ multi-
color jade and silver link bracelets but she was too mad at me to accept it, especially when I told her the low price I have on
them. I bought them in 2005, the silver is just as it was when I bought them, I don't know if it's sterling but it's "Chinese silver" which is a good grade. And the jade colors have remained the same, so obviously natural color. If she thought our regular price was too low, she will really roll her eyes at me when she sees the Daily Special prices, half price! Even at the regular price, it's less than 20% of what she paid. So if you want a jade and silver link bracelet for yourself, or to set aside for gifts, now is a great time to get one. Click here for Daily Special. June 17

I celebrated another year of marriage to my wonderful husband today. We had a "date day". We had planned a three week trip and cruise to Fiji and surrounding islands as an anniversary gift to ourselves as well as a celebration of ending this jade business, but I didn't get the business sold and we cancelled it because I couldn't take a month off from working. It will be a few more months until the inventory is reduced and I'm not having to work 6-9 hours a day, 7 days a week. We want to do some traveling together while we are both healthy and I can't do that and have an online business that requires constant attention. When the web site updating get done, it will work more efficiently and require less regular maintenance. That's why I mention he is wonderful, because I know there is much he wants us to do together, but can't right now. He gave me the most unique anniversary card I have ever seen, that included a line about being with me has been "the adventure of a lifetime". This China-jade business has been, and still is, an adventure, and he has been supportive and helpful, as we took the risk of my leaving a "real job" to try to make a living selling jade. There are many things we want to do together, and some new ventures I want to pursue. There are still a lot of products on the web site and when I get the updating done, I can get someone else to process and get the orders shipped, so I can take time away without having to close the "store". Watch for sales on the Daily Specials, as some products will be discontinued as mentioned in yesterday's blog. Lots to do! Lots to sell. June 11

Finally...we are actually working on the new web site pages for YYJ. The page will have a slightly different appearance but will "work" like the present ones do. Online businesses need to have updated html and content to stay relevant in search engines so we have always updated. But the new pages will have the most up-to-date html and and more search engine friendly. Each product will be put on a page in its present category, then each product will be linked to the shopping cart, everything will be linked together and checked to make sure it "works". Right now there are exactly 800 items, products, that need to have this done! So it will take awhile. The automated shopping cart will remain the same, so you can skip the web site and just go shopping in the automated section. You can also always see "what's new" on this link. When you are looking at an item in the shopping cart, and see the link to visit the products web page, while we are working on the new pages you might get the
"error page" that says that the page is not available. That will happen and persist for awhile while we are working on the
categories that have the most items, like the jade pendants and bangle bracelets. While I am working on all this, I am finding items that are not worth all the work of keeping them on the web site, either because there's only one remaining and it has a low price, or very few of items that will not be replaced when they are sold. So I have made a box of these "leftovers" and will start offering them as free gifts with purchase. The free gift offer will be on the Daily Special, but if you are a blog reader and make an order and would like a free gift, write "free gift" in the comments box on the order form, and you will get one! Or two! So get a gift and thanks for helping me get rid ot the "left overs". June 10

I've mentioned in this blog and in some of my emails to customers that I have been preferring to wear my "watery"
translucent green Chinese jade bangle bracelet instead of the super-gorgeous jadeite bangle I wear most of the time.
And when my girlfriends have come over to look at getting a new jade bangle, they are often attracted more to the Chinese
jade more than the jadeite. I think people are attracted to the kind of jade that has the best energy for them. It's been very
hot and humid here in central Florida already (yang) and that's probably why we are craving that "yin" to balance us.
Often women who are purchasing the jade eggs or ben wa balls for kegel exercise ask about the difference between the
lighter green yin, and darker yang colors. People who don't "know" jade just assume that the darker the green, the better
it is. (That's how people get sucked into buying fake or color treated darker green jades.) If you are having "yang" symptoms like the urge to urinate, hot flashes, then you would benefit from the yin lighter green. Dryness can be yang, also. That's
why I offer yin light green and the yin and yang light and dark green for balancing. I personally use a yin light green egg,
also as the yang deeper green, although beautiful, just doesn't feel right, and actually is uncomfortable for me. Until
just recently, the Chinese jade used to be less expensive than the Burmese jadeite, and the jade bangles showed
that difference. But now that the good translucent green Chinese jade is getting more difficult to get, the price is evening
out. It's taking a long time to get the web site redesigned, but when it's done the Chinese jade bangles will be increased
in price. So trust your instincts about what jade is best for you. What appeals to you is probably the best jade for you.
June 8.

I do a great amount of my shopping online, including for shoes, clothing, office supplies, housewares, jewelry. I like the
selection and prices online shopping offers. But with the news about security of credit cards both in stores and online over
the past few months, I shop mostly with online stores I trust, and sometimes take a risk for a product I really want on a web
site that I never used before. So I understand how many customers feel about the safety of their online shopping. You may
have noticed that our web sites are online only and we don't take phone orders. That's because we don't want to be
responsible for your credit card data. Our shopping cart is set up so that when you make your order, we never see your
enitre credit card number, only the first and last four numbers so we can identify your card if we need to. After you click
the button to place your order, we receive notification that your order was submitted. We also receive a code about the
validity of your credit card: that the name, address and security code matches. If there is a discrepancy, like the name
is different on the credit card, we have the option to accept or decline your purchase. If the address is different, we often
contact you to determine why it's different, because we know you might want to have your order delivered to your work
place rather than set in your mailbox at your home. But we never have access to your complete credit card information.
When your order is ready to ship, we log into the account that our credit card processor provides and accept your
payment. Easy for us, and no need to keep track of your credit card information, and safe for you. And we are required
by our credit card processing company to be PCI compliant, to prove to them that we use safe practices and that our
computer and web sites are safe. There is a hefty fee for us to complete the compliance, but we must to it so we can
accept your online payment. If you have ever contacted me to ask for a discount, and I give you a lower price if you
agree to pay by check, part of that discount is so I don't have to pay the fees required for each transaction, and pass
on that savings to you. It's all part of doing business online, and most importantly, doing it safe for you, and for us.
June 7

In 2006 I went jade shopping in China with a young Chinese woman who was learning to be my associate so I could obtain
jade in China when I wasn't there personally. We took a 2-3 hour bus ride inland, toward the Burma border, to a city famous
for its jade carving. She liked jade, but she didn't wear a jade bangle because she and her friends didn't want to wear
grandma" jade. Then we spotted a section in the jade market with some very unique jadeite bangles. They had lots of
darker green veins on lighter green, some of the green had black color in it. She started talking Chinese faster than I could
understand with my limited ability. This jade was different because of the "too-dark" green, sometimes black/green and
he said most of the time they would bleach it with acid to remove the "strong yang" color so it would be more "yin" which
most Chinese women like. Let me add: most older Chinese women would like. Too much deep green yang would "hurt"
their qi balance. The young woman with me went crazy over them. She had watched me "bargaining" and wanted me to
get some for her and her friends. (There is never a price on jade, and buying is all by bargaining.) We bought almost all
of them, all we could carry back to Shamian Island. The seller was thrilled to give us a good price because he didn't think
he would be able to sell them. We started calling these "modern jade" and there are several on the YYJ web site, some
on the JBB web site. They are priced really low because of the good price I got them for. And one is on the Daily Special.
One of my three favorite jade bangles is this kind of jade. June 3

The June Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade newsletter is available, click here to view. Read about Chinese wellness and June, what kind of jade to wear for health and healing, and what's going on this month at Ying Yu Jade and JadeBangleBracelets.
June 1

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