Ying Yu Jade
You can always see what's new, click here
Some readers have
actually tried the "Chinese medicine" below, and say it works,
and say it tastes good. And one reader told me it's been around for 50
years.
It's the end of the month, if
you wear a jade bangle every day, it's time to give it a good cleaning.
Warm soapy water will clean it, and if it's a carved bangle, use a small
soft brush to clean the carvings. Then use Pledge or other spray wax on
it, and polish with a soft cloth. If there are some small scratches, you
can use car wax as that does a good job of filling in scratches. I clean
mine every day, most of what mine gets covered with is lotion and hair
products in the morning, so after I get done getting dressed, I clean
it good so it looks its best all day (feels better, too) March 30
I'm out of space on the YYJ web site for more jade bangles, so on Sunday I will move the "new" ones on the Daily Special page over to jadebanglebracelets.com and add to that web site. So if you see anything you like on the Daily Special this weekend, get it while it's at the preview price. One of my Chinese friends gave me a "Chinese medicine" recipe for colds and flu, what they're taking in China to get better: Boil Coke, fresh ginger slice and lemon, and drink it, and eat the ginger slice. If anyone tries it, let me know! March 28
A customer who purchased a jade bangle last week wrote to tell me how much she liked the bangle. She works in a health profession with a Chinese co-worker and also has contact with Chinese consumers, and she told me that most of the Chinese people she comes in contact with are suprised to see a "western woman" wearing a high quality, traditional jade bangle. She says it a conversation starter and often facilitates the communication she needs to have. I feel the same way when I'm in China, and it's important for me to wear the right kind of jade bangle when I am there for business, because if I wore dyed, or B or C quality, I would not get respect in the jade markets. My jade bangle is also a conversation starter when I go to trade shows here in the USA, or when I am "hanging out" in China. She mentioned how people just have to touch her jade bangle, feel it. Jade has so much energy and beauty, when we see jade our endorphins increase and make us feel good. So visually, and tactilely, jade makes us feel better and is healthy for us and our relationships. March 27
I think I enjoy buying tea in China as much as I enjoy buying jade. I unpacked the tea I bought today, to store it in metal containers, and found the receipt for the last tea I bought at famous Zhang Yi Yuan in Beijing for 400 RMB, about $50. I bought three times as much tea at the wholesale market for 275 RMB, at the exchange rate now $39. Mostly jasmine, and a higher quality, too. I poured it into my tea container and have the empty bag in my work area, and the fragrance fills the air. Tea is a wonderful thing, not only a refreshing beverage, but with many health benefits, and the tea culture is an exquisite way to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to inviting the "girfriends" to use my new gongfu tea set for a traditional tea, brewing three varieties. Tea and jade-life doesn't get much better! March 25.
I wish I had all the prettiest jade bangles in everyone's size! But, they're all one-of-a-kind, although I tried to purchase similar ones in a variety of sizes. And I listed some as "previews" on the Daily Special page, but some of them didn't last long before they were purchased, and there are disappointed people who didn't get it, wanted to look at them a little more! As I learned about one-of-a-kind items, get it or regret it. I was asked today if it's better to wear a jade bangle all the time, or change your bangle frequently. It's probably better to wear a jade bangle all the time, because of the qi exchange and health benefits. But if you use your jade as "medicine", then you want to change to the energy you need, which can be different over periods of time. If you wear your jade to go with your outfits, and you love to wear all your jade, then wear a different one every day! We all wear our jade for different reasons. March 24
I started the travelog today. I wrote it during the plane trip back home, and edited the photos last night. I'm spending a lot of time telling people about my trip, and will never get to those new jade bangles if I do that, so decided to work on the travelog. I'll add pages as I get them done, so keep checking back. March 22
I have listed a few "new" jade bangles on the Daily Special page. I haven't started unpacking them, took three out without even looking at them. I love them all, so it didn't matter which ones I chose first. I still don't have everything unpacked and put away. While I was airing out the house, a lizard got in and is somewhere in my office, and I've been trying to catch it but haven't been able to. Also, Tom has been very sick since we got back, he got a shot of cortisone yesterday because his respiratory system is so irritated from the pollution in Guangzhou. He's been sleeping and miserable since we got home Tuesday night. He is the shipper, dishwasher, and lizard catcher, so I've been extra busy. But mostly worried about him and babying him until he gets better. I had hoped to start the travelog this weekend, don't know if that will happen. I usually list the "new" bangles from least favorite to most favorite, so I can "play" with the ones I like the most before I sell them. This time I only have a few favorites because they're all so nice. If you can get one while it's on the Daily Special page, you will get a good deal because it's a discounted preview price. March 21
We're back! So many stories to tell. I've had many requests to start showing the new jade bangles, so I pulled one out of the backpack, took a photo and it's on March 20 daily special. It's an example of the "modern" jade. It's a deeper green, chunks of deeper green on lighter and more translucent green, and more translucent than the photo shows. When there was more B and C grade jadeite on the market, this was the kind of jade that was bleached to reduce the deep color to make it lighter, and color added to give it an all-over more even green. But many younger Chinese women want a jade bangle that's different from their mother's, grandmother's, and this is what they are buying. It's similar to the jade bangle my Chinese assistant and I bought for ourselves. These should be priced $500+, but today it's $350. More later! March 19
Bought lavender jade bangles today. I have some larger sizes 64-65 mm classic round, and needed the smaller sizes. I went back to a jade vendor I bought from in 2006 and on Saturday, and managed to convey to her I wanted the best quality today, and she motioned me to follow her a couple of blocks to another store she had where I bought some "chalk blue" bangles as well as some traditional classic "A" jadeite bangles and finished up most of my shopping with her so bargained good deals, and she started with very low prices since I was her "pengyou" (friend). The lavender jadeite is very rare now because the quality of jade is over-all better, and I bought six. After we finished shopping, I wandered into the alleys behind the jade market, and guess what...I found the fake jades that are sold on ebay! There's an entire street of fake jade, fake antiques, glass and plastic "jade" and C grade jade. Very interesting. Too bad we were out of money! Hahaha. We were so physically and mentally exhausted we fell asleep in the taxi and were lucky we didn't get taken advantage of. So now we're packing for the trip home. And it's agony deciding which jades we can carry on, and which ones have to risk the check through luggage. I had them sorted by preferences and the prices, but when it comes right down to deciding which ones are separated from me, it's truly agonizing. I had intended to ship a box by UPS, but the stores you take your box to get shipped are piled with boxes, inside and outside, not secure, and there is no way I would trust leaving a box there. Nor I would I trust leaving it at the business center in the hotel. It's pathetic to realize I trust the airline baggage handling more than the other options. So they get packed in the suitcases with love and prayers, and we hope to see our luggage 29 hours after we check it in. Camera is packed, sorry no photos again today. I hope this weekend I can show some on the Daily Special page. Next blog entry will be from Florida. What an incredible trip this has been! March 17
Only one more day left! Chinese businesses want you to buy things all the time, but the money system is quite archaic when you can't change currency on weekends. Our hotel can only exchange $200. We went sightseeing at YueXiu Park, a huge park in the middle of Guangzhou with a "mountain" in the middle to climb. We visited the old Guangzhou Museum in the park, and then a Daoist Temple, which was the strangest Daoist Temple because although there were Daoist priests, it was mostly Buddhist. We also ate a lot today, trying different foods and chose very well. My pants were all fitting loose the last couple of days, so I needed to eat! I finished my Chinese treatment, mostly for my fibromyalgia, and medicine today, too. A girlfriend asked me to get her a Chinese blouse. Each time I visit China I buy a traditional blouse for myself, and really do wear them, and buy them in Beijing. In Guangzhou, Chinese people don't wear "Chinese" clothes, they wear more stylish modern clothes. In a fashiony store, I found somewhat traditional Chinese style and decoration on a more modern shirt, and bought a few as options to my ever-present tee shirts, some silk and some silk and linen blend which have a smooth, comfortable "feel". They're really different, and two are a pull-over style, modern yet definitely stylish Chinese. AND on sale for 50 RMB, about $7. I wish I could find pants long enough for me, because there are some very stylish ones. Also bought different kinds of tea. Then we went through all the jade I bought and marked the prices and made a list so I can price them while we're on the plane. Blog readers have seen me write "gold and diamonds have a price, but jade has no price". The jade wholesale market has hundreds of sellers, hundreds of thousands of jade pieces, and NO prices on any of the jade. Truly, jade has no price. The price is determined by how much you buy, and what the seller will sell it to you for after bargaining. It's different for everybody. But, Ying Yu Jade needs a price, so that will be determined by what I paid, add the price of trip, and compare to what I have seen prices in the retail market here in China, and then make it less in price than Chinese retail. Tomorrow will be last day jade shopping. I didn't get any lavender jade bangles yet. Lavender jadeite is more expensive so I wanted to buy what I need for inventory first, then splurge on lavender jade, and I would love to buy something special for myself. The problem with buying one jade bangle for myself is that you can't buy just one of something in the wholesale market. For example, when I see one bangle I like but don't want anything else, they won't let me buy it unless I buy some other things, too. I can buy individual items in the retail section of the jade market, but then the price is 10 times higher. I don't have many pendants purchased, because the prices have been high and I have to spend so much time bargaining for them, then sell them $30-50, and by the time I sell them and pay credit card processing fees I usually don't make any profit on them, that's why I don't have many and may not buy any. I have lots of stories to tell, stories of my experiences, and stories jade sellers told me, and will save those for the travelog. I learned more on this trip than I ever imagined I would! There were a lot of photos I wanted to take that would have been inappropriate or impolite to take, so will have to use the "thousand words" that a photo shows. The Chinese government is still blocking youtube, which is frustrating since I finally figured out how to make the video work out right. I'm going to try to upload this, wish I had some photos to attach. Thanks for reading! March 16
China has cracked down on the internet because of the problems in Tibet and I can't get to youtube any more. We can't get all the real news any more, either. I would appreciate if someone please let me know if the second video day 2 and 3 is able to be viewed. All internet is being more monitored, I keep getting Norton antivirus messages, so don't know if this is my last chance to upload something. Hope email still works. Check back, but I think China has all internet control now. "See you" when I can. Zaijian. March 16
The first, and combined second and third day video is now on You tube-click link above
Day 3: We went to a Chinese medicine wholesale market, several streets and a multi-level building with Chinese medicine herb, animals, plants. Extremely interesting, photos will be in the blog. Then we went to the tea wholesale market which is mostly for jasmine tea, the different varieties. Sorry, Deirdre, no dragonwell, I'm sure it was there but couldn't find and/or ask for it. No one spoke any English. Then back to the jade market. There's a daily limit on how much money you can exchange at the bank each day, and today being Saturday the banks don't exchange money. The hotel does but at a lower exchange rate. I found some gorgeous "glass" jade which is the most expensive after lao pit, scouting out to go back on Monday to buy when we exchange money again, but I had purchased some bangles from the seller, then she showed me the glass, and since I already bought some I was in a better position to bargain the price. You can't buy just one or two because it's a wholesale market, and I had to buy at least three, more to get a better price, and I already had the relationship of buying from her, so I got them today. Oh, they are icy cold, make my mouth water. The worst thing is, though, not my size! 56-59mm. I made and uploaded the video to youtube, hope it gets approved, it's a better quality because there was more natural light today. We saw the sun for perhaps five minutes today, a rare event. Tomorrow: a little sightseeing and light shopping (ha!). March 15
I uploaded the first video but don't see it, so maybe I can't do it from China. Disappointing. Today we went to the Guangzhou jade market, which is smaller than the one at Sihui. But there was a larger selection of jade bangles 60mm and larger so I bought as many as I could. I purchased 50 yesterday, 55 today, less than half of what I want to purchase. It takes an hour at the bank to change money to Chinese currency, a long time, so I have to wait until the banks open, then it's after 10 am when I get started. I bought jade necklaces, pendants, also. There's a pearl market across the street from the jade market, oh my, it's several stories, size of a city block. I found jade earrings and bought several styles. This market sold wholesale beads of all kinds, jewelry findings, lots of amber, it was the most overwhelming wholesale market I've been to. Then we went out the back street and wandered through Guangzhou "every day life" in the back alleys. Interesting. We're watching CNN news to catch up on the world, and everytime there's any negative news about China, it gets blocked. There's stories about protests by Chinese people (Tibet) and protests regarding the Olympics, and the screen goes blank. So we can know what's going on in the world, but not about China.
I went to the Chinese doctor today for my Chinese "check up", pulse diagnosis, and will go back later this evening to drink the medicine they're making for me, then two more days of medicine to get my qi balanced. In the middle of the afternoon I'm exhausted because it feels like the middle of the night, and middle of the night I'm awake because it's my normal afternoon time. So the medicine will help. The jet lag makes it difficult to think, make decisions, when I'm buying all that jade. And I do have to be observent to check for cracks! When I point out a jelai, which looks like a crack because it goes around the circumference, the sellers all point out it's NOT a crack, natural jade root, and use tools to show it is sound. I tell them Americans complain about them and insist that it's a crack, but it's not, and I did get some because they were very high quality and beautiful. Jade is not perfect, "the carver always leaves something behind" and that's part of the natural beauty of jade. I learned so much from jade sellers, and buyers, this time. I saw jade bangles that I sell for about $385, which is an average price, selling for $1000, here in China. So Ying Yu Jade prices are very good prices. And when I get home I should raise the prices to reflect their true value, but I won't on most of them because we love our jade and want to buy more. But really, these new jade bangles are quite pricey and I won't be able to buy as many. Will try another video tomorrow, but may just have to "blog", thanks to the Red Firewall. March 14
I took photos and a couple of videos at Sihui jade market today, and will take a video showing hightlights of some of the jade I bought tomorrow morning when I can get natural daylight to show off their natural color. Then see if I can upload them to youtube. There was a good selection of "lao pit" jadeite, very old and precious jadeite from the pits of the mines, and some of the very best quality. The prices are 3-4 times higher than two years ago, and the US dollar is at its very weakest so I have much less buying power. I decided to buy the best qualities in my price range because they won't be around much longer and the prices will only go higher. This kind of jade is made into Chinese sizes because of its high price and very rarely sizes larger than 59mm, mostly 52-56mm. I don't have my good jade photographing camera with me, and the small one I have won't show how nice they are but I'll try to show a few. Tomorrow I plan to go to another jade market and will hunt for larger sizes. Shopping with my local assistant was fun, and I appreciated having a Chinese woman's comments and feedbacks while choosing. She's in her 20's and while she likes jade, she didn't want a jade bangle because she thought they were so old fashioned, but I showed her some of the lively, high energy jades, and she bought her first jade bangle today. I also bought one like it for myself, and a couple for Ying Yu Jade. She's wearing it in the photos. A fun and satisfying first shopping day. I know some of you would love to see all this beautiful jade, I and I would love to share the shopping with you! March 13
The daily blog
will be on Youtube (if everything works out the way we hope it will!)
Click here to go to Ying Yu Jade
You Tube or use this url: http://youtube.com/yingyujade. We'll arrive
late March 12, and will try to upload our first video March 13 in the
evening. Thanks to all of you who sent your good wishes for our trip,
and we'll be back in Florida March 18.
Ken, the man who sent me the photos of himself wearing a jade bangle,
sent a photo and comments about his
new jade bangle. Interesting! Thanks, Ken, for sharing with us. March
9
An excerpt from
an email today:
"While paying for my Chinese lunch, the proprietor at the cash
register noticed
my jade bangle. She rolled up her sleeve to show me hers that she said
a
friend bought for her in Shanghai. It was similar to my ying yang. She
explained that she has broken many, often forgetting she is wearing one.
Asian women notice
jade immediately. Others, unless they are into jade
(and I have only met one!) just don't. I sometimes draw attention to mine
by
saying, "look what I have," etc. We jade lovers want you to
stay in business --
we need a trusted source. "
I'm sometimes very
surprised at the people who notice my jade bangle, and know exactly what
it is and the quality, and why. But Patricia makes an accurate observation.
Younger women who live in China often prefer to wear more modern accessories
and jewelry now, while western women are learning to love the jade. Yin
and Yang! One Christmas Day my husband and I drove from Ohio to our Florida
home we had just purchased and thought we might starve to death on the
trip because nothing was open. We found a small fast food place off an
interstate in an area not near a city, and the young American cashier
was wearing a very pretty dyed carved jade bangle, and she commented on
mine and told me she wore hers all the time. She loved her jade bangle,
as those of us who love jade feel about ours. And I usually wear slightly
damaged jade bangles when I travel, because I often sell them right off
my wrist at rest stops. People are attracted to the jade energy that benefits
them. What fun we have with our jade. March 6
I've been getting ready for this China trip for a long time and there's no end to all the things I need to do, not only to go on a trip, but getting ready for buying things in China. Buying jade is a cash only transaction, no credit cards, so I have to make sure I have enough cash and my bank doesn't offer travelers checks anymore. I called my credit card companies to let them know I'll be charging the hotel bill and airport purchases. I don't know if you've noticed, but the cc companies are denying more transactions now that "might" be fraudulent because of the economy. My "No Hassles" credit card was declined at Walmart a few weeks ago as possibly "fraudulent", I can image what a charge in China would look like to the fraud department! I'm taking minimal clothes so I have lots of room to take bubble wrap for packing for the return trip, along with tape and other packing material. I have a daily schedule made up, list of places to go and things to do. I've been strength training preparing to walk all the miles carrying heavy jade purchases. Being on the other side of the world with a 12 hour time difference takes time to adjust to, and I have only five full days, so I'll never really get over my jet lag before it's time to return home. We leave March 11, return March 18, 27 hours travel time from the time we get on the first plane. In China, I'm sleepy all day but can't sleep at night because of the time difference.There's a Chinese medicine clinic on Shamian Island near our hotel, so I'll go there for a treatment and herbal tonic. This will be the first time I've gone to China without having a local friend, as I don't have friends in Guangzhou city. It will certainly be an adventure. Friday's Daily Special will be the last daily special until I return and unpack, probably the end of March. The last day to get your order in to have it shipped before I leave will be Monday. March 5
Thanks to Deirdre for submitting her winning ideas for the "What can you do with a jade bangle" contest. She is a real "jade lover" and uses her jade to keep healthy. Most of the responses I received were statements that they couldn't think of anything, but were delighted to read the suggestions. I have a jade bangle on my ailing jasmine plant outside because it was dying, and now it's flourishing again. Have fun with your jade and if you think of something clever, let me know. March 3
During the Leap Year sale, I received emails from readers wondering if they should take advantage of the sale now, or wait to see what I'll bring back from China. I wondered, also, if I should have a "make an offer" sale because the discounts were really deep and great bargains. But, I know that the jade on the Ying Yu Jade web site is probably more valuable than the jade I will purchase, because older jade goes up in value, and I'll probably realize that many of the "fancy" jades are underpriced now, as that quality won't be available anymore, and I'll raise the price on the web site to reflect the market value. So if you bargained for a jade bangle that was priced more than $500, you got a good deal. In the past, I have not purchased jade bangles that I thought were skimpy on jade content. More jade from inside to outside gives nicer color, more strength and all YYJ bangles are substantial. But, the "skimpy" jade bangles are much cheaper. I don't feel comfortable wearing skimpy bangles, so I don't buy and sell them. What do you think: would you rather have the option to buy "skimpy" jade bangles at lower prices so you can purchase more variety, or the present quality and pricing? I'm thinking about offering some, so there is always a jade bangle for every budget. March 2
Thanks for all your offers during Leap Year Make an Offer sale. Sorry I couldn't accept some, but I made counter-offers, and most offers were accepted. That helps to give me an idea of what you think jade is "worth". Some jade bangles are more expensive to buy than others, but that doesn't mean they are "worth it" to you. There is a Chinese saying "gold and diamonds have a price, but jade has no price", meaning that there is an international standard and price for diamonds and gold, but jade price is determined starting with the auctions for the rough, quality of jade stone, the talent of the carver, what is "bargained" for in the jade markets, add on the costs of acquiring it (travel/shipping/customs charges, authenticity certification, etc) and selling it (internet/hosting fees/advertising etc) and that all determines the price. Whew! March 1
The Calm
Spirit / Ying Yu Jade March newsletter is available online now, click
here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for
March 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.
March 1, 2008
contact:calmspirit@calmspirit.net
