Ying Yu Jade
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Sometimes readers write to me after receiving their jade bangles about how pleased they are with the quality and after comparing it to their other jade, and learning more about jade, they wonder if their other jade is either real or natural. I often hear that a friend or relative traveled to Hong Kong and brought them back a jade piece, a jade bangle bracelet, and now they wonder if it's real or natural. So you have to keep in mind that a gift is a precious gift. Will it make you happier or unhappier to learn if it's "real or natural". If it's a special gift from a special person, you wear it with much happiness and appreciate the spirit in which it was given to you. May 28
Almost every day someone asks me about certificates of authenticity. Most customers do not order certificates of authenticity when they purchase Ying Yu Jade products, probably because it's very obvious the jadeite is natural with no treatments. When you are familiar with jadeite, you learn what to look for so you can make informed purchases. I have an article article about certicates in the Resources section. The certificate is only as reputable as the person who sells it to you. I've purchased jade with "certificate" from sellers and later tested the jade and found it was not "A" quality (which means no color treatment but does not mean the jade is a nice and fine quality). There are testing labs around the jade markets in China where jade can be tested, and you have to "assist" and know what you are looking for so you can make sure the testing is real testing. And there are many fake certificate sellers. Below photo of one of the rings of bangles, the more green ones, are color treated "B" quality, they were all dyed together, AND they all had certificates of authenticity showing they are natural color. The certificates were easy to make because all the bangles look the same, so they had the same photo, the sizes were not accurate, and you could get one with your purchase. When readers tell me they appreciate that YYJ bangle sizes are accurate, that they have bangles with certificates and the size is not as stated, it's because there is a big stack of certificates that are shuffled through to find the one that best matches the bangle. That's why the certificate is only as reliable as the seller. Your YYJ certificate will always be accurate, worth your $35. May 27
I recently received
a surprise gift of a maw sit sit bangle bracelet. Maw sit sit is not jade
or jadeite, although it is mined near the jadeite mines in Myanmar (Burma)
and gets it name for its location, Taw Maw. Maw sit sit is not as hard
as jadeite and the mineral structure is quite different. The minerals
make it more green with black veins. Below are three photos, one of the
maw sit sit at the entrance of a mine and one of a cut and polished stone
and my gift bangle:
You can see how "green" it really is. It is very rare to see
this much natural green in jadeite, so the appeal of Maw sit sit is for
people who like an imperial green, a very "green" green, but
don't want to pay the price for imperial jadeite. Of course, there's a
big market of fake maw sit sit also, and genuine maw sit sit is rare in
the market. Maw sit sit value is based on customer demand and what a customer
is willing to pay and you should expect a maw sit sit bangle to cost at
least $500 and more for the higher qualities. Interesting! And if you're
reading this, Jen, thanks so much! May 25
Ying Yu Jade celebrates 8 years of business this weekend. I can remember purchasing my first small box of 10 Chinese jade bangle bracelets and 10 jade pendants from China, and wondering if anyone would be interested in jade. I fell in love with jade during my first trip to China more than 10 years ago, and when I saw a Chinese woman on the plane wearing a jade bangle, I knew I had to find one, and my first jade bangle was not even real jade, but I didn't know better! Oh, how far we've come since then! I started selling jade on my calmspirit.net web site, an online counseling and Chinese wellness web site, then we got a name: "Ying" means strong, high quality, and "yu" means jade. Celebrate with Ying Yu Jade this weekend and save, details on the Daily Special. May 23
I haven't been using my Frownease kit and my forehead wrinkle is getting deep again. I keep it by my bedside to remember to use it, but I've been lazy about it the past few weeks. A customer who purchased one wrote that she could see her wrinkle becoming less deep but it wasn't disappearing. She told me she had Botox a few months ago, and it cost around $700 but she still could see the wrinkle line. When she went back to her dermatologist she was told the Botox was working but her line was so deep she needed wrinke filler for another $700. And then it lasted around 6 months, so she decided to purchase the Frownease. I am aware I've been scowling a lot, life has been more stressful lately, and when I do the rolling, warmth, and use the patches, I'm more aware during the daytime when I start to scowl, so I can STOP IT and retrain those muscles. You do have to use it regularly to get results, and I am very happy with the results. May 21
I often purchase
samples of items to test them on YYJ and find out if customers like them.
As a jade lover, it's too tempting for me to buy everything I see, and
I'm not sure if you will like the kind of jade that I like. I purchased
a jade bangle etched with 24k gold for myself, and it is gorgeous.
I purchased another one in translucent lavender because the gold and lavender
color was so striking, as a sample to sell. The May 20 Daily Special is
this
jade bangle and I would like your feedback. The Daily Special price
is lower than the regular price will be, and I hope someone purchases
it so I can hear how they like it. The gold seems to wear well, and it
sure is pretty. Feedback? May 19
True imperial
green color is very rare, and is considered by gemologist jewelers to
be the most valuable color of jadeite. I always look for veins of imperial
green imbedded in the jadeite, even a small vein, or veins, in a jade
bangle make it special (and expensive!). The May
19 Daily Special is a good example of a big embedded imperial green
vein with other shades of green. Not only the imperial green vein, but
also the larger size which has a substantial amount of jade, create the
high value of this jade bangle bracelet. This jade bangle had a "sister"
in the wrapper, a smaller size but also with the same imperial green
imbedded veins, probably from the same rough made by the carver and placed
together sewn in a double wrapper. Imperial green color is unfortunately
"faked", so be sure to purchase your jade from a reputable seller,
like YYJ and JadeBangleBracelets. May 18
So you've looked at
all the jade bangle bracelets, and can't decide which one to choose. You
could save 10% when you purchase three with Bangle
of the Month, but you want only one, and a really good one. It's my
experience that the jade which appeals to you the most visually is the
one that is best for you and has the energy you need. The body has natural
abilities to heal, and intuitively knows what is best for us. When the
eyes see something, the brain is stimulated and endorphins and other chemicals
are manufactured. This "natural medicine" is what heals us,
so trust your intuition and what you admire about jade, and choose the
jade piece that has the most appeal for you. May 17
Translucence as
it refers to jade doesn't always mean transparent, or "glassy".
Genuine jadeite is translucent, meaning that light passes through it.
There are degrees of translucence, from the "glass" to more
solid appearance. But even if your jade bangle is more solid, if you hold
it to light you can see light pass through it even if it is just around
the edges.
I found some beautifully carved black jade pendants at the wholesale jade
market in China, and when I picked one up, it didn't seem right but I
wasn't sure what was bothering me about it. It looked like jade, was carved
like jade but felt lighter than jade should feel. Then I held it to a
light and there was no translucence so I knew it wasn't jade. I do sell
some black jade, and you can see some light, some deep, deep green color,
when you hold it to a light. The May
14 Daily Special is glassy, and very translucent, a good example of
very high translucence. May 14
Today's Special is a really special jadeite bangle BB177. It's rare to find natural colorful veins in the jade. This is old mine lao pit jade, but the color pattern is more "modern", although it's a very traditional kind of jade. What makes it modern is that you would rarely see this color pattern outside of China, because most Western women prefer the green color. So it would have been bleached with acid to remove all the veins of color, then color treated to make it a more commercial green. I purchased this jade bangle in a remote jade market that Western buyers often won't go through the ordeal to go to, but there's more of a selection of traditional jade, natural color that Chinese people prefer. So if you are looking for a very special and interesting jade bangle, and this is your size, it's a fabulous, one-of-a-kind jade bangle you will never get bored with. May 12
Several readers
asked about my personal jade bangle shown below. It was purchased as one
of a "ring" of 20 jade bangle bracelets, the "wholesale"
way of buying
You can see that color of all of these is very natural, each one is slightly
different even though they are all from the same rough. However, there
were also many "rings of bangles" that are obviously color treated,
and you can see the each jade bangle bracelet is the same color
This is an example of jadeite that has been color enhanced. The rough
was probably a poor grade, grey with lots of spots and inclusions, and
then bleached with acid, and color infused, so "B" or "C"
quality after the enhancing. The color is beautiful and the new color
treating methods last for years. The price for these isn't cheaper, because
a lot of work went into the color treating. When I wrote that you need
to keep jade out of direct sunlight, color enhanced jadeite will definitely
change color in sunlight and heat, and you DO need to be careful not to
get sunscreen, lotions, perfume on color treated jadeite, because it will
damage the polymer resins that are added for color and stability. There's
nothing "wrong" with color enhanced jadeite, it's beautiful
and you can get a good green, or lavender, or other colors for a fraction
of the price you would pay for the same color in untreated natural jadeite.
But you need to know what you are getting. By the way, there were certificates
of authenticity that stated this color enhanced jadeite was "natural
"A" quality". Since they were all the same color, and the
seller had hundreds of these, he had a stack of these fake certificates,
just match them up with the sizes. Keep in mind, a certificate is only
as good as the integrity of the seller. May 11
The gardenias
are blooming this time of year, and the air is fragrant. I reached into
my gardenia bush to pick a fresh blossom to bring inside, and noticed
how my jade bangle glowed
and looked perfect with the colors of the gardenia shrub, veins of leaf
green and soft white of the flower
I would like to wear only one jade bangle bracelet all the time, but the
energy of my cool weather bangle was too "yang" for the heat
of summer, and I need to wear jade that is cooling in our 90+ degrees
summer heat. The soft white jade is cooling and peaceful, and the veins
of green balance with energy for health, happiness and good luck. This
is a perfect jade bangle for summer, and when I see it in nature, by my
gardenia, I know it is Dao, harmony with nature. May 8
Someone asked me today if I had all my "new" jades on the web site. I have filled boxes in closets, under bed, and everywhere I have storage space, and when I sell something, I replace it with something else. I can get the best and lowest prices when I buy a lot, so I do. Jade prices only go up, and the US dollar goes down against the Chinese RMB, and for years I have purchased whatever I can get and store. So there will always be "something new" on Ying Yu Jade! May 7
A reader asked me to clarify what I wrote May 4 about wearing your jade when you bathe. She had read on some jade web sites that you should not wear your jade in water, or when you shower or bathe, and not to get lotion or fragrance on your jade. Natural jade stone loves water, and will not be affected by lotions or creams, but color treated, acrylic enhanced jade will be damaged by creams and lotions. Fake jades also may lose their exterior appearance and reveal another substance. But real jade will aways look nice, and when it gets dirty, it will clean up nicely. If it gets a little dull from wearing, use spray wax or car polish to give it a new shine. However, if you're not sure if you jade is real or natural jade, avoid any wax or polish. You can always polish up Ying Yu Jade. May 6
USPS mail has raised their prices today. The last time there was a price increase, we did not raise our shipping prices and I'll see how it works out with the new rates before I decide to raise rates. Today's Special is lucky "5-5", May 5, and one of the offers is $5 shipping on bangles, bracelets and pendants when you pay with Paypal. Take advantage of low shipping today. May 5
After the long winter, it feels wonderful to get out in the sun as these spring days become more warm. This is a good time to remind people who wear jade all the time that you should NOT let your jade be in direct sunlight. Jade likes cool and moist conditions, and may get damaged in direct sunlight. The heat can damage the stone structure. The best wholesale jade sellers in China keep a cup of water in their glass display cases and turn off the lights when there is no one looking at it. Jade loves daylight, but do keep your precious jade out of direct sunlight. And during the warmer weather, you jade will love to bathe with you, so be sure to wear it in the bath or shower. May 4
I listed several new jade items today, more of the jade goldfish carvings that were so popular, and jade pendants that came with my new shipment last week. The "black" jade is really very deep green jade that looks almost black. When you hold them to the light, you can see the green. I've seen "black" jade that is fake jade, and you can tell when you hold it to the light. Even when you can't see through jade, real jade always has some translucence. That is in its nature. May 2
It was a difficult decision to make, but due to the changes in the jadeite market, Ying Yu Jade will revise the "Bangle of the Month" offer to a 10% discount on three instead of the current 15%. Those of you who are already "in" will still receive the 15% discount, but new orders will be at 10%, which is still a "good deal" because it's a discount and you know what you will pay. Ying Yu Jade is NOT a discount web site with "sales" and discounts all the time, so a "deal" is a real deal. Today May 1 will the the final day for 15%, so if you have been looking at three jade bangles and thinking about getting a discount, now is certainly the time. Click here for "Bangle of the Month" details. May 1
The Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade complete May newsletter is available online now, click here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for May 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.
