Very interesting article about the world's most rare and precious gemstones, click here. Thanks to jade loving friend, Karen.
November 27

I have been trying to decide what to offer for Black Friday specials. Let me know what you would like to see offered yingyujade @ yingyujade.com
If I don't get a brainstorm, I will probably not do anything different other than the Daily and Weekend specials. I am guessing most holiday shoppers will be "out" shopping next Friday, as I probably will be. There are some online stores I enjoy shopping at, and have my wish lists made, items in my account in my shopping cart waiting to see what will be offered for sales. It's difficult having mostly one of a kind items, and I will probably be busy with my personal shopping/life the Thanksgiving weekend so not available for "Make an Offer" contacts. But if you have ideas, let me know. Otherwise there will be very special Daily Specials after the Thanksgiving weekend which will take the pressure off of wondering if you miss your best deal of the holidays by having a busy Black Friday shopping day. November 23

This morning when I started the opening move of my taiji (tai chi) practice, an overwhelming image of being in a park in Beijing came over me. The memories started filling me and as I continued playing taiji, a different park in a different part of China seemed to enter me for each movement. I would go to the parks in the morning and when I saw a group doing taiji, qigong or another qi exercise, I would move to the edge of their activity and join in. I didn't want to intrude, I wanted to "experience". Often when the leader would see that I was familiar with the practice, and not doing it "Meiguoren laowei" (old American) style, invite me to join. No conversation needed, just doing and "being". So different movements still bring back different parks and places when I practice. And yes, I do miss being in China. But my practice connects me. And my jade bangle connects me because it has been on my wrist, in those parks, with those people, in China, and we share the qi, the memories. It's nearing the end of the Year of the Snake, and after my qi practices I was drawn to my snake jadeite pendant and put it on and felt a great sense of satisfaction and well being. I am going to get one of the Chinese jade snake pendants and attach it to a key ring, then attach it to my little pouch I use when I don't have any pockets and need to carry some things around my home, office, gated community. I have a larger jade snake pendant attached to my regular handbag, for luck and protection. As soon as I get my jade pendants for the year, I make these up and attach them to whatever I can to keep the good qi energies of the year with me. The Burmese jadeite snake pendants that I purchased for Year of the Snake are still available, the lavender jade is the Daily Special, same price as the green one today, because I want to share my auspicious feelings of the Snake, and my memories of China with you. November 19

November 10 I blogged about my reluctance and then agreeing to take 3 items from a friend of my husband to sell for her. They had been in her family for years, part of her family's Indonesian estate, and she was very adamant about getting me to sell them for her. Two were jadeite, but one was a gorgeous red color very detailed carved coral flower pin, and it got sold within 6 hours of listing it. I thought perhaps I had put a too low price on it, and wrote out a check to her, and asked my husband to give it to her. He told me she would call me, and I tried to avoid being near a phone because I was sure I was in trouble. I abide by the saying "no good deed goes unpunished", yet most of the time I do the good deed and accept whatever "punishment" might get dished out. It turns out she was thrilled it sold , because she had an affection for the items, but she didn't really want them anymore and felt guilty about getting rid of them because they were part of her family. She was thrilled because someone valued it enough to purchase it, and she knew it would continue to make someone happy. I completely understand that feeling, when I clean out my clutter, because some of it has monetary value as well as sentimental value but I need to clean the clutter to feel better, and often give them people who like it so I know it will be enjoyed, not just disposed of. She asked about the other two items, hoping they good "good homes" too, and I am putting them on as the Daily Special so you can get a good deal on rare and unique old jade, she will be happy they go to a good home, and I will not be able to avoid any "punishment". November 17

Thank you for your support and purchases for the Red Cross relief effort to Typhoon Haiyun victims in the Philippines. The donation was made today. Some customers were very generous and donated their coupons and discounts to the fundraiser, and a customer who ordered from both web sites donated her duplicate shipping charge as an extra donation. The Philippine people cherish jade personally and culturally, and what a wonderful feeling you have knowing your jade purchase made a difference in jade-loving victims' lives. Karma: what goes around, comes
around! November 16

I decided to take two of my personal jade bangle bracelets out of my drawer today and list them for sale. The Friday Daily Special is at a really low price because I hope it sells so I don't change my mind and put it back in my drawer. It needs a wrist. The other jade bangle is a small oval carved one. I have two from this lot that are similar, and won't wear both. I took a photo of my wrist wearing a small oval jade bangle. The carving on one side of it makes it slightly heavier and if if were round, the carved side might always be on the bottom because of the weight, but with the oval shape the entire bangle is closer to my wrist and my wrist bones keep it from moving around. I have rarely found an oval jade bangle larger than 55-56mm, they are so precious that they make them "Chinese size" to keep them in China. To get a good fit on an oval bangle, measure both widths, divide by 2, and that number gives you the size it would feel like if it were round. But since it's not round, you can go 1-3mm smaller, if you get the longest diameter the approximate length of your wrist, then the smaller diameter the size you need to make it your usual size for a round bangle bracelet. Difficult to explain, and I can honestly say I have never had a perfect-fitting oval bangle, but this one is quite close. The oval carved from my personal collection is BC2067. The one I am wearing has a small crack, which is a good excuse to keep it for myself! You can see how close it fits to my wrist, which is why it doesn't move around much. November 15

Getting ready for holiday shoppers. Today we updated our JadeBangleBracelets "bargain" page. We deeply reduced some of the "elegant" collection to make them real bargains for you. And we deeply, deeply reduced the "old" bargain jade bangles and renamed them "clearance". If you are looking for a jade bangle bracelet gift, but you are not sure of the person really wants or would wear a jade bangle, now there is a selection that is priced low so you can give a jade bangle gift that looks like it would cost much more than your cost. Oh, yeah...and if you need a little something for yourself, it's a chance to get a good deal...no matter who you buy for! Neither web site is a discount web site with prices artificially marked up so we can give phony discounts. Our prices are real prices, and you truly do get what you pay for. With the new Bargain and Clearance section, you will certainly get even more than you pay for. November 14

The photos of the storm damage in the Philippines are devastating and breaks my heart when I see the lives that have been changed and lost. Two months after we moved to Florida, hurricane Charlie, a category 4 storm, ripped through central Florida. When we left the shelter to return to our homes, you couldn't even recognize the area due to storm damage. Roofs were gone, trees were down, roads were flooded, electricity was out, and didn't even look like our community. The storm that went through the Philippines was even worse than what we experienced. A few days after when we were cleaning up, still no electricity, a Red Cross truck came in our gated community and brought food. A small gesture meant so much to us. Whenever there is a disaster either here in USA or somewhere in the world, I make a donation to the Red Cross. And I set aside a few days to let Ying Yu Jade bring in more money so I can make a larger donation. Now through Thursday, 20% of profits of all sales on both web sites will be donated to the Red Cross with instructions to use it for Haiyan relief. I have some jade loving customer/friends who live in the Philippines and I hope their jade protected them. I hope they survived this storm and are getting on with their lives. If you are planning to make a purchase this month, do some extra good with your jade purchase because part of the profits go to Haiyan disaster relief. November 11

This was one of the busiest and most bizarre weekends I have had. Friday started with going shopping at a wholesale jewelry and accessories trade show. There are a few Chinese vendors who know I appreciate jade, and if they have "something special" they set it aside for me if I am there during the morning of the first day. None of them had found anything that was natural and that I could re-sell at low prices for holiday sales. A Chinese women had set aside five jadeite bangle bracelets, C grade, $200-250 each. I passed on those, but thought the price was high for wholesale for C grade jadeite. The past couple years, these wholesale shows have been disappointing and I haven't been able to purchase cute "little jade things" I could offer to sell as gifts. At these shows, I also try to do my personal holiday shopping for family and friends, since almost everybody likes jewelry. There were only 2 vendors that offered a small selection of sterling silver, all the rest was unknown metals, really cheap stuff made in China. Most of the vendors were Chinese and selling those kind of things. Very disappointing. And I know other buyers purchase them and mark them up to sell in their stores. I wore a hand-made sterling silver bold awesome design necklace, earring, bracelet set that I used to be able to purchase at these kind of shows, and almost every vendor wanted to buy it from me, and quite high prices. I never thought that these "trinkets" I used to buy were actually investments, because unique, good quality jewelry is so difficult to find. Also, at these shows there would be jewelers, usually from India, who would sell 18k, 22k gold jewelry, and I haven't seen those vendors in 5 years. Why are we women settling for "cheap"? Then yesterday was our community craft show, which I always say I will not participate, then a friend asks me to share a table with her so we can talk and visit. I keep a box of jewelry I used to make, but it's sterling and rarely sells because people don't want to pay the price and would rather buy cheap stuff, and some scarves I knit to relax in the evenings. I took three jade bangle bracelets , because jade lovers will zero in on jade if they see it, and one of my friends spotted one right away. She wanted to buy it, I told her it was $200 and she gave me a $20 bill. I told her it was two hundred dollars, and she was shocked. Then everyone else around heard that jade actually sold for $200 and were shocked, too. The jade bangle was actually one I sell on the web site for at least $388. I had some Chinese jade and sold her a Chinese jade bangle for a really good price. Then a woman went to her house and came back with a handful of "things" she didn't know if it was jade, that her family had when they were in Indonesia. Two pieces were jade, one was a gorgeous carved coral pin/brooch. She wanted to know the value, and I gave a rough estimate, then she asked me to sell them for her. She and her husband are friends of my husband, and I finally had to agree, and then decided to buy them from her because 1) they were really nice and I would keep them for myself if they didn't sell, and 2) it's too difficult to explain costs of selling, including credit card fees, and then I have to pay income tax on all earnings, so it's easier for me to buy them, then sell them. There's something about jade that brings out strong emotions in people. I think it's the qi energy of jade that is so compatible with human energy. If the qi is right for you, it's calming and satisfying, and if it's not, it makes you kind of crazy. And there was all kinds of craziness at that craft show after the jade transactions. I'm still trying to normalize today! So I listed some new jade items, and the three pieces I bought yesterday. You can see them in the shopping cart home page, the items near the top. Playing with that good jade today is like taking a Xanax. November 10

I received an email from a man who searched for a jade bangle he could wear. He finally found a jade bangle he liked, and a salesperson who was determined to help him get it on his wrist. They kept trying and trying to get it on but it was really difficult to get it over his hand. She had a bottle of an oily cream that he rubbed generously over his hand and wrist, and slowly and painfully, he finally got it on. You can see by the photo below that the bangle is really small compared to the size of his knuckles. But he was determined, and worked at it until he got it on. I often received emails from customers who get their first jade bangle, and are really upset because they ask to return it, to exchange for a larger size. I try to encourage them to give their wrist a rest, then try again. Some do that, and eventually get it on. Others....we have to make an exchange. But then they write that they want to purchase another bangle, and want to try a smaller size. And sometimes they keep getting smaller sizes until they are actually to the size of the original jade bangle they couldn't get on. (That was how it worked for me, too!) Jade is hard, it's stone, and different from a metal bangle that can often bend a little to get on. If you measure correctly, there's a 80% chance you will get it on even if it feels too small, and like you will never get it on. Be patient. Try the plastic bag, and/or the oily lotions, and give the wrist a rest, try again. If it just won't go on, I will be happy to exchange for you, at a minimum effort. I usually send your choice of a replacement along with a postage paid mailer to return the first one. If there's a price difference in YYJ favor, you pay the difference, plus shipping to you and back to YYJ. If it's less than your original price, you can get a refund. If it's one of a kind, there may be a small restocking fee for an exchange, but if you make the exchange right away after receiving it, and we still have the photos and haven't made the web site changes, no extra charges. So if you are nervous about buying your first jade bangle, go for it! And be like the man in the photo below: be determined to find one, get it on. November 8

A customer was lamenting that she didn't purchase a "mutton fat" jade bangle when they were available, and listed for $888. She asked me to let her know when I got more, and had them at a "more reasonable price". There's really no way that mutton fat jade can be tested to determine it's really mutton fat, because it's Chinese jade, but it is distinctive with its creamy muttony color (which as you know can be color treated). So you really have to trust the person you purchase mutton fat jade from. Mutton fat comes from the Xinjiang area of China. If you follow international news. you have heard about the bombings and terrorist attacks occuring in China recently. The government refers to these terrorists as their radical Muslem population, people they try to contain in Xinjiang area. Xinjiang has been the regional Muslem area for a long time, and travel there is restricted for foreigners, and even Chinese citizens need a good reason to enter Xiinjiang area. My associate in China is employed by the government and occasionally needs to travel to the Xinjiang area for business. When he does, he purchases mutton fat jade for me. He says it's so rare to find, it's often substituted with Afghan or Mongolian jade or other jades. When he purchases, it is from a jade carver he knows and has done business with previously. I would guess 99% of "mutton fat jade" you find for sale is not really mutton fat jade because it's so difficult to get. A 'reasonable" price for a mutton fat jade bangle is higher than the $888 prce I sold my last ones at. New customers often ask about some of the jade bangles on the YYJ site, insist that they buy only genuine, natural jade, and after discussion about finding the "perfect" jade bangle for them, ask if I will let them know when I get the same thing at a "reasonable" price. Sometimes we can offer a jade bangle as a Daily Special for half price, and that's a really special bargain, a loss for YYJ business but something special for customers who check out the Daily Special every day. YYJ is not a discount site. Our prices are "real" prices, not artificially inflated so we can offer discounts. A sale is a "real" sale, and a good deal for you. A Daily Special is real special, and Make an Offer is a chance for you to get a good discount on a jade bangle you have been wishing were discounted. I cherish our customers, and want you to be able to buy good jade at good prices. I do try to keep all prices "reasonable".
November 6

Thanks again for comments. It helps me to know that customers prefer natural color even it it's not a deeper, brighter green. When I unpacked the samples over the weekend, I (of course!) put one on my wrist. My husband asked why did I buy "gray and dull" jade bangles when customers prefer green. He went with me on shopping trips and was surprised that this jade cost twice as much as what we used to pay for jade with some apple green, brighter veins. I wore the bangle a couple days, doing my usual things, and this morning after my yoga and tai chi outdoors, he commented that it was good that I finally put on a better jade bangle. It was the same one. Jade likes to be on a wrist. In central Florida now, the days are cooler, the sun is not as strong, and I marvel how nice all my jade inventory looks. I pick up a jade bangle and wonder why I hadn't seen this one before. Jade being out, and worn, just looks so much better than when it sits in a drawer. After all these years of selling jade, handling jade, it still amazes me, though. The sample jades endured a plane trip from China, with altitude, dryness, and needed some qi energy to brighten itself. You will see that happen also when you wear your natural, genuine jade or jadeite. November 5

Thanks for your comments and I would like to hear from more of you readers. The jade bangle below sold out within a few hours of being the Daily Special. The next Daily Special is another one from the samples. It has "yang" mossy veins, and the color of the mossy veins is due to inclusions in the jade stone. Inclusions are often what gives color, are not considered to be defects, and when the grain is fine like these old mine lao pit jade bangles, you can see it more easily than if the grain is not so fine.The inclusion in this bangle is at the surface and was not polished out. It's not a crack and doesn't go through the width of the bangle. If it had been polished out, the value would be at least $1888. Most of our customers are Western women, or Asian women living in USA, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, and prefer "perfect" jade stone, so the Daily Special price will be $388. The color is truly awesome, all natural A grade of course, the chime is very high indicating the fine grain. Want it? Get it while you can at the Daily Special price. November 4.

I am requesting your opinion to help decide the future of YYJ. I haven't been to China to personally shop for jadeite for several years. I had (still have) a good supply of jadeite bangle bracelets in storage, but the supply will be depleted and I need to decide if I want to continue the jade business, or get out. Every day I get emails from jade shoppers asking if our jade is "real" and "natural". With all the information about jade on the web site, the blog, and the descriptions, I thought it would build trust. We have been selling jade online for 13 years, and that's a long time to be in business so one would think it would be a reputable business. And the fact is that 90% of the jade bangles I have seen on ebay and other sites that are described as "A natural" are truly not. So I do understand new customer hesitation to buy. An associate in China sent me some samples of the kind of A grade jadeite that is available now and in the price range I can sell for under $1000. It's the fine grained, high chime, old mine "lao pit" jadeite, best A grade but since the goal is to sell for under $1000, and it's natural, soft green it's not deep or bright green. She is very knowledgeable about jadeite, has built rapport with carvers, and just because I send her money doesn't mean she will spend it all if she can't find the kind of jade YYJ is known for selling. She buys only jade bangles for me that she would purchase for herself, her family and friends. And of course being a woman who wears jade she understands that the jade bangles have to feel good and work as fashion, too. Below is a photo of a sample she sent me last week, that A grade old mine lao pit jadeite. I can sell it for under $1000. Please send me an email to yingyujade @ yingyujade.com to let me know if you think this is the kind of jade we should be selling, if you like it and think other customers will like it. YOU are the jade shoppers and I want to offer the kind of jade YOU like, and if I can't, I don't want to be in business any more. THANKS SO MUCH!!! And I will try to get it as a Daily Special for Monay (tomorrow). November 3

If you are a jade lover, and building a collection of jade for wearing as "medicine" or just for the beauty of it, checking out the Daily Special can help by giving you ideas of what to purchase, and saving a lot of money. In my 13 years of selling jade online, I find that most customers choose the jade that is "just right" for them. And sometimes that "daily special" is it! Or the discounted price might make it affordable for a gift for someone special in your life. Jade is also an investment. Jade has increased in price over the years. Genuine and natural jade is becoming more rare, jade carvers are mostly in the business for the money and not the art and craft of carving, and the jades I purchased 10 years ago have increased in price at least ten times. One of my first customers 13 years go and I would "shop together" on line, on ebay, and find beautiful, good quality jades for prices we thought were high, but we bought it because we liked it, and a few months ago she commented on the value of what it would cost today, if you could even find something similar. Most of the natural genuine jadeite today is a soft pale color, not very translucent, with a few green veins and sells for at least $1000. The reality is that colorful natural jadeite is very expensive, very rare to even find. During the years of 2001-2004 when I was still working at a "real job" I spent every extra dollar I had buying up every jadeite bangle I could get, and the payoff today is that I am one of the few jade sellers that can offer genuine, natural jadeite with that older charm. And the price we sell for is way, way below retail prices in China and Hong Kong. If you need more jade, do check out the Daily Specials. The first Daily Special of November sold out before I was even out of bed in the morning, and a second Daily Special was listed. What did you miss out on? A gorgeous translucent "glassy" jadeite bangle at half price. Remember our motto: Get it or regret it. Jade is not just for wearing. It's also an investment. November 2

We start the month with "Make an Offer" days, today and tomorrow, for jade bangle bracelets on the JadeBangleBracelets web site. Click here for details and the form to make your offer.

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

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