Ying Yu Jade
October 2007 Blog
Did this ever happen to you: You bought a new outfit, and when you took it home and put it in your closet you realized you just didn't have room for one more thing, and you couldn't keep track of what you do have, and your closet had so much stuff in it you couldn't even organize it any more? That's how I describe what happened to the Ying Yu Jade bangle bracelets pages. Those of you who check frequently know that there haven't been any new pages of bangles, and new bangles got added only after one was sold and a "space" became available. Now Ying Yu Jade has a sister web site, www.jadebanglebracelets.com for jade bangles only. The "grand opening" sale starts today and goes through October 31 with coupons for $25 off one bangle, $75 off two bangles, and a contest to help us form our identity with a prize of $100 coupon for the winner. YYJ will still have as many jade bangles as are on the web site now, but at least through the holidays we'll be able to offer even more on our sister site. Check it out, go to jadebanglebracelets.com and take a look. We're just getting started and more will be added for your enjoyment! October 28
I received an enquiry today from someone who had been looking at some
of her "favorite" bangles on the web site, and then today when
she looked, they were gone. She asked if they were sold, or if I took
them off the web site. I've sold a lot of jade bangles this month, and
the guy customers are buying now for the holidays, so if you see something
you like, if you really, really like it, you should get it if it would
disappont you to not see it there the next time you looked.. All jade
bangles with item numbers starting in BC and BB are one of a kind, as
of course are the TI. If there's a bangle you would like to see as the
Daily Special, let me know! October 26
When I get new jade bangles,
I want to put the "prettiest" and best ones on my web site right
away, but as I'm taking photos of them, I decide that I want to enjoy
having them around for awhile so I can admire them! Thus, I save the best
for last. I'm listing some of the "fancy" and more expensive
jade bangles now, as I know some of my customers want to purchase something
special for the holidays. But don't fear that these higher prices are
going to be the norm for all the bangles, and I will keep "regular"
prices, too. The fancy jades are not only getting more expensive, but
more rare. There's been so much political upheaval in Myanmar that jadeite
mining and export is probably not a priority for them. So if you see something
extra nice, I would suggest getting it because there won't be more like
it in the future. Of course, when I shop I do pick out the prettiest of
all the bangles that are available, and having hundreds to compare them
with makes it easier to select the nicest.
.October 25
A reader sent a feedback about men and jade bangles, and here is an excerpt: "Your blog about men wearing jade bangles was interesting and brought back some old memories. I remember when I was a little girl living overseas, our uncles and elders came over to play MahJong. It was the older gents who wore jade bangles high just above the elbow; not like the ladies worn around the wrist. My mom said elders wore bangles because jade represents honor, wealth and nobility. I guess that's part of the culture for thousands of years!". I have seen men in China wearing jade bangles, and a Malaysian man who was living in Beijing, but on the wrist. Interesting! October 24
Some men wear jade bangles. It's a fun challenge trying to find a large bangle for a man, and one that's a good style for a man to wear. It needs to be substantial and subtle at the same time. The carved jade bangles are a good choice as they have more yang energy. One of my guy customers sent me a photo of himself wearing the jade bangle he purchased with his suit, and that circle of green looked really good with his white shirt and jacket. I had it on my web site for awhile, then when I got a new pc this summer, it didn't transfer over and got lost. If any of you guys who wear a jade bangle can send me a photo, even if it's just of your arm and bangle, I'd love to have it! October 23
One of my first time customers was complaining about the price of a jade bangle, and then complained about the shipping charge. Bangles are usually shipped by priority mail ($4.60) plus insurance which costs a lot (ie $4.60 for $300, and I won't even go into how time consuming and frustrating it is to make a claim), plus a box, plus other packing material, plus there might be a trip to the post office. Bangles must be wrapped with a lot of packing and one or two boxes. Plus the cost of taking credit card or PayPal payments. The shipping charge barely covers all the expenses. Then there's the cost of the bangle. First of all, how many of you would know how to buy 100 genuine, natural color jade bangles? It has taken years to find a supplier I can work with. I either go to China to buy them, or have them made for me and shipped by UPS which is expensive shipping from China. I have spent a lot of time and money learning jade gemology in China so I can identify genuine and natural jade. You pay for my ability to get these bangles which adds to the price of the actual bangle. Then it takes about 30 minutes to take a good photo, list it on the web page and write a description, then add it to the shopping cart system, then link it up and make sure it looks right. So when a customer wants to exchange a bangle, there's a reason for the restocking charge, and the other reason is that sometimes they come back to me with damage I don't see until I list it again, then I take a loss for the bangle. I didn't explain all this to him, but thought my readers would like to know what goes into the cost of your jade piece and the shipping. I think to have a successful jade business, you have to have a real passion for jade, which I do! November 23
I guess some of you could sense my longing for a trip to China in my last blog! Lots of feedbacks, thanks. I received a few comments from readers who had visited China on special interest tours, visitng government programs, such as schools, mental health services. The comments were about the sense of oppression they felt on the tours, and were surprised that I mentioned the feelings of freedom I have when I visit China and travel on my own for shopping and visiting. I think that's because of being on a government sponsored group tour, you see what they want you to see, keep you together, discourage wandering off on your own. I felt that way on my first trip, although towards the end of it my roommate and I started wandering on our own and took taxis and pedicabs, ate off the streets and found our way back to the hotel alright with a lot of good memories. My second trip to China was also with a special interest qigong tour, and the tour guide was adamant about keeping us together, and upset with me when I wandered after we were left at the hotel. That was the last time I went with a group, and I learned some Mandarin and went back to China by myself the following year. The biggest problems I have with independent travel in China is with taxi drivers, who don't want to take fares short distances and either charge much too much, or drive around in circles to raise the fare. Just tell them in Chinese "please don't drive around in circles" and "please go to (hotel) quickly", and that helps. China is changing fast, I used to feel very safe all the time, but now I am very careful about theft, and just take precautions for personal safety. I recommend going with a tour group the first time you go, and if you like it, go back on your own and explore, shop, have fun. October 21
I am really disappointed that I couldn't arrange a trip to China this year. I have to make all my reservations months in advance, and it just didn't work out. I had hoped to go in May, then postponed the trip to October, and here it is October and now it's really too late because I'm already getting holidays shoppers and business is "busy". I am hoping to go in April or May 2008. It's always a thrill to deplane in Beijing, and walk out into the street to take the taxi from the airport to the hotel, then go out into the streets of Beijing to eat after the long trip. I love the smells, the sound of the soft "r's" of Beijing style Putonghua. It's exquisite freedom to be on the other side of the world, out of touch with all my every day activities. The qi energy in China agrees with me, and I feel very comfortable there. Although the plane trip is exhausting, once I'm there I'm blissed! So I do miss not taking my annual trip. Planning for next year... October 19
Wednesday's daily special included a free shipping special on certain items if they were ordered before 11 am your local time. I upload the daily special about 7 am EST. However, everything that could go wrong, did. First I couldn't log into my web hosting, they were having technical difficulties. Then just when I finally was able to log in after 9 am, our local Internet service in central Florida had technical difficulties. Then our phone starting strange ringing and disconnecting. I called repair but knew they couldn't call back. An hour later, a phone company repair person showed up, found out that grass had grown in the outside phone box and damaged it, replaced it, then checked our internet and discovered our modem was bad, replaced it, that one was bad, too, so he replaced it again. I don't know what time I finally got the daily special uploaded, but I got complaints that they couldn't check out on the web site because of technical difficulties. So, the we're doing the "early bird" daily special again today. I'm an organized person, and it's really frustrating when technical problems that I have no control over affect Ying Yu Jade. I do have control over offering you the best quality jade, and will continue to do that. But sometimes you have to wait for the technology that lets you order! October 18
A happy customer wrote to me about receiving her new jade bangle she received today. She had been considering the jade bangle for awhile before she ordered it. This is a quote: "You know, as beautiful and detailed as your photos are, I'm learning that they simply cannot convey all the subtleties of the actual color and texture of your jade - which is never disappointing!". It's so difficult to capture the true beauty of the jade, which is three dimensional, on a flat photo. I would rather you be pleasantly surprised by the "real thing" looking better than the photo, than be disappointed by your jade not living up to an enhanced and edited photo. October 15
I received a feedback from an American Chinese reader who wrote about a seller we might have both purchased jade bangles from with certificates that turned out to be fake, stating the jade bangle was A quality when it was really color enhanced B. There is nothing wrong with B quality jadeite, but the issue of fake certificates is a problem for customers. I get emails all the time from people in China who want to sell me certificates to sell with my bangles, and they will use any certifier I would like, including GIA, or a jewelry seller in the USA. With all these fake certificates for jade and jadeite, it's important to purchase your jade from someone you trust. I try to build trust with these blogs, and by offering information about jade to help you be an informed consumer. Please let me know if you have questions, which I will happily answer, as they make great blog material October 14
When we were in Ohio, one of my friends who hadn't seen me for awhile asked if I had Botox done on my frown lines because they were noticeably smoother now. I told her I had been using my Frown Ease products for quite a while. I use the Frownies patches once a week now, or when I'm feeling stressed out, or in the sun and I have been frowning or squinting a lot. My friend told me I looked more relaxed, then she remembered I always had deep frown lines, and saw only subtle lines now. While I've noticed a difference, I was pleased that it was really evident. I use the jade roller every night when I go to bed, keep it in my night stand, and even if I don't use the heat pad, I use the roller starting from the inside and working to the outside of my face. I used the Frownies pads for a month at first, and now use perhaps 6 per month. Jade rollers were discovered in the women's bedrooms in Forbidden City, obviously highly valued. I'm happy I can offer these. October 10
I wore the "fu lu shou" jade bangle that I chose to wear for Autumn on our trip to visit family. It seemed perfect, and I didn't take any other bangles with me. I usually take about five of my favorite bangles when I travel, either because I can't decide which one to wear, or I feel comforted with all of them. But this time, I left them at home in their little traveling case due to forgetfullness. It was so unusually hot in Ohio and Pennsylvania, that my body really wanted to wear a pale translucent light green jade bangle. The fu lu shou seemed to have too much yang energy, and didn't give me the balance my body, mind and spirit needed. I often tell people that they are attracted to the jade that their body needs, and this sure was true for me because I wasn't at all attracted to the bangle I was wearing, and it's one of my favorites. Those of us who wear jade for health and balance really do need a variety of jade to wear as our circumstances change frequently. October 9, 2007
This is a good weekend for me to take a trip and be away from YYJ for awhile because Monday is a federal holiday and no mail delivery. We'll be back on Tuesday and ship all the weekend orders when we return. I'll have some internet access, check emails daily, pre-process orders, and then they'll be ready to pack and mail Tuesday. While I'm gone, you can take $25 off any jade bangle regular price $300+, use coupon code BANGLE25 on the order form when you check out. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, some you enjoy your extra day off. October 6
I've started getting feedback
from buyers of the Bangle Blowout bangles, and the new jade bangles have
received good reviews. I've almost finished sorting and measuring them,
so you can look for some of them on the web site soon. I'm taking a long
weekend off to visit my family in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the weather there
has been very nice and warm, so hope it will be a good trip.
October 5
Google has an option a web site owner can sign up for, to let them know when their web site is referred to on the internet. Today I received a "Google Alert" and looked at the web page, and it was an auction site for jade bangles, and all the jade bangle photos were taken from my web site! The sellers location is Thailand and Tennessee. That's one reason I always write Ying Yu Jade on the photo, because I spend a great deal of time taking nice photos, and they look so good that other jade sellers want to use them. Of course, I don't know what they're selling, but the buyer would think they were getting what's shown in the photo. And since the photos had Ying Yu Jade written on them, the buyer would think they were the quality of Ying Yu Jade. I wrote to the owner of the auction site, and told them the photos were stolen from YYJ and therefore the seller was misrepresenting what was being sold. And a few hours later, the items were removed and I received an email from the auction web site to let them know if I saw my photos on jade items. Ying Yu Jade and Calm Spirit (www.calmspirit.net) are sister web sites, and I sell a few jade pieces on ebay with Yingyujade as my user name, but I don't sell anywhere else. So don't be fooled by other sellers. You really have to be careful when you purchase online. YYJ has been online for 8 years, offers a great deal of information to give credibility, and practices security in order processing. If you think you see Ying Yu Jade on other web sites, please let me know. October 3.
My new jade bangles are really beautiful. I found one that is very unique, just happens to be my size, and chose it for a "keeper". I wasn't sure how I felt about the coloring, but after wearing it overnight, I fell in love with it. If you would like to see it and read why I chose it, click here. October 2
Jade for October
If you wear jade to balance your body qi, this is the time to wear either your classic green color jade or a fu lu shou three color jade. Also, the old Chinese river jade is colorful and high energy for keeping your immune system strong in October. You want more energy from your jade this time of year to keep you healthy in body, mind and spirit. There are new earrings to coordinate with the old river jade bangles, in limited quanity, click here to see them.
The cycle of yin reverses its movement in aututm, October. It's a time when our health and energy need to be protected. The month of October is related to the lungs and lung meridian, which is the metal element. Summer is a season of joy and fun, but metal autumn cannot tolerate this. When metal has too much pleasure, joy and elation, this leads to pathology according to Chinese Medicine. This is manifested in depression, skin wrinkles and shrivels, hair becomes brittle. Metal is related to the lung, and is associated with the colon. Metal needs a certain amount of warmth to function properly. Too little warmth causes this metal organ to become brittle and stiff, but too much warmth causes instability as metal melts when it gets too hot. Too much joy can injure the lungs, resulting in loss of elasticity and oxygen imbalance, as we see in asthma and emphysema.The colon is also important for removing toxins from the body. If the colon is out of balance, which can result in constipation, as well as the emotions of becoming rigid in beliefs and believing things are true when they are not.
The Calm
Spirit / Ying Yu Jade October newsletter is available online now, click
here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for
October 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. You can also take a look at the jade
bangle bracelet I'm wearing now, and reasons why.
October 1, 2007
contact:calmspirit@calmspirit.net
