Ying Yu Jade
September 2007 Blog
Five of the boxes from my China shipment got held up in customs. UPS called me, and we resolved some of the issues yesterday. The UPS office in China didn't change my shippers address to English, so customs didn't know who it was coming from. They opened all the boxes, and I was really worried that they wouldn't pack everything securely for the rest of their journey to my home. When I received the boxes, I could see they had been opened and resealed, but except for one box it didn't seem like it was unpacked. My supplier is an excellent packer and he packs everything tight so it won't rattle around and break in shipping, I am very impressed with his packing. I'm getting everything unpacked now, if you are a jade lover you would really enjoy unpacking and opening every bangle box and wrapper! Some of the jade bangles take my breath away, they are awesome, and of course I am tempted to keep them for myself! I have what's called a forbidden love affair with my merchandise. So far, I've unpacked the old river jade bangles which have wonderful color, and rollers and jade ben wa balls. When the customs office called, they wanted to know what those "marbles" were for and if the value on the parcel was correct! I didn't educate her about ben wa. So now I'm unpacking pendants, then will savor the unwrapping of the jade bangles. What fun! September 28
Parcels from my new shipment from China are arriving, and I'm very happy with the jade pieces and the prices on some of them were less than quoted. I'm blissfully happy, and want to share some of these at greatly reduced prices, so we're starting a Bangle Blowout today, a customer appreciation special. Bangle Blowout will run through October 3, and I'll add new bangles as they sell, so you can check back to see "what's new". I'm also including some jade bangles that have been on the web site for awhile and reduced the prices. These are all good quality, no damage.I haven't had a Bangle Blowout sale for a long time, and some of you have requested it, so here it is. A good opportunity to get something new, or buy for a holiday gift. Sale is final for these, no returns or exchanges, and no additional discounts or coupons apply, and not eligible for Bangle of the Month. Have fun shopping! September 27
Last week was Moon Festival in China, but here in North America the moon is full today, so it's time for a Ying Yu Jade one day Moon sale. Take $10 off your order of $95+, use coupon code MOON10 on the order form when you check out. September 26
I received two enquiries from
yesterday's blog about inclusions, so I want to write more about inclusions,
because there is concern they are like inclusions in gemstone, like diamonds,
that determine the quality. All jade has inclusions. An inclusion is anything
you can see in the jade. Asian people often like more inclusions, western
people like less. My supplier is mystified about this and thinks I'm stupid
because I choose jade with less inclusions than more, which he thinks
less inclusion is not as good quality. However, all inclusions are not
the same. For example, a white jade bangle has lots of inclusions you
can see because of its nature, and yet some make it attractive while black
or other dark inclusions make the appearance unattractive. This is why
so much of the white jade is bleached, to get rid of the inclusions, but
that makes the jade brittle, and I don't buy that kind. The Chinese jade
is another good example of desirable inclusions, but again, most of my
customers would prefer a more inclusion-free appearance. Jelai, cleaving
veins, clarifications are different, as those are slight natural fracturing
in the jade stone. Diamonds and other gemstones can be rated by their
inclusions (emeralds are a good example) but jade is not rated because
by inclusions. I have to use my experience to use the entire appearance
and energy of the jade to determine prices, along with factoring in what
I paid for it and the shipping from China. September
24
I saw the photos for my "new" jade bangles that are being shipped this week. They look very nice, the color varies in shades of green with white, what you would expect natural, untreated jade to look like. The price is very good, slightly higher than what I paid in the past, but it looks like I will still be able to offer a variety of prices for every budget. I was very distressed that I wouldn't be able to offer jadeite bangles less than $200, but I hope that I can still offer some in this price range. They will still be extremely nice quality bangles, and of course genuine jade and jadeite. Of course, the better the color, translucency, polish, and lack of clarification lines will be priced higher as they have more value. But whatever jade you buy on Ying Yu Jade is a very good quality, because I sell only what I would wear myself. And I wear jade every day. September 23
The television show "Survivor" is in China this season. They're somewhere in the southern part, looks like near Guilin from the rocks, mountains, water. Several of the women survivors are wearing jade pendant necklaces. I hope they chose auspicious symbols with good energy. I also hope "Survivor" shows us some "real China" during this series. September 21
The jade bangles I set outside in the humidity, then polished with wax, looked really good when I got done with them, and I couldn't decide which one to wear, but went back to the pale one I had been wearing. It has a small kiss of "hong" that gives it a unique appearance. I took out some of the rosewood jade bangle stands and am displaying three on the dining table. That way I can enjoy looking at them for awhile before I put them away. September 20
It's a rainy day today, a good day for jade. Jade loves water, humidity. I put some of the bangles I haven't worn for awhile on a table outside on the lanai, will leave them there a few hours, then spray them lightly with Pledge furniture wax and polish them with a soft cloth. This is something you can do to keep your jade looking good. September 19
In June, I wrote about jade
shopping in Las Vegas, and enjoyed reading this email I received today:
I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas, and thought I'd let you know
how the jade shopping is there currently. I had never been to the Vegas
Chinatown (even though I go to Vegas twice a year), but took the city
bus out there this time to check it out. I did go into the jade store
in the mini-mall (thank goodness for the air conditioning as it was over
106 when I was there), and the selection of jade items was amazing. I
was especially impressed with the selection of pendants, but the prices
put me off purchasing anything. There were a lot of bangles, stacked two
high directly on glass shelves in the display cases. Many were so precariously
balanced that any bumping or shaking of the shelf would have caused them
to slip off and crash into the bottom of the case!
I'm pretty sure I ran into the same pushy woman you described in your June blog. She kept asking if I needed any help or wanted to see anything in the case, and wouldn't leave me alone for more than a few seconds (kind of like a used car salesman). Like yourself, I ended up leaving the store without making a purchase.
She wrote more, but I wanted to comment that it's risky buying jade from a seller who doesn't take care with their jade and display and store it carefully. Jade that gets knocked around on glass shelves can get cracks and scratches and chips that you don't find until later, and can also cause cracking in the grains that cause it to be more susceptible to breaking, and breaking for "no apparent reason". And it just doesn't look good for a customer to see jade treated carelessly. I keep all my jade bangles in their original box or wrapper so they will stay safe. And was appalled at the jade store in the mini-mall, all those lovely jade bangles so carelessly treated! September 18
I finished marking up some of the jade prices. The prettiest jade bangles of the best quality got the highest price increases because this kind of jade is going to be more rare, and is in fact becoming a collector's jade. I really didn't like to increase prices, though. I looked at some of my competitors web sites and see that genuine and natural color jade and jadeite prices have increased for others, too. I am working with a carver now, and purchased some rough jadeite to have bangles made. If it works out, I'll be able to sell fabulous jade and "regular" and non-fabulous prices. By getting my bangles directly from the carver, they will pass through fewer hands and fewer price increases. And that's good news for YYJ customers. I'll keep you updated on how this turns out. September 17.
While responding to an enquiry about an icy white jadeite bangle that has a lot of "flowering", I spent some time admiring it. Earlier in the day I had purchased three tee shirts in autumn colors of pumpkin, plum and moss, and was trying them to see how they worked with other things in my closet. I had slipped the bangle on my wrist while I was describing it in detail, so I wouldn't forget to put it away where it belonged, and it looked stunning with the colors in the tee shirts. If the bangle had been my size, I would have kept it because it's prettier than mine. I realize I had written about the kind of jade to wear in September, but I really have to add white jade as a choice because it looks so fabulous with the rich colors of Fall. I thought it might look too "bright", but good quality jade picks up the colors around it, and "goes" well with everything. One of my friends told me she loves to wear the white jadeite with black, gray and navy colors. So, Today's Special is a big mark down on a white jadeite bangle. There are other white jade bangles on the web site, in different sizes and qualities. Enjoy! September 13, 2007
One of my first-time customers purchase a jade bangle last week, and when she received it was concerned because it was more "lively" than the photo showed, and not all one solid color. Photos can't show the true beauty of the jade because they are flat, and when you see your jade in person, there's light behind it and you can see the "spirit" of the jade inside. This customer was confused because she'd purchased jade bangles on ebay "for a lot cheaper" and they were not like the one she bought from YYJ. Real jade with natural color has a lot of variation in it, you can see the qualities of the "stone" inside. It doesn't look "perfect" as a molded "jade" bangle will. If you've been buying ebay jade or very inexpensive "jade", you might not be getting real jade, and real jade will be a "surprise" to you. September 11
This is the second part of the Sept 7 blog about the energy of the colors of jade. Chinese medicine involves five organs, each one having a color, sound, emotion, element, and other qualities associated with it. It's similar to the chakra system. I wrote about qi and jade colors in a column on Calm Spirit web site. You can read this by clicking here. September 9, 2007
An email from someone "new" to jade asked if the different colors in jade had meaning. I explained to her the energetic properties of the colors. The next day I received another email from her, telling me that she sent the same question to another jade seller, and the information she received was that the colors mean nothing, that these are naturally occuring. She couldn't understand why she would get two completely different different replies. At the same time, I also received an email from a friend commenting that my descriptions of jade were becoming more "objective" and neutral, and less energetic and personal. This is good feedback for me because Ying Yu Jade's uniqueness is the "energy", my personality and character that extend to the descriptions. As an energy healer, Reiki Master, and qi healer, I can't help but feel the energy of each jade piece. Lower jade quality just doesn't feel good, and it's difficult to describe that, because there's nothing "wrong" with the jade, and it would test as genuine and natural, but with my sensitivity to energy, and training in evaluating jade, if it doesn't feel "good", and someone asks me what I think about it, I tell them. Since YYJ customers and blog readers appreciate this attention to jade quality, and many buy jade for health reasons, I'll continue this discussion in tomorrow's blog. September 7, 2007
Further communication with my jade supplier indicates that the older jadeite, mostly jadeite bangle bracelets, is a better quality that the jadeite in the market now. And the prices continue to be higher, while the quality is lower. When I shared this with a friend, SB, she recommended that I tell my readers that what's on the Ying Yu Jade web site now is better than what's being sold now, so take advantage of getting the "good stuff" while it's still available. It's a good time to get jade for yourself, or start buying for the holiday gift giving. I have some additional jade bangles in my storage to replace what gets sold, as I saw this trend a couple of years ago. I'll probably eliminate "Bangle of the Month" sometime this month, as 20% discount is a very good discount. YYJ is not artificially marked up, so a discount is a REAL discount. September 6, 2007
I changed my jade bangle from
a summer bangle to a bangle with better energy for September. You can
click here to see what I'm wearing now, and why this is a good bangle
to wear now for health.
September 5, 2007
Jade for September
If you wear jade to balance your body qi, this is the time to wear either your classic green color jade. It's also a good season to wear a jade necklace or pendant, close to your neck and thyroid. Sometimes the thyroid starts to slow down in fall, and jade qi helps keep the thyroid balanced.
September is early autumn in Chinese medicine. The element is metal, the color is white,and related to the lung. The yang organ is the large intestine. Food that supports the lung and large intestine has a spicy taste. For health, also eat seasonal fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, grapes, tomatoes. The weather starts to become cooler, so be sure to keep warm. Although it might be difficult to give up the warm weather clothes you wore in August, this is the time of year when people start to catch colds. If you feel like you need to sleep more, it's because your immune system is trying to get stronger for the cooler weather that will come this month and next.
The Calm
Spirit / Ying Yu Jade September newsletter is available online now, click
here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for
August 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.
September 1, 2007
contact:calmspirit@calmspirit.net
