Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[dk168]

@Crimson thanks for that Jade brooch as my maternal grandmother's piece might suit!



DK

 

[Pomelo]

Has anyone seen this notable item on Kathy Jade?
This necklace and pendant are carved from a single piece of jadeite. The chain links are all continuous wholes. There are no breaks in any of the links. This is masterful carving that has made the best use of colour – the vibrant green area of the jadeite rough for gourd pendant, and white and light green areas for the necklace.
The workmanship allows it to command the USD200K price.

老坑冰種翠綠翡翠玉墜項鍊 福瓜 (新竹)

全台首創一條龍式的翡翠製作流程，由翡翠礦主直接經營，從開採、加工、設計到成品鑲嵌。皆由專業團隊製作，省去中間商差價，回饋給顧客最實惠的價格。

www.kathyjade.com

Btw this is such a pretty brooch!

老坑冰種翡翠胸針 枝上雙棲 (台北)

以傑出精湛的鑲嵌工藝，將冰潤通透的翡翠蛋面及濃郁飽滿的翠色，以立體有型的喜鵲立於枝上的概念呈現。喜鵲是一種吉祥鳥，象徵著吉祥、好運、喜事將至。枝上雙棲，寓意步步高升，喜事將至的氛圍，完美地透過作品展現。

www.kathyjade.com

This reminds me of the thread by @icy_jade about her holy grail “devil’s work” necklace!

#JOTW Thread 'My holy grail: A “devil’s work” jadeite necklace'

May 26, 2021

My yearning for a carved jadeite necklace started years ago with pictures of interlocked jadeite loops that immediately fascinated me.

Example of short loops:




As I looked them up, I realized that apart from earrings, there are also bracelets and even entire jadeite necklaces carved out of one piece of stone. The skill and patience that it must require! Somehow the ones I saw at that time were super pricey so I put them out of mind.

When I read up on them online, this type of carving technique is often referred to as “Devil’s work”, as it was said that human...

• icy_jade
• jotw
• Replies: 51
• Forum: Show Me the Bling! (Rings, Earrings, Jewelry)

• 
• 

It is FABULOUS! Definitely holy grail list!

 

[Crimson]

@MMtwo, yes, tariffs, ugh. Glad to hear you are still on the lookout for a rich green bi. Maybe from Singapore? The tariff is “only”10%

@dk168 Oh my! Your grandmother’s pendant is so similar!

@Pomelo Thanks for sharing that post! Wow, Devil’s work,, what a name! It reminds me of the Devil’s Trill Sonata, infernally difficult to play.

@starstruck mentioned The Gem Trader on another thread. This month, there is a jadeite piece from an unusual location, Italy! Nice colour. So tempted to buy just for its location.

0.65 ct. Italian Jade - The Gem Trader Rare Gems — The Gem Trader

www.thegemtrader.com

Mindat info on Italian jadeite.

Mindat.org

Mindat.org is the world's leading website about minerals and where they come from.

www.mindat.org

 

[draganpower]

I was going to bite the bullet and by a nice lavender jade ring. I couldn't find any in my size that fit my big male hands. So i knew I had to do the custom route. I wasn't able to find any lavender bands or cabochons to my liking and low and behold I found this ring on Koo Jade. Such a translucent lavender I haven't seen in cabochons, only in bangles. I was ecstatic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186797632336


Then I hunted it down on Kathy Jade website because it is usually cheaper on their website but I was so disappointed.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARM2023A038

The translucency and brightness isn't there anymore. Was it the lighting or the photo was photoshopped? It is also more of a pink colour.

I found another one I really love.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARL2022A037

I was going to melt down the gold and repurpose the cabochon and diamonds to a ring I like but now I am scared that its not gonna look like that in real life.
Is my expectation for super translucent lavender jadeite in this colour is non existent.

 

[Crimson]

I was going to bite the bullet and by a nice lavender jade ring. I couldn't find any in my size that fit my big male hands. So i knew I had to do the custom route. I wasn't able to find any lavender bands or cabochons to my liking and low and behold I found this ring on Koo Jade. Such a translucent lavender I haven't seen in cabochons, only in bangles. I was ecstatic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186797632336


Then I hunted it down on Kathy Jade website because it is usually cheaper on their website but I was so disappointed.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARM2023A038

The translucency and brightness isn't there anymore. Was it the lighting or the photo was photoshopped? It is also more of a pink colour.

I found another one I really love.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARL2022A037

I was going to melt down the gold and repurpose the cabochon and diamonds to a ring I like but now I am scared that its not gonna look like that in real life.
Is my expectation for super translucent lavender jadeite in this colour is non existent.

Thanks for sharing, @draganpower.
Jadeite is very hard to photograph, and some lavender jadeite, especially the translucent ones, color shift. You might want to go to the posts around #514-520 in this thread for more discussion on this topic.
Yes, it is possible to find the jadeite thar you are looking for, just thar it is very rare.
Koo/Kathy Jade do have loose cabochons for sale, under the “Others” category.
Also - if you are looking for something to convert to a man’s ring,,did you search for pendants? They may have less gold than a ring and might be easier to convert to a ring. They might also be bigger.

 

[DKT]

I was going to bite the bullet and by a nice lavender jade ring. I couldn't find any in my size that fit my big male hands. So i knew I had to do the custom route. I wasn't able to find any lavender bands or cabochons to my liking and low and behold I found this ring on Koo Jade. Such a translucent lavender I haven't seen in cabochons, only in bangles. I was ecstatic.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186797632336


Then I hunted it down on Kathy Jade website because it is usually cheaper on their website but I was so disappointed.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARM2023A038

The translucency and brightness isn't there anymore. Was it the lighting or the photo was photoshopped? It is also more of a pink colour.

I found another one I really love.

https://www.kathyjade.com/product/ARL2022A037

I was going to melt down the gold and repurpose the cabochon and diamonds to a ring I like but now I am scared that its not gonna look like that in real life.
Is my expectation for super translucent lavender jadeite in this colour is non existent.

Ask Kathy Jade to send you photos / videos of the ring taken in natural daylight, under sunlight and in the shade, for a better feel of the colour.

 

[draganpower]

I bit the bullet lol. I didn't buy a lavender cabachon ring. But a Jadeite glassy translucent Leaf haha. I've always wanted one as a kid but my mom was like thats for girls. Representing "golden Branches jade leaf" (金枝玉葉). It represents female nobility and their peerless beauty. So my mom never got one for me. Instead got me a quan yin boddhisattva. The Goddess of Compassion. (apparently, quan yin for men, laughing buddha for woman).

Well, I live in Canada and I want to be nobility and have peerless beauty lol. I love the icy translucency with a slight tint of green. Less noticeable in the day light. The cotton in the jadeite also gives it a lot of character.




I am getting them to place a bail and setting with a small green cabochon. Except of gold I want 950 platinum. Gold not my thing


Thanks everyone in this blog that helped me and answered questions. I read every comment on here and perused through thousands of jade pieces online from reputable vendors and finally settled on one that is in my price range. This will be around my neck the rest of my life.

 

[Pomelo]

I bit the bullet lol. I didn't buy a lavender cabachon ring. But a Jadeite glassy translucent Leaf haha. I've always wanted one as a kid but my mom was like thats for girls. Representing "golden Branches jade leaf" (金枝玉葉). It represents female nobility and their peerless beauty. So my mom never got one for me. Instead got me a quan yin boddhisattva. The Goddess of Compassion. (apparently, quan yin for men, laughing buddha for woman).

Well, I live in Canada and I want to be nobility and have peerless beauty lol. I love the icy translucency with a slight tint of green. Less noticeable in the day light. The cotton in the jadeite also gives it a lot of character.




I am getting them to place a bail and setting with a small green cabochon. Except of gold I want 950 platinum. Gold not my thing


Thanks everyone in this blog that helped me and answered questions. I read every comment on here and perused through thousands of jade pieces online from reputable vendors and finally settled on one that is in my price range. This will be around my neck the rest of my life.

Please take lots of photos and show us modelling shots when it’s finished @draganpower !

~

I’ve started going down the RedNote livestream sales rabbit hole and added a couple of vendors on WeChat.

Whilst I’m not yet comfortable spending $$$ on pieces without reputable certification, I couldn’t help but impulse buy a pair of small snakes whilst late night shopping.

Our youngest was born just over a month ago which makes him a snake, and my husband is also a snake. So this pair of small snakes is perfect! I also like that one is more blue and the other is more green.

Photos and livestream stills from the vendor below. I didn’t ask for photos/videos under different types of lighting as they cost less than $100 for the pair! They’re ~15mm long each (one slightly longer than the other).

I’m still deciding how to set them, so won’t have them in hand for a little while.

I’m leaning towards having them set horizontally into a bar-type necklace as I’m worried that the shape is too fragile for a ring…

 

[Gloria27]

I don't want to make a new thread so I'm gonna drop this here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MJadeite?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1793123706&from_page=listing

I found these on Etsy, I'm in love with these hairpins

 

[Bookwyrm]

Please take lots of photos and show us modelling shots when it’s finished @draganpower !

~

I’ve started going down the RedNote livestream sales rabbit hole and added a couple of vendors on WeChat.

Whilst I’m not yet comfortable spending $$$ on pieces without reputable certification, I couldn’t help but impulse buy a pair of small snakes whilst late night shopping.

Our youngest was born just over a month ago which makes him a snake, and my husband is also a snake. So this pair of small snakes is perfect! I also like that one is more blue and the other is more green.

Photos and livestream stills from the vendor below. I didn’t ask for photos/videos under different types of lighting as they cost less than $100 for the pair! They’re ~15mm long each (one slightly longer than the other).

I’m still deciding how to set them, so won’t have them in hand for a little while.

I’m leaning towards having them set horizontally into a bar-type necklace as I’m worried that the shape is too fragile for a ring…

Wow, these would look so amazing as dangly earrings!

 

[Pomelo]

Wow, these would look so amazing as dangly earrings!

Thanks! Unfortunately I can’t wear dangly earrings in this season of my life with little hands grabbing at everything

 

[Crimson]

Please take lots of photos and show us modelling shots when it’s finished @draganpower !

~

I’ve started going down the RedNote livestream sales rabbit hole and added a couple of vendors on WeChat.

Whilst I’m not yet comfortable spending $$$ on pieces without reputable certification, I couldn’t help but impulse buy a pair of small snakes whilst late night shopping.

Our youngest was born just over a month ago which makes him a snake, and my husband is also a snake. So this pair of small snakes is perfect! I also like that one is more blue and the other is more green.

Photos and livestream stills from the vendor below. I didn’t ask for photos/videos under different types of lighting as they cost less than $100 for the pair! They’re ~15mm long each (one slightly longer than the other).

I’m still deciding how to set them, so won’t have them in hand for a little while.

I’m leaning towards having them set horizontally into a bar-type necklace as I’m worried that the shape is too fragile for a ring…

Congratulations on your baby, @Pomelo!
Hope you and baby are both doing well
The snakes are so cute, and nicely translucent. Such fun, too.

 

[Crimson]

I bit the bullet lol. I didn't buy a lavender cabachon ring. But a Jadeite glassy translucent Leaf haha. I've always wanted one as a kid but my mom was like thats for girls. Representing "golden Branches jade leaf" (金枝玉葉). It represents female nobility and their peerless beauty. So my mom never got one for me. Instead got me a quan yin boddhisattva. The Goddess of Compassion. (apparently, quan yin for men, laughing buddha for woman).

Well, I live in Canada and I want to be nobility and have peerless beauty lol. I love the icy translucency with a slight tint of green. Less noticeable in the day light. The cotton in the jadeite also gives it a lot of character.




I am getting them to place a bail and setting with a small green cabochon. Except of gold I want 950 platinum. Gold not my thing


Thanks everyone in this blog that helped me and answered questions. I read every comment on here and perused through thousands of jade pieces online from reputable vendors and finally settled on one that is in my price range. This will be around my neck the rest of my life.

I am so glad you got what you wanted. It is a beautiful shaped leaf, and so translucent. I think leaves are also representative of career success.

 

[Crimson]

I don't want to make a new thread so I'm gonna drop this here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MJadeite?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1793123706&from_page=listing

I found these on Etsy, I'm in love with these hairpins

Drool! I have been wishing for a jade hair stick for a while.
There are so many designs and I don’t think they are all jadeite but they are attractive. Do you have a favourite design, @Gloria27

 

[Gloria27]

Drool! I have been wishing for a jade hair stick for a while.
There are so many designs and I don’t think they are all jadeite but they are attractive. Do you have a favourite design, @Gloria27

No particular design , since so many are lovely , but I love the juicy flowers, especially the ones with multiple colours and translucent.
Not sure if I would wear them or just put them under glass and look at them. I have no idea if they break easily or not, I'd be really upset if I broke one.

If I were to buy one to wear in my hair I'd probably go for the pink magnolia with straight stick because it looks less fragile and has pink flower.
If I were to buy for the sake of the carving, I'd go for an intricate multiple bloom (peony crescent) or the rose with pink flower.

 

[Bookwyrm]

Thanks! Unfortunately I can’t wear dangly earrings in this season of my life with little hands grabbing at everything

Ohh that's understandable! Congratulations on the little one! <3

 

[Crimson]

Happy Friday, everyone!
Back in Singapore and had to get my Japanese food fix.
I’m going green with jadeite and a daifuku pancake with intense matcha cream and a strong matcha latte.

 

[Crimson]

No particular design , since so many are lovely , but I love the juicy flowers, especially the ones with multiple colours and translucent.
Not sure if I would wear them or just put them under glass and look at them. I have no idea if they break easily or not, I'd be really upset if I broke one.

If I were to buy one to wear in my hair I'd probably go for the pink magnolia with straight stick because it looks less fragile and has pink flower.
If I were to buy for the sake of the carving, I'd go for an intricate multiple bloom (peony crescent) or the rose with pink flower.

Yes, I would have trouble choosing too! They’re so pleasing and mesmerising.
My great grandfather had dark wood, mirrored glass cabinets of jade carvings. As a child I would avoid them because I didn’t want to break anything, but I now wish I had paid more attention to his beautiful arrangements.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

These are so so so pretty and at great prices!!! I have too many already but I love these!

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Crimson]

These are so so so pretty and at great prices!!! I have too many already but I love these!

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Yes they are! The price is pleasantly low
I think they will sell in a jiffy.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I have absolutely nothing of value to add to this thread, but I love to lurk and ogle all the candy...

 

[Odyssey44]

Happy Friday, everyone!
Back in Singapore and had to get my Japanese food fix.
I’m going green with jadeite and a daifuku pancake with intense matcha cream and a strong matcha latte.

You have no idea how badly I want that matcha!!!

 

[Odyssey44]

This another request for help evaluating a second hand lavender jadeite. It has a GIA report that says "translucent," "purple" and under treatment, "no indications of pregnation". The cabuchon is 17.66 x 14.24 x 5.39mm. It is $2k. I am thinking this is not a saturated enough purple though. Am I right? The picture on the hand looks so much more translucent/icy, but the close-ups seem totally flat. Could this be a function of the difficulty in photographing color shifting jadeite, or is it just poor quality water?

 

[Crimson]

Something for the

This another request for help evaluating a second hand lavender jadeite. It has a GIA report that says "translucent," "purple" and under treatment, "no indications of pregnation". The cabuchon is 17.66 x 14.24 x 5.39mm. It is $2k. I am thinking this is not a saturated enough purple though. Am I right? The picture on the hand looks so much more translucent/icy, but the close-ups seem totally flat. Could this be a function of the difficulty in photographing color shifting jadeite, or is it just poor quality water?

Wow, that’s a big ring cabochon, @Odyssey44.
It does seem to be light lavender. The texture looks glutinous.
There appears to be white intermixed with lavender - that is not uncommon in lavender jadeite.
I wonder’ how it would perform in sunlight. Would it be possible to get outdoor photos?
What is the metal? If it is 18K just the setting itself might already be worth$2K!

 

[Crimson]

Some stores have been advertising jewellery for men, for Father's Day. Here are two stylish jadeite jewels for men. I really like those cufflinks! They are from Ilia Jewellery (https://www.instagram.com/iliajewellery/)

 

[draganpower]

So I been wanting a "blue water" jadeite ring for a while. Love the colour. But I realize the old mine in Burmese are super rare now.

So I contacted littlejadeitehouse to get a highly translucent blue water ring. They didn't have any in stock but he can make one size 10.5/11 US for 1400 SGD. So I sent him money to customize it for me

This is the sample picture he showed me.

He said he can get one like this for 1400 SGD but is unable to determine the origin. I dont really care about origin if its pretty but would it be worth it if this ring was from Guatemala for that price?

 

[Pomelo]

Something for the


Wow, that’s a big ring cabochon, @Odyssey44.
It does seem to be light lavender. The texture looks glutinous.
There appears to be white intermixed with lavender - that is not uncommon in lavender jadeite.
I wonder’ how it would perform in sunlight. Would it be possible to get outdoor photos?
What is the metal? If it is 18K just the setting itself might already be worth$2K!

Just thinking out loud here: if the material is more glutinous, does it change colour less than icy material? Because light is less able to pass through and therefore change colour? (Please bear in mind I only did physics until 16yo haha)

 

[Autumn in New England]

So I been wanting a "blue water" jadeite ring for a while. Love the colour. But I realize the old mine in Burmese are super rare now.

So I contacted littlejadeitehouse to get a highly translucent blue water ring. They didn't have any in stock but he can make one size 10.5/11 US for 1400 SGD. So I sent him money to customize it for me

This is the sample picture he showed me.

He said he can get one like this for 1400 SGD but is unable to determine the origin. I dont really care about origin if its pretty but would it be worth it if this ring was from Guatemala for that price?

 

[Odyssey44]

Something for the


Wow, that’s a big ring cabochon, @Odyssey44.
It does seem to be light lavender. The texture looks glutinous.
There appears to be white intermixed with lavender - that is not uncommon in lavender jadeite.
I wonder’ how it would perform in sunlight. Would it be possible to get outdoor photos?
What is the metal? If it is 18K just the setting itself might already be worth$2K!

Thanks for looking at it Crimson! I have the same fingers as ET, so I I am always looking for big. haha I'll ask for pictures outside and see what they say. There is a 30 day return period. The gold is only 14 kt--618 g. in weight. The diamonds are not great quality--H Color and I. They are only .10 ct though.
I'm going back to read your info on glutinous. I have to read and re-read. This is such new info to me, with so many new terms it is not sticking in my head yet!

 

[Crimson]

@Odyssey44 I like your word choice, “sticking” goes with glutinous. So you are on the right track.
I’ve pulled out a couple of posts that mention glutinous texture - like sticky rice porridge, mochi or oatmeal.
Please read the lower quote first, then the upper one.
Or you could also search “glutinous” in the forum! I don’t think the word is used much

You read my mind, @starstruck. I felt that what I had shared was a little too abstract and I should show some real life examples! The sample pics can only convey so much. These pics below show Yang!

The article you shared is a good one. They discussed base or di 底 first, whereas in the Chinese convention,底 comes later or last because it is affected by texture (Zhong), water(sui) and to a certain extent, colour because certain colours like lavender tend to have larger grains and hence less a fine base. The fifth factor is 工，which is the shaping or carving of the material. It can also affect the perception of the base because a skilled carver can minimise flaws. In my later posts, I will go on to 工 and 底.

Yang has to do with color and not transparency. It is about the colour being energetic, assertive and eye catching. For example, here are photos of some of my own pieces that show Yang.





In this photo you can see the bees are less Yang than the others. Their colour is just more dull and they cost significantly less.

This lavender pendant is Yang - lively colour but the Zhong is icy glutinous. It is sometimes called ice cream texture.


This is not so Yang - the colour is subtle and less saturated, but it is a highly icy pinkish lavender jadeite that shifts colour so it is interesting in its own way,

This pendant has a mix of more and less Yang feicui but everyone at the jewellers loved it because of the watery texture of the large piece.

What excellent use of, your time in Beijing, @Pomelo.
Re: walking out of a shop, the locals say there is no crime in Beijing because there are cameras everywhere!
Thanks for running the test on the pixiu. I think it has a lot to do with degree of translucency as @starstruck mentioned, and there is also something to do with the composition and crystal of the jadeite.
@Starstruck8 I enjoyed the theorizing! What if there’s no foil back? My glassy cabs have no foil back but still glow.
I have also noticed the “light eating” phenomenon with carved and not quite translucent pieces. For example, the jadeite goldfish which I showed before has is what I would consider icy glutinous, with cotton. It isn’t translucent but it perks up dramatically in artificial light. The lavender jadeite cabs in my photos did the same - and they aren’t very translucent either. Maybe the articficial light brings out the blue and lavender.
But most lavender jadeite pieces also have the problem of “见光死’ or dying(losing their colour) in daylight. I think it might be because jadeite is a composite material - not all jadeite has the same composition. In lavender jadeite, one can often see lavender intermixed with white. Perhaps a high proportion of white cotton could cause the stone to look white in daylight.