Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[Crimson]

Oh my gosh, that was so, so fortunate with the ruby! So happy for your find. The stone is fabulous.
Do you have any ear shots of the long earrings? Would love to see them.

Couldn’t find an ear shot but here is one of them in box. Will look for the other photos later today! Have to go to work now

 

[Crimson]

So hard to take a proper ear shot of these earrings because they move at tru slightest tip of my head

 

[MMtwo]

Ha, ear shots are so tough to take! The earrings are so beautiful, and beautiful on you. Love the length and the diamond contrast with the green.

Also thank you for doing this. I was swept away with those earrings before I thought twice about asking. It was very sweet of you.

Also, look at the glowy ring!

 

[Crimson]

Ha, ear shots are so tough to take! The earrings are so beautiful, and beautiful on you. Love the length and the diamond contrast with the green.

Also thank you for doing this. I was swept away with those earrings before I thought twice about asking. It was very sweet of you.

Also, look at the glowy ring!

It is good that you asked! After going through my album I realized that many of my photos of the earrings were blurry and in many shots, the earrings were covered by my long hair. So I tried to push or clip my hair back in those photos .

 

[Starstruck8]

Curious to know what the sentiment is here on color saturation. Assuming similar size, cut etc, at what point does a color become too saturated where it impacts value? Or does it never and it all come down to personal preference and budget.

These 2 for example:



The first is with “jello and ice piece with 光感” and the second is “vivid color with jello texture…refined and watery, uniform clarity and translucency throughout.” Which one is the “better” bangle?

The bottom piece under duller lighting:



The first had been sold. I’m debating between buying the second or to wait.

I'm not qualified to comment on the quality - they both look great to me. But the three photos of the second bangle show what an amazing difference lighting and photography make. I might not have guessed that they were even the same bangle! What colour is it really? Can you reliably judge from photos? (Judging by the skin, the white balance in the second last photo looks too yellow. The last photo looks more credible.) What might the first bangle have looked like in similarly different lighting?

For both bangles, I love the glow seen the first two photos. The first bangle seems to have more glow/luminosity, the second to be more uniform. It seems that the directional lighting from the back and side bring this out. It's not so obvious in the more frontal lighting of the last two photos.

No doubt @Crimson will be along soon.

 

[Crimson]

Thank you @starstruck. I agree with you the lighting conditions matter greatly especially with jadeite.
@nyapple it is really hard to judge from photos, but the first bangle seems to be more watery and translucent.
The photos of the second vary significantly, as @Starstruck8 has pointed out. it is of course best to compare and buy in person. When you cannot, then please ask the vendor for photos in daylight, both indoors and outdoors.
IIt has traditionally been said said that jadeite "eats the light" （翡翠吃光） meaning the bright light jadeite look smoother, more uniform and more translucent. Another saying is don't view jadeite under a light (灯下不观玉).
Below, you can see the difference in the photos of the same piece.
There are other photos in this link https://www.ymanz.com/ygs/8055.html#google_vignette
So if you want to buy a bangle, make sure you get photos in different lighting conditions, that the vendor has a good return policy and that you like the worst photo that you see. Jadeite is extremely challenging because just a tiny difference in the hue or tone can lead to a big difference in price.
Back to your question re: saturation - yes, as with other gemstones, jadeite can be over-saturated but I don't see that in the photos of the bangles that you shared.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Question I need help with:

Would you ladies wear the nicest, greenest bangle that you have, that you know you can’t afford to replace if you broke it?

That’s my dilemma right now! Would love to indulge in the bright green. It’s by no means anything high quality but it’s the best quality I can afford for a bangle. Should I wear it?

I need to add that I have 5 other bangles. But this one is the brightest. There’s no doubt as to how green it is.

 

[MMtwo]

I would! We live only once and a bangle in a box is less fun than one on the wrist. I wonder if you can get insurance to help cover the concern.

 

[Crimson]

Question I need help with:

Would you ladies wear the nicest, greenest bangle that you have, that you know you can’t afford to replace if you broke it?

That’s my dilemma right now! Would love to indulge in the bright green. It’s by no means anything high quality but it’s the best quality I can afford for a bangle. Should I wear it?

I need to add that I have 5 other bangles. But this one is the brightest. There’s no doubt as to how green it is.

Yes, I would wear it! The chance of breaking it is quite low. I know you are very careful and you don’t wear your best jewellery for everything. You even have a rummage ring! Jadeite is not the hardest gemstone but it is the toughest of well known terms. While, it is not as hard and resistant to scratches, Jade is most resistant to breakage because of its interlocking structure. As long as your bangle has no inherent cracks or hairline fractures, it should stand up to any little light knocks that you might get in normal situations. https://www.gia.edu/jade-care-clean...ext=Heat from a jeweler's torch can harm jade.
I wear Minerva quite often - I agree with @MMtwo that Jewellery should be fun. The items I don’t wear much are pieces that belonged to my ancestors. i feel a need to safeguard them.

 

[Crimson]

Thank you @Starstruck8 and @Crimson for the thoughtful response. I see the issues arising from inconsistent lighting in the photos. Unfortunately, seeing the items in person is not feasible at this time. I do not have additional photos of the first bangle as it was already sold by the time I pinged the seller. With the exception of the ‘yellowed’ photo, the color of the second bangle is a consistent tiffany-ish blue in all the daylight photos and videos I’ve gotten from the vendor. I specifically asked for a crap lighting photos and that’s when she sent the bottom two photos. Vendor did clarify that bangle 1 has more translucency whereas bangle 2 is more intensely colored hence the $2k+ price difference.

I’ve decided to save my budget for now and wait for other options that meet my criteria better. Thank you for the assist!

@nyapple You’re most welcome. Enjoy the hunt!

 

[Crimson]

Just FYI in case anyone wants to buy jadeite . On Cheong’s 88th anniversary sale is on. There are some nice jadeite rings and pendants on sale.

88 Years of Sparkle Archives - On Cheong Jewellery

From 15 Nov - 31 Dec 2024, 88 Years of Sparkle, Timeless Gifts for Christmas with On Cheong for selected gem-set jewellery with 2 items purchased & enjoy 50% off!

oncheong.com

 

[Butternut]

Do you have any recommendations for stores in Hong Kong?

 

[MMtwo]

Just FYI in case anyone wants to buy jadeite . On Cheong’s 88th anniversary sale is on. There are some nice jadeite rings and pendants on sale.

88 Years of Sparkle Archives - On Cheong Jewellery

From 15 Nov - 31 Dec 2024, 88 Years of Sparkle, Timeless Gifts for Christmas with On Cheong for selected gem-set jewellery with 2 items purchased & enjoy 50% off!

oncheong.com

Ohh noooooo

 

[Crimson]

@MMtwo, yes soon Ban Island will be a distant memory…

@Butternut I haven’t bought from Hong Kong stores but i know some of my pieces were sourced from there.
I would suggest
1. Look for the quality marks which should be displayed at the shop. There are quality marks for gold, fei cui, diamond and genuine items (no fakes).

Quality Mark – The Hong Kong Jewellers’ and Goldsmiths’ Association

HKJGA | 香港珠石玉器金銀首飾業商會

www.hkjga.hk

2. Get a lab report from their foremost jadeite testing lab, HKJSL http://www.jadeitelaboratory.com.hk/lab/index_en.html

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Isn’t this exquisite?

I think the legs are too delicate but it looks incredible doesn’t it?

 

[MMtwo]

@mellowyellowgirl he's darling. I wonder if his legs are supported by gold.

 

[Crimson]

Isn’t this exquisite?

I think the legs are too delicate but it looks incredible doesn’t it?

Exquisite! So translucent too. Have you ever bought from this vendor?
I have a friend who is a marine biologist specialising in crabs. I am so tempted to send him this and ask him what species this is

@mellowyellowgirl he's darling. I wonder if his legs are supported by gold.

Looks like it is just the variation in colour. It is darling.
I found the post and auto-translated the description. Very interesting.
Crabs also move sideways (“wang”) In Cantonese it puns with “Wang Choy” or luck/fortune; My maternal grandparents from Hong Kong had a dog called Wang Choy. When the original Wang Choy died they got a new dog, also called Wang Choy.

 

[dk168]

Question I need help with:

Would you ladies wear the nicest, greenest bangle that you have, that you know you can’t afford to replace if you broke it?

That’s my dilemma right now! Would love to indulge in the bright green. It’s by no means anything high quality but it’s the best quality I can afford for a bangle. Should I wear it?

I need to add that I have 5 other bangles. But this one is the brightest. There’s no doubt as to how green it is.

My answer applies to jewellery in general ...

I would only wear the more delicate pieces when I am going to be at my best behaviour, i.e. non-drunken rowdy events where I am unlikely to bang my hands on the table etc ...

The more delicate pieces that I worry about are the pearl rings as they sit high due to their semi-round shape (except for the Sea of Cortez mabe) and nature being lower on the Mohs scale.

If I were to repurpose my mum and/or dad's jade pieces and re-set into bangles or bracelets, I would need to set them in designs that minimise turning so that I do not bang them against anything such as keyboard and table.

I don't trust myself wearing a full Jade bangle as I am very rough with my hands!

DK

 

[dk168]

Isn’t this exquisite?

I think the legs are too delicate but it looks incredible doesn’t it?

Very nice carving!

I would probably set it with a simple claw frame setting and wear it as a pendant, and not with anything woven like wool jumpers near it!

DK

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Exquisite! So translucent too. Have you ever bought from this vendor?
I have a friend who is a marine biologist specialising in crabs. I am so tempted to send him this and ask him what species this is

Looks like it is just the variation in colour. It is darling.
I found the post and auto-translated the description. Very interesting.
Crabs also move sideways (“wang”) In Cantonese it puns with “Wang Choy” or luck/fortune; My maternal grandparents from Hong Kong had a dog called Wang Choy. When the original Wang Choy died they got a new dog, also called Wang Choy.

Yes! A few years ago. My cab ring, bangles and jadeite beads are from this vendor. Very hard to get photos from them. The process is an absolute pill and money goes into the black hole but the goods always arrived and they are good. They had a lovely WeChat sales person a few years back. She was very nice about photos so I bought heaps from her. No idea if she’s there anymore.

You ladies have inspired me! This is probably too much but I’ll wear it with my $10 Kmart T Shirts.

 

[MMtwo]

Yes! A few years ago. My cab ring, bangles and jadeite beads are from this vendor. Very hard to get photos from them. The process is an absolute pill and money goes into the black hole but the goods always arrived and they are good. They had a lovely WeChat sales person a few years back. She was very nice about photos so I bought heaps from her. No idea if she’s there anymore.

You ladies have inspired me! This is probably too much but I’ll wear it with my $10 Kmart T Shirts.

If I had a dollar for every time I wore jade or pearls with t-shirts and fuzzy slippers, I'd be rich. I work from home in IT, where staff works from pajama pants (so they say, that stays off camera).

 

[dk168]

If I had a dollar for every time I wore jade or pearls with t-shirts and fuzzy slippers, I'd be rich. I work from home in IT, where staff works from pajama pants (so they say, that stays off camera).

OT alert - if it is too early in the morning before 08:30, I would not have the camera on as I am likely to be still in my bed clothes with bed hair!

Not a morning person!

DK

 

[MMtwo]

Exquisite! So translucent too. Have you ever bought from this vendor?
I have a friend who is a marine biologist specialising in crabs. I am so tempted to send him this and ask him what species this is

Looks like it is just the variation in colour. It is darling.
I found the post and auto-translated the description. Very interesting.
Crabs also move sideways (“wang”) In Cantonese it puns with “Wang Choy” or luck/fortune; My maternal grandparents from Hong Kong had a dog called Wang Choy. When the original Wang Choy died they got a new dog, also called Wang Choy.

Crimson, I love it when you translate and explain the nuances in things. Thank you so much for taking the time to bring everyone along for further understanding.

Wang Choy forever I have been so amused learning more about this phenomena which is not like anything in the west. Bat on foot comes to mind.

These carvers have so much skill. He/she makes a crab lover out of anyone.

 

[Crimson]

Thank you @MMtwo, I enjoy sharing what I have learnt. Yes, Wang Choy forever!
Come to think of, we do see a number of aquatic creatures in jadeite. Fish (“yu” puns with excess or overflowing abundance); abalone (Bao Yu) goes one better, it puns with “guaranteed abundance”, Goldfish(jin yu} and whales (Jing Yu “) pun with “abundant gold”. Anything 8 is prosperous so Octopus and crab are auspicious. Water itself is positive because it represents wealth.

 

[Bookwyrm]

Hi everyone!

Sorry, I've been so busy the last couple of weeks, I haven't had much time to spend on here. I have a lot to catch up on with this thread - so many new shinies!

Sooooo, I received my ring! I love the colour - it's like a dark, vibrant forest green, and probably darker than imperial green. I'm not too sure what the proper term for this colour is - if anyone knows, I'd love to learn more about all the different greens! I've attached some photos of the piece in natural and indoor lighting (and wow...I look like a vampire in natural lighting )

I've found that it's so hard to accurately capture the colour with my iphone camera, but I'd say the first image might be the closest (although the jadeite is more translucent and more vibrant green irl compared to this first image). Interestingly, the jadeite looks lighter than it actually is in some of the other photos though.

I can see that the pear jadeite has some glow, but definitely not as much as imperial jade, I feel like. But I really like how it's a darker forest green, compared to the yellow green that imperial green usually is? I wonder if there's any darker forest green jadeite that is just as glowy as imperial jadeite - would it still be called imperial jade? Does anyone know where the glow of imperial jadeite comes from? Is it the transparency/glassiness?

The only things I don't like about this pear jadeite are the inclusions. I remember when I first saw it, I was like wow, these inclusions are a lot more noticeable than I thought they would be. I've attached some side profile images where the inclusions are a bit easier to see - there's like a larger patch on the right side that can easily be seen with the eye if the jade is up close, and irl it kind of looks like a whitish, greyish rough-looking patch. It looks darker in some lightings. Kind of like there's a smudge or some dirt on the surface of the jadeite, but it can't be rubbed off haha. There's also a smaller inclusion patch near the tip. I'm not a fan of these inclusions as they make the surface of the jade look kind of rough and dirty-looking, but I was told they won't affect the durability of the jadeite, and I do LOVE the colour so I will keep this ring for sure.

I will try to take some more pictures in sunlight sometime!

 

[Bookwyrm]

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to @Crimson and @mellowyellowgirl - thank you for all your help, feedback, and suggestions! <3 <3 (and for putting up with all my questions haha!)

I've liked jade for quite a while, but it just seemed so daunting as I knew nothing about how to judge jadeite and never felt comfortable enough to buy any jadeite pieces. This thread has been absolutely invaluable and so educational! I am so glad to have found this little jade-loving community on here

I think green jadeite might be my new favourite gemstone now! New addition to my wishlist: A deep forest/emerald green jadeite (pear or marquise or an organic-looking elongated shape) with awesome imperial-like glow!!

 

[Crimson]

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to @Crimson and @mellowyellowgirl - thank you for all your help, feedback, and suggestions! <3 <3 (and for putting up with all my questions haha!)

I've liked jade for quite a while, but it just seemed so daunting as I knew nothing about how to judge jadeite and never felt comfortable enough to buy any jadeite pieces. This thread has been absolutely invaluable and so educational! I am so glad to have found this little jade-loving community on here

I think green jadeite might be my new favourite gemstone now! New addition to my wishlist: A deep forest/emerald green jadeite (pear or marquise or an organic-looking elongated shape) with awesome imperial-like glow!!

Wow! So happy to see your new profile pic @Bookwyrm.
It looks lovely on you. I like the proportions. Looks like a good size too.
I do love the deep forest green. It has an air of mystery. In the trade it is called “艳绿’”or intense green.
The inclusions are there, but I don’t think they are distracting. it is likely most people won’t notice them.
Glad that you now have a new fav stone! I could never get tired of jadeite because there are so many hues and forms.
Just for fun - here is a huge honey jadeite pendant.
One of my friends, who is based in London, saw it online and liked it, so I went to help her have a look for her. It is as big as a biscuit! It also reminds me of marmalade.

 

[Bookwyrm]

@Crimson Thank you! I love the proportions of this pear too – literally my favourite ratio! I think the jadeite itself isn’t that big (slightly over 11mm in length and 8mm in width) but my fingers are really thin, so I remember when I first put it on, I was like wow, this is preeeetty big. I ended up going with a US size 4.5 just to get it over my big knuckles, and added these the little spiral ring adjusters that seem to help a lot with twisting and shifting. I will probably add them onto my other rings too.

And yes! I do think ‘yan lu’ is what Kathy Jade told me once, but I completely forgot until you mentioned it now. You are truly a jade expert!

I do think this pear appears a little less bright compared to imperial jadeite, and doesn’t have as much glow. Do you think it’s possible for darker pieces of a ‘yan lu’ colour to have as much glow as imperial jade? I feel like imperial jade usually looks slightly lighter but brighter and more vibrant compared to ‘yan lu’. Does a darker green colour impede glow, or does glow have nothing to do with the shade and more to do with chromium content and transparency?

And oh my gosh, that is one BIG pendant haha! Do you like honey jade too? I don’t think I’ve seen any in person before.

 

[Bookwyrm]

And hmmmm do you think it's hard to find imperial jadeite (or near imperial pieces that are very glowy) in marquise, freeform or pear shapes? I feel like most of the imperial/near imperial pieces I've seen online are ovals (and also huge! - why are they always so big!), and I've only ever seen one imperial marquise on 1st dibs, and that's about it

It's interesting how marquise shapes are usually referred to as 'horse eye' when it comes to jadeite!

I also really like these freeform leafy-looking shapes, although I have no idea what they're called.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Thought you ladies might enjoy my sister’s pendant. I wish I’d bought one too at the time!

Indoor


Natural light