Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[Crimson]

Thank goodness you found your imperial jade. Care to show us a photo if you haven’t already?

It was one of the leaves from this ring. It is the first jadeite ring that I ever bought, in 2019.

 

[MMtwo]

It was one of the leaves from this ring. It is the first jadeite ring that I ever bought, in 2019.

Wow, no wonder your jeweler was so relieved! Those are so beautiful and translucent.

 

[Sydneyphoenix]

1stDibs seem to have several jewellery items advertised as imperial green and some of them look good enough for moniker, but at least $50K AUD, and no cabochon, which is what I have on bucket-list. One example:

Certified Imperial Jade and Rose Cut Diamond Stud Earrings. Glowing Green. For Sale at 1stDibs | jadeite stud earrings, jade earrings studs, imperial jade earrings

For Sale on 1stDibs - Please check out the HD video! It doesn't get much better than this! Here is a nice pair of true imperial green Jadeite Jade earrings. It has the best

www.1stdibs.com

Interesting that many of these expensive pieces on 1stDibs are designated as “bright green” rather than “intense green” by HKJSL. Both bright and intense green have strong saturation, just a matter of whether the tone is light or dark.

HK gemological association’s jadeite assessment guide, page 19 deals with colour classification.

http://www.gahk.org/attachment/fc_std_eng.pdf

 

[Crimson]

Interesting that many of these expensive pieces on 1stDibs are designated as “bright green” rather than “intense green” by HKJSL. Both bright and intense green have strong saturation, just a matter of whether the tone is light or dark.
HK gemological association’s jadeite assessment guide, page 19 deals with colour classification.

http://www.gahk.org/attachment/fc_std_eng.pdf

Thanks for sharing. Yes, it is the same as with other colored stones – Hue, tone and saturation.
The bright ones could be sun green, which is the second most valuable category after imperial or some other bright green, like pea shoot green， apple green or翠绿 （jadeite green, duh… not v helpful. The Hong Kong and Singapore, laboratories do not use the term imperial green. It is more of a trade name, and a case of “if you see it you will recognise it “. So it is a bit of free for all, with some sellers labeling things as imperial green when they are not. In borderline cases, honest sellers will tell you that the Jadeite is near imperial, rather than claim it is imperial.
It is worth remembering that imperial green jadeite is not only about color. The jadeite has to be watery, highly icy or glassy , finely textured and with a paucity of ugly inclusions. I learnt to identify imperial Green with lots of exposure and practice. With emeralds, I had “tuition’ from an established Colombian emerald B2B supplier who sells to high end jewelry companies

 

[Sydneyphoenix]

I wish I have such a trained eye for jadeite. Still difficult to tell the difference between imperial, yang and emerald-green in jades…personally will happily take any of them.

 

[Crimson]

I wish I have such a trained eye for jadeite. Still difficult to tell the difference between imperial, yang and emerald-green in jades…personally will happily take any of them.

It is a blessing to be able to appreciate jadeite in its different hues and forms, not just imperial green That is the joy of jade appreciation, isn’t it?
That means that you can be happy with different alternatives, and choose what you like and appreciate, regardless of the label.

 

[Crimson]

Wow, no wonder your jeweler was so relieved! Those are so beautiful and translucent.

Thank you, dear @MMtwo yes they were beside themselves because all the leaves were from the same rough. As you know, every piece of jadeite is different (which is why we can keep buying ) so it would be very tough to find a replacement with the same hue, water and texture. I am a mischievous customer who gives them tachycardia once in a while

 

[MMtwo]

I appreciate the visual treats on this thread. We all meet here for the love of jewelry and jade, and to learn. I am astounded at the gems here—a moving museum sometimes. My collection is growing, but my budget lacks a few zeros. As they say, comparison is the thief of joy, but with jade, there is plenty to love at all levels of collecting. This is a long, caffeinated ramble to say I love seeing your collection, the store photos, and all the jade information you have kindly shared.

Recently, I was lost in the hundreds of pendant options on Kathyjade. The variety is endless. I even saw some relatively inexpensive, dry matte carvings that were so creative color-wise and worked with the stone to be lovely. This may sound crazy but I just realized the only jadeite I have ever seen in person is jadeite I have purchased. It is that rare where I live.

 

[Sydneyphoenix]

It is a blessing to be able to appreciate jadeite in its different hues and forms, not just imperial green That is the joy of jade appreciation, isn’t it?
That means that you can be happy with different alternatives, and choose what you like and appreciate, regardless of the label.

There’s a stud earring with glowy green (probably not quite imperial but still pretty) on 1stDibs that I am tempted to splurge on and take out the stones to make the Elessar pendant and a ring, given I am unlikely to ever be in a position to splurge $50-100K on a single true imperial green jadeite stone. But the ruby project takes priority, trying to push the jadeite (or emerald, but I like fine green jadeite better) off til next year.

 

[Crimson]

I appreciate the visual treats on this thread. We all meet here for the love of jewelry and jade, and to learn. I am astounded at the gems here—a moving museum sometimes. My collection is growing, but my budget lacks a few zeros. As they say, comparison is the thief of joy, but with jade, there is plenty to love at all levels of collecting. This is a long, caffeinated ramble to say I love seeing your collection, the store photos, and all the jade information you have kindly shared.

Recently, I was lost in the hundreds of pendant options on Kathyjade. The variety is endless. I even saw some relatively inexpensive, dry matte carvings that were so creative color-wise and worked with the stone to be lovely. This may sound crazy but I just realized the only jadeite I have ever seen in person is jadeite I have purchased. It is that rare where I live.

@MMtwo thank you for sharing the joy! It has been such fun seeing your collection grow and flourish. I am so glad you have your lavender report!!! Now you can walk like Rihanna
With all that jade you are a rare bird where you live, and a great ambassador for both Jadeite and nephrite.
Re: what to do with leftover beads, I wonder if they could be made into earrings? Then they would match perfectly! Or if you have enough beads then maybe you could make a “happy mix” bracelet? This bracelet below reminded me of your latest color-shifting neclakce. So pretty! Yes, I confess I was browsing on Etsy today. The seller Boutique Oriental has a bricks and mortar store in Singapore. They use Etsy to reach a wider audience and ship to the US for free! The downside is they don’t take returns, only exchanges. This grape pendant below makes me think of a hedgehog. It is US $100. Super buy.

 

[Crimson]

There’s a stud earring with glowy green (probably not quite imperial but still pretty) on 1stDibs that I am tempted to splurge on and take out the stones to make the Elessar pendant and a ring, given I am unlikely to ever be in a position to splurge $50-100K on a single true imperial green jadeite stone. But the ruby project takes priority, trying to push the jadeite (or emerald, but I like fine green jadeite better) off til next year.

@Sydneyphoenix i agree it is good to take your time. It will allow you to encounter serendipitous finds.
RE: emerald and jadeite it is hard to decide which to love more. In the end it probably boils down to what’s the best that you can get for the amount you have set aside. Btw do you have phoenix jewellery? I was hunting all over for a jadeite phoenix but have not found one that I like. I ended up buying a gold phoenix and may attach a dangling stone to it

 

[Sydneyphoenix]

@Sydneyphoenix i agree it is good to take your time. It will allow you to encounter serendipitous finds.
RE: emerald and jadeite it is hard to decide which to love more. In the end it probably boils down to what’s the best that you can get for the amount you have set aside. Btw do you have phoenix jewellery? I was hunting all over for a jadeite phoenix but have not found one that I like. I ended up buying a gold phoenix and may attach a dangling stone to it

Nope don’t have Phoenix jewellery though want to include Phoenix motif to jadeite pendant and ring I have in the bucket list for the future.

 

[dk168]

It was one of the leaves from this ring. It is the first jadeite ring that I ever bought, in 2019.

The Marquises in this ring remind me of the centre stone of my mum's ring that I lost during one drunken work event back in the early 90s.

DK

 

[Crimson]

The Marquises in this ring remind me of the centre stone of my mum's ring that I lost during one drunken work event back in the early 90s.

DK

@dk168 what a memory! It must have been a beautiful ring. Hugs to you.

 

[dk168]

@dk168 what a memory! It must have been a beautiful ring. Hugs to you.

I loved that ring, and still kick myself to this day for losing the centre Jade.

DK

 

[Crimson]

I loved that ring, and still kick myself to this day for losing the centre Jade.

DK

Guilty too, I lost a diamond of my Mom’s Sending more hugs!

 

[Crimson]

Just an update on what I am observing in the jadeite market.
You may already know that Guatemalan jadeite has been making inroads into the Jade trade. This is both good news and bad news.
Some years ago Guatemalan jadeite was not much of a contender for the gem trade because the material was quite rough and opaque.
However, some of the new finds are highly saturated green. There are also beautiful blue water specimens. Finally, there are saturated purples, but with rough texture.
One China dealer estimates that up to a third of all jadeite being supplied to China these days may have come from Guatemala.
Good news: Guatemalan jadeite costs less than Burmese jadeite. You can get a saturated green or watery blue for less. I am already seeing them in Singapore.
So I guess it is a bit like Zambian vs Columbian emerald or Mozambique vs Burmese ruby.
Bad news: not many labs are able to tell whether the jadeite is from Guatemala. So unscrupulous dealers may charge Burmese prices or even represent Guatemalan material as Burmese. So we must be extra careful and play spot the difference.
Good news: if you can find an honest dealer you may be able to get nice jadeite for a low price.
In the end,I think this will attract more people to jadeite. While it is a market disrupter, the gap will widen when more labs are able to determine origin.
There is another trend we are seeing in Asia — the gap between lower quality stones and higher quality stones is increasing. This applies not only to jadeite but also to other coloured gems.
Last week I met a big supplier from Thailand who was visiting my jeweller. He kindly introduced me to her and we had an animated conversation. Main takeaway: while the prices of ruby, emerald, sapphire and jadeite are all rising, spinel prices have jumped and are expected to rise even more steeply.
Below are some photos of jadeite from a WeChat vendor 明忠翡翠。who openly states that all his stuff is from Guatemala.

In this first pic, can you tell which is from Burma and which is from Guatemala?


Beautiful blue water from Guatemala.


Beads from Guatemala.


Cabochons and carved pieces from Guatemala. Most of these pieces, and the beads above, exhibit what we would call a spicy green, not imperial. Please note that these Guatemalan green jadeite pieces are foil backed as Guatemalan jadeite tends to be darker toned.
~

 

[Crimson]

My guess is the top is the Guatemalan as their greens that I have seen tends to be
deeper. Still very hard to tell unless there is a comparison though.

I hope now that there are more high quality materials in the market, they’d stop cutting them so thinly. I’d love to have that blue bangle in a thick round!

Yes, you are right! Here are other photos. First, lavender jadeite (rather dark tone).

A lower quality blue water bangle. It doesn’t look so good in daylight, veers towards oily blue-green.


Here is a hollowed out “Hulu”. The purpose of hollowing it is to make it look brighter and lighter toned. A hollowed-out piece can still be certified as Type A so we just have to be extra careful. Buy with a bright torch/flashlight, Loupe and like @MMtwo, it would not hurt to have a microscope

 

[higanbanya]

As requested by @mellowyellowgirl, adding a highly translucent green type A 11.97x10.27mm jadeite cab ring to the thread!

Think it has pretty great glow without any backings, and medium tone colour that remains bright green at home lighting as well - not entirely sure what kind of green this is, but from the thread, guessing it should be apple green!

 

[higanbanya]

Playing around with different lighting at home, and found some interesting silk (?) looking inclusions (?) in the jade!

Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.. will that weaken the stone?

 

[Crimson]

As requested by @mellowyellowgirl, adding a highly translucent green type A 11.97x10.27mm jadeite cab ring to the thread!

Think it has pretty great glow without any backings, and medium tone colour that remains bright green at home lighting as well - not entirely sure what kind of green this is, but from the thread, guessing it should be apple green!

Yay! New Jadeite for a new year! is such a sweet green. Thank you for sharing @higanbanya. It is a good size, and looks attractive under different lighting conditions!
I think the features you see under magnification are nothing to worry about . They are not uncommon in jadeite because jadeite is an aggregate. If the jadeite is very finely textured or old mine, then these features are less apparent. They show up less in the glassy varieties. In icy jadeite you see these, and they contribute to the icy appearance.
They don’t look like cracks or fissures.
Happy new year with your ring!

 

[higanbanya]

Yay! New Jadeite for a new year! is such a sweet green. Thank you for sharing @higanbanya. It is a good size, and looks attractive under different lighting conditions!
I think the features you see under magnification are nothing to worry about . They are not uncommon in jadeite because jadeite is an aggregate. If the jadeite is very finely textured or old mine, then these features are less apparent. They show up less in the glassy varieties. In icy jadeite you see these, and they contribute to the icy appearance.
They don’t look like cracks or fissures.
Happy new year with your ring!

Ooohh~ thank you!! So glad that this thread exists - was trying to figure out what kind of green this is cos there’s just so many types

Thank you for creating this thread, learnt so much about jade from this!

Is Milo green the same as Sweet Green in the jade colour world? Just accidentally paired with the beverage LOL

 

[MMtwo]

I am not sure about the name, but the color is very beautiful. Congratulations!

 

[Crimson]

Ooohh~ thank you!! So glad that this thread exists - was trying to figure out what kind of green this is cos there’s just so many types

Thank you for creating this thread, learnt so much about jade from this!

Is Milo green the same as Sweet Green in the jade colour world? Just accidentally paired with the beverage LOL

Milo green! A new color category, hehe.
I didn’t mean that it was officially sweet green or 甜绿, which is more blue. Maybe you could use the chart below to compare with your cabochon? I think you would have the best idea of its hue, tone and saturation. From left the headings are;
Yellowish green (like fresh shoots)
Apple green
Kingfisher green
Emerald green (most desirable)
Olive bluish green
Inky
Blue-green
Grey green
Petroleum green.
I have alow attached pics of 甜绿 pieces.

 

[higanbanya]

Milo green! A new color category, hehe.
I didn’t mean that it was officially sweet green or 甜绿, which is more blue. Maybe you could use the chart below to compare with your cabochon? I think you would have the best idea of its hue, tone and saturation. From left the headings are;
Yellowish green (like fresh shoots)
Apple green
Kingfisher green
Emerald green (most desirable)
Olive bluish green
Inky
Blue-green
Grey green
Petroleum green.
I have alow attached pics of 甜绿 pieces.

HAHHA would totally be all for Milo green as a new colour

Thank you so much for the colour chart and examples of 甜绿!! That’s super helpful visualisation, was wondering if that was a colour and was surprised to see there’s actually a colour called sweet green in Chinese!

So lucky to have you introducing more of the jadeite world.. it’s so hard to get into it with all the Chinese terms, thank you for translating and explaining the intricacies!

 

[Crimson]

The weather outside is frightful!
So I thought I would post this beautiful winter queen necklace.
I feel better already!
Just curious. Between this necklace and those killer earrings, which would you choose?

 

[dk168]

The weather outside is frightful!
So I thought I would post this beautiful winter queen necklace.
I feel better already!
Just curious. Between this necklace and those killer earrings, which would you choose?

Given the choices, I would opt for the necklace as it is grand and has more presence compared with the earrings IMHO.

DK

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I'm with @dk168 on this too @Crimson

It was a hard hard hard choice but I do think the necklace will make a greater impact from an outfit perspective simply because it is "bigger"

They are both gorgeous, it honestly came down to "What is more visible" for me.

 

[MMtwo]

Aghhhh.

(edit) Okay, now that I have calmed down, the practical side of me says the item you would wear the most often, and be appropriate more places.

Impact? With your beautiful hair up. the earrings would just own the room. However, I know you have fabulous green earrings now. Do you have any necklaces like that lovely, princess icy necklace? It is so striking on the dark background of your top. Really, you have the BEST dilemmas

 

[dk168]

The issue I might have with the necklace is that, I might need to add some kind of extender at the back, so that it is long enough to sit well over a Mandarin style dress collar as seen in the photo.

Also, how would it look sitting against your bare skin? Would it still be as striking?

DK