Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[MMtwo]

Jadedivers on Etsy does it for 20 bucks. There is a purchase item for it. He then will evaluate for you.

Speaking of, his earrings came today. Both Guatemalan jadeite.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Am on a bush walk. Could not resist sharing this pic! My old pixel used to turn this heart aqua but finally I can share its true colour!

 

[Crimson]

Closing out with my loose cabochon jades...


All three of these cabochons were sent to GIA and were found to be A jade/natural color.

The darker green is slightly larger than the other two, and it is a much brighter green in better lighting, represented as icy, (tree), and sunny to me by the seller. They also had a smaller, thinner cabochon that was spicy, (hot chili pepper), which had a more intense green hue, greater translucency, more even color, and a more noticeable blackish green dot on the dome...I preferred the overall proportions of this stone, though, and it was 1/3 of the spicy jade's price. From the back, held up to the light, the center of this sunny cabochon looks like the color of chlorophyll and I think that is so cool.

The lighter green cabochon is more opaque, with more white present in the stone, but its color pops bright and cheery so I enjoy it very much. It's rather minty and looks the most consistent of the three across different lighting situations.

The lavender jade is, I assume, more blue than the trade prefers, since it has a look that resembles chalcedony. GIA confirmed it to be jadeite and labeled the color as violet rather than lavender. I think it is a fascinating little jade, shifting character in different lighting conditions like a sapphire, from silky violet tinge to a more moon-like texture and grayish coloration. I have a friend who rehabilitates birds and they think this is my most beautiful piece of jadeite since it reminds them of pigeons and doves.

Thank you for sharing your collection, @asterismdispersion! I enjoyed all your photos. I do like lavender jadeite that leans blue. Looks almost a little blue-violet!
Your parrot pendant is so much fun. I love birds, and that size is sumptuous.
The Greek key ring is a great find, and very attractive . Have you been collecting for quite a while?

 

[Crimson]

Jadedivers on Etsy does it for 20 bucks. There is a purchase item for it. He then will evaluate for you.

Speaking of, his earrings came today. Both Guatemalan jadeite.

Wow… they are such a generous length! They would definitely appear on Zoom
Love the organic shape and the colour variations. The lavender ones look so good with the hot pink/magenta(?) that you are wearing. That’s my fav colour to wear with jadeite; the greens and lavenders just pop!

 

[Crimson]

Am on a bush walk. Could not resist sharing this pic! My old pixel used to turn this heart aqua but finally I can share its true colour!

Bush walk? That is some glam bush walk the green on green is so soothing.
It is Saturday here. Wondering which jewellery store to visit. Last week, I was in between meetings when I passed a jadeite store. It took all my self- control not to detour into the shop!

 

[MMtwo]

Am on a bush walk. Could not resist sharing this pic! My old pixel used to turn this heart aqua but finally I can share its true colour!

I whole heartedly love your vibrant green! Glad to see you enjoying your beautiful bangle.

Wow… they are such a generous length! They would definitely appear on Zoom
Love the organic shape and the colour variations. The lavender ones look so good with the hot pink/magenta(?) that you are wearing. That’s my fav colour to wear with jadeite; the greens and lavenders just pop!

Ha, definitely cannot miss these on zoom. Thanks. I'm happy.

I accidently found another jade gamble. This pretty bi is estate, and was at a gemmologist's website. They said they buffed the stone back up. It is set in 22kt.
My guess and hope is it is A jade. What do you think? I will send it in to Mason Kay for evaluation.


I copied the movie from a seller

 

[Crimson]

I whole heartedly love your vibrant green! Glad to see you enjoying your beautiful bangle.




Ha, definitely cannot miss these on zoom. Thanks. I'm happy.

I accidently found another jade gamble. This pretty bi is estate, and was at a gemmologist's website. They said they buffed the stone back up. It is set in 22kt.
My guess and hope is it is A jade. What do you think? I will send it in to Mason Kay for evaluation.


I copied the movie from a seller

I see you are thousands of nautical miles from Ban Island!
It looks like the real thing especially the 22K gold.
It is an assertive and intense green - spicy green. It has very good thickness. It does remind me of Chinese jadeite of a different era.
Is there little brown patch near the gold bail or is it a shadow? I cannot quite tell. If there a patch, then they have cleverly concealed it. Have you bought it? Excited.

 

[MMtwo]

I see you are thousands of nautical miles from Ban Island!
It looks like the real thing especially the 22K gold.
It is an assertive and intense green - spicy green. It has very good thickness. It does remind me of Chinese jadeite of a different era.
Is there little brown patch near the gold bail or is it a shadow? I cannot quite tell. If there a patch, then they have cleverly concealed it. Have you bought it? Excited.

I'm so so bad. I bought it immediately! It almost looks as if there is some paper or glue under the bail. Whatever it is does not shine. If it is a flaw of some type, not worried about it. I did not pay too much for this, so if treated it will be okay. But I really do think it is genuine deep down. Very excited, I like bright jade. It looks like it may have some glow.

 

[asterismdispersion]

Thank you for sharing your collection, @asterismdispersion! I enjoyed all your photos. I do like lavender jadeite that leans blue. Looks almost a little blue-violet!
Your parrot pendant is so much fun. I love birds, and that size is sumptuous.
The Greek key ring is a great find, and very attractive . Have you been collecting for quite a while?

Thank you! I hope it gives people some pleasure and information as they read through this great thread.

I was bitten by the gem bug 16 years ago. I started getting interested (and invested ) in jade about 5-6 years ago. I spent much time in pandemic quarantine looking at jade online.

I remember being especially interested at first in chromium coloring rubies and jadeite. The geology of earth's processes causing those conditions to form was a wonder. Of course, I quickly picked up that both those colored stones were rare and priced high when untreated. I found green jadeite pretty challenging to buy with all the treatments possible...and so many different qualities in color, texture, and translucency...I am quite fond of plants and found jadeite has a natural appeal to me visually.

I whole heartedly love your vibrant green! Glad to see you enjoying your beautiful bangle.

Ha, definitely cannot miss these on zoom. Thanks. I'm happy.

I accidently found another jade gamble. This pretty bi is estate, and was at a gemmologist's website. They said they buffed the stone back up. It is set in 22kt.
My guess and hope is it is A jade. What do you think? I will send it in to Mason Kay for evaluation.


I copied the movie from a seller

How pretty. I love this kind of green that reminds me of growing green leaves, with a lively glow.

 

[Crimson]

Thank you! I hope it gives people some pleasure and information as they read through this great thread.

I was bitten by the gem bug 16 years ago. I started getting interested (and invested ) in jade about 5-6 years ago. I spent much time in pandemic quarantine looking at jade online.

Hehe, a good use of quarantine time. I have became interested in gems only in 2019. Wish I had got into it earlier.
For me Jadeite was and still is the most challenging of gems. It doesn’t help that I have to read the sources in Chinese
I love asterism and phenomenal gemstones, too.

 

[Crimson]

I'm so so bad. I bought it immediately! It almost looks as if there is some paper or glue under the bail. Whatever it is does not shine. If it is a flaw of some type, not worried about it. I did not pay too much for this, so if treated it will be okay. But I really do think it is genuine deep down. Very excited, I like bright jade. It looks like it may have some glow.

Woohoo, you bought it!MI,like your decisiveness
I love how you mentioned that you “accidentally” found this piece
What a happy accident!

 

[Crimson]

Adding these resources.
On jadeite simulants and lookalikes

Jade and Jade-like Materials Bibliography by Gemological Association of Great Britain.

https://gem-a.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/JoG-Bibliography_2023_Jades.pdf

A Jadeite Bangle Simulant: Hydrogrossular Garnet​

https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2015-gemnews-jadeite-bangle-simulant-hydrogrossular-garnet

On treatments

5 Types of Jade Bangle Treatment

Detailed information on treatments applied to Jade Bangle Bracelets. Treated Jade Bangles are common in the market place today and are there to deceive consumers.

mays.com.au

Differentiating, jadeite and nephrite, and tests for treatments by the Geology Association of Hong Kong.

geologybit-jade

Photos of treatment - dyed jadeite.

 

[MMtwo]

Hahaha, well, I do watch eBay regularly for another potential jadeite buy like my lavender beads. I searched for high karat gold and jade terms. I stopped surfing and went on to something else. The browser served me ads for jadeite . A picture of this popped up in an ad and I saw estate and price was very attractive. So, in essence, it found me. I was innocent, I swear.

The nautical miles from ban island made me laugh. Girl, I am apparently rowing around in a dinghy.

 

[Pomelo]

Closing out with my loose cabochon jades...


All three of these cabochons were sent to GIA and were found to be A jade/natural color.

The darker green is slightly larger than the other two, and it is a much brighter green in better lighting, represented as icy, (tree), and sunny to me by the seller. They also had a smaller, thinner cabochon that was spicy, (hot chili pepper), which had a more intense green hue, greater translucency, more even color, and a more noticeable blackish green dot on the dome...I preferred the overall proportions of this stone, though, and it was 1/3 of the spicy jade's price. From the back, held up to the light, the center of this sunny cabochon looks like the color of chlorophyll and I think that is so cool.

The lighter green cabochon is more opaque, with more white present in the stone, but its color pops bright and cheery so I enjoy it very much. It's rather minty and looks the most consistent of the three across different lighting situations.

The lavender jade is, I assume, more blue than the trade prefers, since it has a look that resembles chalcedony. GIA confirmed it to be jadeite and labeled the color as violet rather than lavender. I think it is a fascinating little jade, shifting character in different lighting conditions like a sapphire, from silky violet tinge to a more moon-like texture and grayish coloration. I have a friend who rehabilitates birds and they think this is my most beautiful piece of jadeite since it reminds them of pigeons and doves.

Love the pic of your cabochons! Out of interest, do you have any plans on what to do with them?

 

[asterismdispersion]

Adding these resources.
On jadeite simulants and lookalikes

Thank you! Hydrogrossular garnet passed off as a jade bangle? I would never expect that one.

Love the pic of your cabochons! Out of interest, do you have any plans on what to do with them?

Thank you! Yes, I have plans to put these cabochons each into their own ring. I want white metal for the lighter green and the lavender stones' settings. For the darker green, I think I am going to do yellow gold, and try to do a partial backing under the stone to help bring out the green.

 

[Crimson]

Free Introduction to Jade course by SSEF! I haven’t enrolled yet but I think SSEF is reputable. Most of us on this thread will probably already know the basic information, though.

Introduction to Jade - SSEF

Introduction to jade Start your journey to becoming a jade expert in this free online course. SIGN UP FOR FREE Other courses are also available in French – Click here Introduction to jade What is Jade ? Famous Jade Jewels What is the Difference between Jadeite Jade and Nephrite Jade? Explore the...

www.ssef.ch

 

[Pomelo]

Free Introduction to Jade course by SSEF! I haven’t enrolled yet but I think SSEF is reputable. Most of us on this thread will probably already know the basic information, though.

Introduction to Jade - SSEF

Introduction to jade Start your journey to becoming a jade expert in this free online course. SIGN UP FOR FREE Other courses are also available in French – Click here Introduction to jade What is Jade ? Famous Jade Jewels What is the Difference between Jadeite Jade and Nephrite Jade? Explore the...

www.ssef.ch

Thanks @Crimson ! Will take a look!

I combed through and took notes on a previous resource you shared - found this article from Lotus to be invaluable: https://lotusgemology.com/resources/articles/270-jade-buying-guide-jade-auction-records

 

[Pomelo]

For my second educational excursion, I went to a more “normal” jewellery store recently to look at their jade offerings. To be honest, it’s hard to find stores with a decent amount of inventory, especially at a range of price points.

One thing I found interesting is the foil-back setting: I’d never really noticed it before (whoops - should’ve look at the back of the USD 550k ring I tried on!) but today I had the chance to compare a white gold vs a yellow gold foil back.

Of course, the jade material itself could be different, but I’m guessing the WG reflects more white light and thus makes the jade look brighter than than YG.

The jade here was described to me as “oil green” - this pic under strong store lighting:





The other thing is how much lighting affects the piece (as @Crimson has mentioned before, Jade “eats the light”) - these small wulu don’t “glow” unless under strong store lighting.

I noticed it at the high-end jade store too: when I wore earrings or necklaces, maybe because of the light obstruction from my head/hair, the pieces looked darker and duller. Thus, I’ve started to form the view that for earrings and necklaces, I prefer a lighter shade than for rings and bracelets.



I also tried on the most expensive piece in store - a 67,000 RMB (USD 9k) Buddha. I can’t figure out what kind of green it is - maybe apple? - but the sales staff used the Chinese word “yang” for it a lot, meaning vibrant. (She also didn’t know that Apple green is a colour, much to my surprise… I had to pull up various Chinese sources to show her it’s a thing).

Note that I’ve colour corrected the two photos below as my phone pics were defaulting too warm. IRL it looks more like the second picture (when worn).

Also interestingly, the Buddha didn’t have any kind of foil backing - just the bale.




And here’s a pic of some other jade pieces with prices:

 

[Crimson]

I

For my second educational excursion, I went to a more “normal” jewellery store recently to look at their jade offerings. To be honest, it’s hard to find stores with a decent amount of inventory, especially at a range of price points.

One thing I found interesting is the foil-back setting: I’d never really noticed it before (whoops - should’ve look at the back of the USD 550k ring I tried on!) but today I had the chance to compare a white gold vs a yellow gold foil back.

Of course, the jade material itself could be different, but I’m guessing the WG reflects more white light and thus makes the jade look brighter than than YG.

The jade here was described to me as “oil green” - this pic under strong store lighting:





The other thing is how much lighting affects the piece (as @Crimson has mentioned before, Jade “eats the light”) - these small wulu don’t “glow” unless under strong store lighting.

I noticed it at the high-end jade store too: when I wore earrings or necklaces, maybe because of the light obstruction from my head/hair, the pieces looked darker and duller. Thus, I’ve started to form the view that for earrings and necklaces, I prefer a lighter shade than for rings and bracelets.



I also tried on the most expensive piece in store - a 67,000 RMB (USD 9k) Buddha. I can’t figure out what kind of green it is - maybe apple? - but the sales staff used the Chinese word “yang” for it a lot, meaning vibrant. (She also didn’t know that Apple green is a colour, much to my surprise… I had to pull up various Chinese sources to show her it’s a thing).

Note that I’ve colour corrected the two photos below as my phone pics were defaulting too warm. IRL it looks more like the second picture (when worn).

Also interestingly, the Buddha didn’t have any kind of foil backing - just the bale.




Thank you for sharing, @Pomelo! The lighter shade definitely looks better on you for a pendant; it looks livelier. I agree with you re:: earrings, I don’t want them to disappear into ,my dark hair.
I think oily green is hard to wear. I don’t even like the name. It is supposed to be petroleum green. Re: the backing, white gold makes the jadeite look brighter, and yellow gold enhances the green, just as it does with emerald.

 

[MMtwo]

Adding these resources.
On jadeite simulants and lookalikes

Jade and Jade-like Materials Bibliography by Gemological Association of Great Britain.

https://gem-a.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/JoG-Bibliography_2023_Jades.pdf

A Jadeite Bangle Simulant: Hydrogrossular Garnet​

https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2015-gemnews-jadeite-bangle-simulant-hydrogrossular-garnet

On treatments

5 Types of Jade Bangle Treatment

Detailed information on treatments applied to Jade Bangle Bracelets. Treated Jade Bangles are common in the market place today and are there to deceive consumers.

mays.com.au

Differentiating, jadeite and nephrite, and tests for treatments by the Geology Association of Hong Kong.

geologybit-jade

Photos of treatment - dyed jadeite.

Excellent reference!

"If the dye stuff is (most often) chromic oxide to give green colour, the C Jade appears red when being viewed under a Chalser "Chelsea?" Colour filter."

Why my new bi necklace is coming today and I will check under the new microscope (Christmas present from daughter who knows what a geek I am) and check with the Chelsea filter too. I will send it in anyhow, but that means a long long wait (like, 2 weeks! ). These photos are super helpful!

​

 

[MMtwo]

@Pomelo the light and bright looks amazing on you! The brighter/higher saturation jadeites (in my opinion, anyhow) look great on people.

 

[MMtwo]

Oh dear, I think this looks suspect.

 

[MMtwo]

Sent pictures in to Mason Kay and they think it may be natural, so I will send it in and find out.

 

[Crimson]

@MMtwo your daughter is so sweet to get you that microscope!
Your jadeite has “colour roots” of darker green . It is not a mesh of color veins. So it is actually different from the pics I shared. I have tried to indicate the roots below;

 

[MMtwo]

@MMtwo your daughter is so sweet to get you that microscope!
Your jadeite has “colour roots” of darker green . It is not a mesh of color veins. So it is actually different from the pics I shared. I have tried to indicate the roots below;

Sending a hug, thanks so much for pointing this out. Maybe it is, in fact, Fei Cui A jade.

Comparing with the fox. The green does look natural. My camera cannot deal with green, each shot looks different.

 

[Crimson]

Sending a hug, thanks so much for pointing this out. Maybe it is, in fact, Fei Cui A jade.

Comparing with the fox. The green does look natural. My camera cannot deal with green, each shot looks different.

Yes, it does look natural esp in your second photo! Looks spicy green, alright.
This watery ring (which is a steal at that price) shows the colour roots nicely too.

 

[MMtwo]

Yes, it does look natural esp in your second photo! Looks spicy green, alright.
This watery ring (which is a steal at that price) shows the colour roots nicely too.

Once again, thanks so much for your thoughts and information. I am hopeful once again. While the "gambling" is fun...lol, I get way to wrapped up and end up in a rabbit hole of is it or is it not.
What a lovely ring. Nice piece of jade. I can see the roots and reading more about it. There is so much to learn. It also seems I should be a good student of jade and check out this site...for science!

Back to edit: love this vendor!

 

[Crimson]

Once again, thanks so much for your thoughts and information. I am hopeful once again. While the "gambling" is fun...lol, I get way to wrapped up and end up in a rabbit hole of is it or is it not.
What a lovely ring. Nice piece of jade. I can see the roots and reading more about it. There is so much to learn. It also seems I should be a good student of jade and check out this site...for science!

Back to edit: love this vendor!

Yes, for science! Btw could you please share more about your microscope？ I am tempted to get one! But I might spend all my time on it …

I think you would like Classic Jade. It is quant Jade shop with huge carvings and dark wood. One half is devoted to nephrite and the other half to jadeite. The owner has nephrite appreciation meetings with his friends. I spoke to his daughter Serene who set up the website. She works full-time and helps out at the shop on weekdays. Their inventory is unusual - it used to be all Jade — talk about niche. Serene has tried to introduce just a handful of other gems, just to test the response.

BTW have you noticed that Kathy Jade didn’t have a big sale for Women’s Day as they used to? Same with On Cheong. The pressure is on because prices have gone up. So it is a relief to see shops like Classic Jade that still have sane prices.

 

[Bookwyrm]

I haven't been on Pricescope much lately, but just wanted to pop in to say hi and happy Women's day!

I scrolled through the last couple pages of this thread, and had great fun reading about everyone's jade adventures!

I was looking through Kathy Jade's new arrivals and spotted these adorable birds that I thought I'd share If only I wasn't super clumsy and knock my rings into everything



I'd still love to have a super glowy marquise jadeite piece someday (and thank you Crimson for all the options and helping me look!), but right now, I'm looking into a pink marquise diamond. I'm going to make a post in the diamond forum to ask the connoisseurs on there for some feedback!

I'm also thinking of designing a pendant setting for my current pear jadeite ring, as I keep knocking it into things and also dropped it once ( ). I'm worried it'll get super scratched up over time so I thought maybe it'll be safe(r) from my clumsiness as a pendant!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[Crimson]

It is nice to see you again, @Bookwyrm! I know what you mean about the birds. I was attracted to them, but I thought I would probably knock them off or maim them.
I think your ring would convert nicely to a pendant.
Can’t wait to see your pink marquise diamond!