Evaluating jadeite (feicui)

[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.

 

[Crimson]

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?

If it is as nice as in the photo - translucent, thick. watery and with no grey - I think it is not a bad price. It must be this blue and not veer into oily or petroleum blue-green (油青) - see pics below from

油青种翡翠到底好不好？千万别花冤枉钱，你需要全面了解下_颜色

油青种翡翠，一种市场上随处可见的中、低档翡翠。 油青种翡翠是常用于制作挂件、手镯的原料，当然，制作成戒面的也不再少数。表面是油脂的光泽，颜色也是深绿或者绿中偏灰、偏蓝，给人的感觉都是比较沉闷的油青种翡翠的颜色

www.sohu.com

Ask for approximate weight and dimensions. The price can vary according to the heft of the piece. Please make sure you get photos in different light conditions. The photo was taken in very bright light.

 

[Odyssey44]

@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

Haha! I thought the sticking was an amusing word too. Glad you caught it.
Thanks for the links! I had searched glutinous on just this thread, so I could see it was only one better from coarse. I appreciate the order you have linked things for me!
I love, love, love your pink lavender ring. Truly, pure pink jadeite would be my first choice of all colors, but I do not see any.