Jade experts - assistance if I may....please....

[Bron357]

So I’m looking to put a budget friendly gem to put into an empty watch case to bracelet conversion I have and my dear friend Suz kindly offered two lovely candidates. I ask my Mums opinion when she visited “pink / red or green” and she says, “oh, I have some square green ones in earrings I’ve had for ages, pretty green, maybe you could use one of them”.
So next visit, today, she gives them to me.
They appear to be jade, according to the Loupe and Presidum gem tester ie not glass!
Is there are a lay persons way of telling easily if they are complete rubbish ie C grade ?
I quite like their colour and they are literally a perfect size and shape but I don’t want to spend money setting them if they are complete rubbish.
Many thanks for any tips or points.
Photos include the current “options”.

 

[ChaiK]

Oh, I love that colour of jade. Maybe, if you want to really check if it is Grade A, you can take a sharp knife. Run it through hot water and then, at the back, in one small corner, try to scratch it.

If it does not scratch, it is jadeite. But that is primitive. And I am no expert. Just when I am buying (or have bought), I do that. That scratch test, it doesn't tell you if the piece is dyed though. And if it really scratches, I would be sorry too.

Also, it is so thin, I doubt it is impregnated with polymers at all. Thin jadeite rarely is impregnated because the resin is brittle and cannot be used on certain thicknesses (or thinness, in this case).

Get it tested. That is the best and most conclusive test.

 

[AV_]

Love the look of the bracellet with a stone tile! If you did not already have such well fitted ones, I would have brought up this sort of thing: WWW

Thinking out loud

_

Regarding the jade or not jade - tough guess...

 

[Bluegemz]

You can look under a microscope for due concentrations for C grade dyed jade, though it can be tricky to know what to look for. There are many online closeups or dyed jade under microscope though.

For B and C jade, UV, long and short wave can tell you something. If it glows very uniformly then something is likely amiss.

Also, B grade polymer jade will have a finely etched surface most of the time, so that the jade doesn’t fully have a high shine, though pieces with rougher grain jade, also can have a less polished surface especially before more modern polishing techniques due to the undercutting of the silica between the harder crystals during polishing. But an etched surface under a microscope will tell plenty.

Do you know the age of the piece from your mother? If it was made before the 1980’s, you can rule out polymer impregnated B jade.

To get a more definitive answer on whether it’s jade, treated or not, there is a range but jade is still quite dense..specific gravity tests are helpful and can rule out other gems.

 

[Seaglow]

It’s hard to tell from photos if it’s A or B, or C jade. As Bluegemz said, etched look in surface and dye concentrations on microscope can be seen though it might be difficult to make a conclusion on many pieces. Also, chrysoprase and dyed calcite and dyed quartz can be misidentified as jadeite.

 

[prs]

It looks very much like emerald to me, but like Jon Snow, I know nothing.

 

[Bron357]

Thanks every one.
I’m sure it’s not C grade jade as my time with Mr Google was quite helpful.
It might well be A grade.
The surface under the microscope is totally smooth and structure is compact fibrous without any “lines” of concentrated colour plus there are tiny spots of a dark material throughout. No reaction at all under UV light.
I think I will set one into the watch, such a lovely green.

 

[Bron357]

It looks very much like emerald to me, but like Jon Snow, I know nothing.

Don’t worry, I first thought they were totally fake being such a vivid green.

 

[peacechick]

Interesting that you said fibrous! That suggests it’s nephrite rather than jadeite as jadeite has a crystalline structure. If it is indeed nephrite, chances are very high the jade is untreated as typically nephrite is not dyed/faked like jadeite is. Also this shade of green is very rare for jadeite but not as much for nephrite.

ETA: the tiny spots you mentioned is another indication of nephrite. Look up Canadian nephrite and Maori greenstone for examples.

 

[Bron357]

Here are some closer up photos using a lamp and my trusty iPhone ha ha.

 

[peacechick]

The above is a slice of nephrite. I think yours looks like that. When you loupe it does it look fibrous vs grainy? Alternatively, do you have any jade loving friends? People who collect both jadeite and nephrite can tell them apart based on look and feel. It also makes sense for your mum to have these pieces because Apple green nephrite was not considered all that valuable (think of it like how Australians see opals) until this last decade when soaring demand had the Chinese buying boulders in bulk.

 

[Bron357]

Thanks very much.
Mum doesn’t even Remember where or when she got them (decades ago probably) and I’ve never seen her wear them.
My other question is “what else does she have buried in her drawers!?”
I’m happy that it’s not just coloured glass ! My main concern was that if it was fthat C grade stuff it wouldn’t survive the jewellers torch! Didn’t want to waste money sending them over to David K to find out “no go”. So I will send it off to David K and get him to pop it into the “hole” and make a very pretty bracelet.
I only spent $350 on the diamond watch case and band so I want to keep the cost down!

 

[digdeep]

This will be gorgeous!

 

[peacechick]

Thanks very much.
Mum doesn’t even Remember where or when she got them (decades ago probably) and I’ve never seen her wear them.
My other question is “what else does she have buried in her drawers!?”
I’m happy that it’s not just coloured glass ! My main concern was that if it was fthat C grade stuff it wouldn’t survive the jewellers torch! Didn’t want to waste money sending them over to David K to find out “no go”. So I will send it off to David K and get him to pop it into the “hole” and make a very pretty bracelet.
I only spent $350 on the diamond watch case and band so I want to keep the cost down!

Imagine if your mum’s drawer is a treasure trove! I think this will be a beautiful bracelet. Also, dibs if you ever want to sell it in future!

 

[mrs-b]

This looks perfect!

 

[prs]

Interesting that you said fibrous! That suggests it’s nephrite rather than jadeite as jadeite has a crystalline structure. If it is indeed nephrite, chances are very high the jade is untreated as typically nephrite is not dyed/faked like jadeite is. Also this shade of green is very rare for jadeite but not as much for nephrite.

ETA: the tiny spots you mentioned is another indication of nephrite. Look up Canadian nephrite and Maori greenstone for examples.

My money is on Maori Greenstone, the name is fabulous, and sounds much more romantic than nephrite!

https://maramajewellery.squarespace.com/