Pomelo
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Messages
- 847
This is the first piece of jadeite I’ve ever bought for myself, and is (currently) the only piece I own. Thanks to the Pricescope community of jade enthusiasts in our active forum, especially @Crimson , for giving me enough confidence to pull the trigger after many years!
***
A bit of backstory on my jade journey (skip to the end for photos):
I used to have two sentimental pieces of jade - both given to me as 16th birthday presents. I didn’t know anything about jade back then; now that I do, I’m pretty sure they were both jadeite but of the coarsest / most opaque / “bean” variety. One was a bangle from my aunt that was opaque white with green veins, and the other was the last gift I ever received from my paternal grandfather before he passed away - a small, plump, laughing Buddha, again opaque white with a light green belly.
My grandfather had great haggling skills and the Buddha was bought back in the day when department stores were still akin to the Wild West in terms of pricing in China. And so, when my grandparents took me to choose my 16th birthday present, I was faced with a counter full of jade and my eyes were instantly drawn to my little Buddha. The only problem was, it was around 3,000 RMB (c.300 USD back then) - a lot of money for my grandparents on a modest pension, and so I deflected and said I’d go for something else.
Of course, my grandfather was having none of it and he said he’d get the price to something more manageable. My grandmother duly took me away whilst my grandfather worked his magic. After what seemed like an hour, he returns with the Buddha - at 300 RMB! I will never forget how he scored 90% off, but it also put me off buying jade for the next twenty years because pricing is so arbitrary and I didn’t know how to evaluate jade. (Anecdotally, my father in law said the only piece of jade he ever bought for my mother in law was a piece he haggled from 20,000 RMB to 800 RMB, but this was from a street-side stall in a tourist area. Even then, I’m pretty sure he overpaid and it probably wasn’t A-jade!)
I only wore the bangle a few times before I bashed it and caused a crack, thus retiring the piece. But I wore the Buddha constantly in my teens and early 20s on a traditional red string, and later transitioned to a white gold chain - I absolutely loved it given the link to my grandparents and the importance of jade in Chinese culture.
Neither piece was valuable from a monetary perspective, but when our house got burgled four years ago, I was especially hurt at the loss of my Buddha.
Now that we’ve moved to Beijing, I have access to a multitude of jade shops. I have also found great resources (including PS!) to give me a basic but growing understanding of jade. By having the theoretical side and also the practical side of seeing numerous pieces with my own eyes, I gained the confidence to actually buy something!
I knew that I wanted my first piece of jadeite to be a Buddha to commemorate my grandparents and replace the one that was stolen; it’s also traditonal for women to wear fat laughing Buddhas to symbolise happiness and a thriving family, and men wear Guanyin (goddess of mercy) to symbolise peace and a successful career.
***
So, here he is: my chubby laughing Buddha pendant. Key stats:
Indoor photos near the window with diffused lighting
Showing the foil back with viewing hole:
Indoor at night with artificial white light
And my original Buddha on traditional red string, replete with teenage fashion choice in the noughties…
***
A bit of backstory on my jade journey (skip to the end for photos):
I used to have two sentimental pieces of jade - both given to me as 16th birthday presents. I didn’t know anything about jade back then; now that I do, I’m pretty sure they were both jadeite but of the coarsest / most opaque / “bean” variety. One was a bangle from my aunt that was opaque white with green veins, and the other was the last gift I ever received from my paternal grandfather before he passed away - a small, plump, laughing Buddha, again opaque white with a light green belly.
My grandfather had great haggling skills and the Buddha was bought back in the day when department stores were still akin to the Wild West in terms of pricing in China. And so, when my grandparents took me to choose my 16th birthday present, I was faced with a counter full of jade and my eyes were instantly drawn to my little Buddha. The only problem was, it was around 3,000 RMB (c.300 USD back then) - a lot of money for my grandparents on a modest pension, and so I deflected and said I’d go for something else.
Of course, my grandfather was having none of it and he said he’d get the price to something more manageable. My grandmother duly took me away whilst my grandfather worked his magic. After what seemed like an hour, he returns with the Buddha - at 300 RMB! I will never forget how he scored 90% off, but it also put me off buying jade for the next twenty years because pricing is so arbitrary and I didn’t know how to evaluate jade. (Anecdotally, my father in law said the only piece of jade he ever bought for my mother in law was a piece he haggled from 20,000 RMB to 800 RMB, but this was from a street-side stall in a tourist area. Even then, I’m pretty sure he overpaid and it probably wasn’t A-jade!)
I only wore the bangle a few times before I bashed it and caused a crack, thus retiring the piece. But I wore the Buddha constantly in my teens and early 20s on a traditional red string, and later transitioned to a white gold chain - I absolutely loved it given the link to my grandparents and the importance of jade in Chinese culture.
Neither piece was valuable from a monetary perspective, but when our house got burgled four years ago, I was especially hurt at the loss of my Buddha.
Now that we’ve moved to Beijing, I have access to a multitude of jade shops. I have also found great resources (including PS!) to give me a basic but growing understanding of jade. By having the theoretical side and also the practical side of seeing numerous pieces with my own eyes, I gained the confidence to actually buy something!
I knew that I wanted my first piece of jadeite to be a Buddha to commemorate my grandparents and replace the one that was stolen; it’s also traditonal for women to wear fat laughing Buddhas to symbolise happiness and a thriving family, and men wear Guanyin (goddess of mercy) to symbolise peace and a successful career.
***
So, here he is: my chubby laughing Buddha pendant. Key stats:
- 22 x 28 x 2mm
- Set in 18ct white gold with a foil backing and viewing hole, 1.15ctw diamond halo. Currently on black rope but will get a white gold chain once I figure out what length
- Certified by HKKJJL (Hong Kong Kowloon Jade & Jewellery Laboratory). Not tested for origin
- Colour: emerald green - a deep, rich green without yellow undertones. There are a couple of darker patches. However, I will caveat that one thing I find difficult is describing the different shades of green (and translating them between Chinese and Western markets!)
- Translucency and texture: good translucency with medium texture, icy
Indoor photos near the window with diffused lighting
Showing the foil back with viewing hole:
Indoor at night with artificial white light
And my original Buddha on traditional red string, replete with teenage fashion choice in the noughties…
the translucency / texture is too included on my Buddha and I think the colour is probably a bit too dark (?); imperial jade must have both the right colour and the finest translucency / texture.
Also better not to use it as a locket - you don't want anything blocking the shine o the white gold.
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