My first jadeite purchase - icy, emerald green Buddha pendant

[Pomelo]

@Pomelo, both my friends went for rings with metal shanks. The few all-jadeite ones I saw were too bulky between the fingers,

The saddle ring below belongs to one of my friends. She was thrilled that I found a pair of earrings in the same colour and type as the ring. They are so cute, aren't they? She bought them too.

My other friend's saddle ring does not have diamonds around the jadeite. My friend lost the saddle when she was rushing around one day and knocked into a door post. It was only much later that she realised the jadeite was missing. She took it back to the jeweller and asked them to look for a replacement saddle. You can imagine it is not that simple - it had to be about the same size, colour and so on. It took more than a month.
I realised from this that in most rings, the long saddle is held in only by tiny prongs at the corners, it is important to check the prongs regularly.

Thank you for the advice and the photo - I really like the chubby heart earrings!

Will report back when I’ve had a chance to try on some saddle rings

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

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:

• 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

He’s not perfect by any means but I love the small dark spots in the material - I like to think of these as ‘beauty spots’ on the Buddha’s belly!

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…

i mean this in the New Zealand way, not the way cute is often used slighlty
derogatory around PS at times


- he is sooooooooooooooooooooooo cute !
i love him
he looks so happy to be with you
and he is very glamorous

i am so sorry your sentimental jade was stolen, i hope that brings the thieves bad karma

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thanks! Ooh please show us your sister’s bi, did your cousin bring it over from Singapore?
Hahaha we are still young! The anti ageing properties of jewels



Thanks Crimson, and especially for reigniting the jadeite threads! Without your passion, knowledge and generous time/effort, I don’t think I would’ve gotten into jadeite again.

Ahh filigree is so delicate, I think I would still bend it out of shape in adulthood




Haha thanks!




Thank you!




Thanks for the compliments! Really enjoy seeing your jade pieces too!



Thank you! Whilst the burglary was an awful thing to go through, I’m glad that at least no one was in the house when it happened, and it’s taught me that material things are just that - they’re fun and bring me joy, but ultimately dispensable and replaceable because what matters most is the meaning behind it.

RE: whether it’s imperial jade - I wish hehe 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.

Here is a cabochon I saw at a recent Christie’s auction viewing that was described as near Imperial jade. Guide price of HKD 3-5m (approx USD 400-600k). It didn’t hit the level of Imperial yet and I’m not surprised because the second photo with a 400w RMB stone (USD 550k) is much smaller but glowed - the material is finer, and the colour has less yellow.

@Crimson would have more expertise in explaining this though!

i know nothing about jade
but those rings are luscious

 

[Pomelo]

i mean this in the New Zealand way, not the way cute is often used slighlty
derogatory around PS at times


- he is sooooooooooooooooooooooo cute !
i love him
he looks so happy to be with you
and he is very glamorous

i am so sorry your sentimental jade was stolen, i hope that brings the thieves bad karma

Thanks @Daisys and Diamonds !

I must say, I hadn’t looked closely at Buddha carvings before and I love that he has little round nipples haha! A shame he doesn’t have a belly button though

 

[Pomelo]

I finally found an occasion to stack my Buddha with pearls. It’s a nice pairing for a daytime event!

 

[newtojewels]

I finally found an occasion to stack my Buddha with pearls. It’s a nice pairing for a daytime event!

I love them together! What a great stack. I just love your sense of style!

 

[Crimson]

I finally found an occasion to stack my Buddha with pearls. It’s a nice pairing for a daytime event!

Yay! They go so well together! Inspired pairing, @Pomelo.