Question about Jade vs Jadeite..

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hello!
Happy Halloween!
I just had a beaded necklace restrung and I was curious if anyone knows if these are jade or jadeite?
The necklace is probably close to 80 plus years old as it's from my grandmother who was born in 1899.
Any info would be truly appreciated.

 

[ShinyPink]

You might do better having this moved to the colored stones forum. Lots of knowledgeable people there, plus a great thread evaluating jade/jadeite.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Oh thanks so much @ShinyPink!
I wasn't sure where to post it but will request the mods to move it to colored stones!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Our jade connoisseurs should be along shortly (@Crimson @Pomelo). I am woefully inadequate in my knowledge of this gem. But what I can say is there are two main types of jade - jadeite and nephrite. And that's about where my input begins and ends. Lovely necklace... good luck!

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi @Autumn in New England!
Thanks so much for your thoughts .
Hopefully we will both learn more when the experts chime in.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Beautiful and looks like jadeite to me by I will leave it to the experts!

I’m just going off what I see in terms of colour and texture and comparing it to stock I’ve seen in the past. I personally would confidently say it’s jadeite.

Enjoy! It’s gorgeous! Wear it lots!!!!!

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Beautiful and looks like jadeite to me by I will leave it to the experts!

I’m just going off what I see in terms of colour and texture and comparing it to stock I’ve seen in the past. I personally would confidently say it’s jadeite.

Enjoy! It’s gorgeous! Wear it lots!!!!!

Hi @mellowyellowgirl!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know your opinion.
If I had to make a guess I would say that they would be jadeite too.
My grandmother had $$$ and it seems most everything she bought was very fine.
Thanks again.

 

[Pomelo]

Hello!
Happy Halloween!
I just had a beaded necklace restrung and I was curious if anyone knows if these are jade or jadeite?
The necklace is probably close to 80 plus years old as it's from my grandmother who was born in 1899.
Any info would be truly appreciated.

Hello! This looks like jadeite to me, nephrite doesn’t come in such a vibrant green

Nephrite is a more muted, grey green than what you posted (this is a vibrant strand of nephrite)

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hello! This looks like jadeite to me, nephrite doesn’t come in such a vibrant green

Nephrite is a more muted, grey green than what you posted (this is a vibrant strand of nephrite)

Hi @Pomelo!
Thank you so much for chiming in about your thoughts on this necklace RE jadeite vs jade.
I love to learn the history of things and really appreciate all the input!

 

[Crimson]

@Rubies-R-Me, what a lovely heirloom!
So kind of @Autumn in New England to tag me.
Based on the fibrous texture, fine grains visible in the photos, and the natural fresh green colouration, it looks like jadeite to me. The necklace is well-made.
You can see the Knox in between each bead. The clasp looks more recent - maybe 1970s or 198-s?
Here is some jadeite of the Qing dynasty period, from the Palace Museum in Beijing. It’s a sceptre or Ruyi.


This is light green nephrite in a disc of snowy nephrite. You can see the green is different and the nephrite looks oily rather than glassy.


When you have time, do check out the Evaluating jadeite thread. Thanks @ShinyPink for mentioning it!

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi @Crimson!
Thanks so much for your help and your gorgeous photos.
The clasp was actually just added.. the original clasp was broken. The hook part of it was missing so I bought a new one that was similar before I brought it for restringing. I also kept 2 of the beads to make into earrings. Not sure if I am going to make them into posts or dangles.
I also just checked out your thread on evaluating jadeite!! What a wealth of info.
Thanks so much!!!

 

[Crimson]

Hi @Crimson!
Thanks so much for your help and your gorgeous photos.
The clasp was actually just added.. the original clasp was broken. The hook part of it was missing so I bought a new one that was similar before I brought it for restringing. I also kept 2 of the beads to make into earrings. Not sure if I am going to make them into posts or dangles.
I also just checked out your thread on evaluating jadeite!! What a wealth of info.
Thanks so much!!!

You’re most welcome @Rubies-R-Me .
Such a good idea to keep two beads for earrings.
Are they going to be dangles?
Your grandmother must have been a very stylish lady.
Btw I love your user name. Do you have a ruby thread?

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi again @Crimson!
Yes.. she was a fancy lady. As my mother always said about her mother she had great style and money to spare which was a good combination.
I am born in July and love rubies too!
I see you do as well with your avatar.
I don't have a specific ruby thread but here are a few of my pieces.
Would love to see yours too!!

 

[Crimson]

Hi again @Crimson!
Yes.. she was a fancy lady. As my mother always said about her mother she had great style and money to spare which was a good combination.
I am born in July and love rubies too!
I see you do as well with your avatar.
I don't have a specific ruby thread but here are a few of my pieces.
Would love to see yours too!!

Ooh, thank you for sharing! Your rubies are beautiful.
The heart is gorgeous and large! What an adorable pink frilly box to go with it.
The band is so nicely set.
Those rubies on the dial look almost yummy.
My grandmother was stylish, too. I recall her regular visits to the hairdresser and her hair sticks with pearls. I have some of her jade too.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Thanks thanks thanks!!!!

 

[Pomelo]

Hi again @Crimson!
Yes.. she was a fancy lady. As my mother always said about her mother she had great style and money to spare which was a good combination.
I am born in July and love rubies too!
I see you do as well with your avatar.
I don't have a specific ruby thread but here are a few of my pieces.
Would love to see yours too!!

Be still my beating heart! I nearly fainted at your heart ring! Wow!!
Would you be open to sharing any more info about it?
It is unbelievably beautiful, and with the micropave… it honestly looks like a JAR piece.

I know you like your signed pieces too @Rubies-R-Me , is your calibre ruby band a vintage Tiffany by any chance?

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi @Pomelo!
What a great eye you have! Yes.. the ruby band is Tiffany. I bought it on Ebay a few years back. So impressed that you recognized it as Tiffany.
Thanks so much for your sweet compliments as I am always truly WOWED by your collections too!
About 10 plus years ago I had seen a heart ring just like it at Fred Leighton in Las Vegas. I fell in love with the design and since it was out of my price range I vowed to have one made just like it.
I can't find my original thread about it.. I just looked to no avail.
I had the ruby brought in to my fave jeweler Gross Jewelers in New York. It's 3.01 carats from Burma.
Gross Jewelers made the setting and the matching band.
Here are a few more pix.
Thanks again for the interest!

 

[Dreamer_D]

The eye candy in this thread is amazing! All your pieces are so beautiful @Rubies-R-Me

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

The eye candy in this thread is amazing! All your pieces are so beautiful @Rubies-R-Me

Aww... thank you so much @Dreamer_D

 

[Pomelo]

Hi @Pomelo!
What a great eye you have! Yes.. the ruby band is Tiffany. I bought it on Ebay a few years back. So impressed that you recognized it as Tiffany.
Thanks so much for your sweet compliments as I am always truly WOWED by your collections too!
About 10 plus years ago I had seen a heart ring just like it at Fred Leighton in Las Vegas. I fell in love with the design and since it was out of my price range I vowed to have one made just like it.
I can't find my original thread about it.. I just looked to no avail.
I had the ruby brought in to my fave jeweler Gross Jewelers in New York. It's 3.01 carats from Burma.
Gross Jewelers made the setting and the matching band.
Here are a few more pix.
Thanks again for the interest!

That velvety glow…

Hehe, thought the band might be Tiffany’s because I’d love to get the same ring! There’s nothing like a good channel-set calibre cut ruby or sapphire ring!!

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi again!
I realized I have another piece to share.. same grandma! lol
It's a brooch set in 18k yellow gold and for some reason I can't get it to flip on it's side in the picture.

 

[Pomelo]

Hi again!
I realized I have another piece to share.. same grandma! lol
It's a brooch set in 18k yellow gold and for some reason I can't get it to flip on it's side in the picture.

It’s a big size and what a fun carving! Jadeite carving sleuthing is a lot of fun.

Is it possible for you to take some close ups of the cute animal and the fruit? Then we’ll be able to give you an idea of what they are and what they represent!

It also looks to be a very similar material as the beads. I wonder if they were carved from the same rough!

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi @Pomelo!
Yes!! Jadeite sleuthing is SO MUCH fun!!
Especially when you have experts working on your "case."
Here are closeup pix.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Fox??

 

[Pomelo]

Hi @Pomelo!
Yes!! Jadeite sleuthing is SO MUCH fun!!
Especially when you have experts working on your "case."
Here are closeup pix.

Thanks!

I’m pretty sure the animal is a fox, it’s quite commonly seen in jadeite carvings and especially for women: it represents good luck esp in finding a partner/marriage, wisdom and cleverness/resourcefulness.

The fruit… ahh we struggle a lot with fruit. Sometimes it’s just “generic” fruit to symbolise success/prosperity. From the photos, the fruit doesn’t look like it has any defining features eg peaches often have pointy ends, persimmon have a little navel, pomegranate is often depicted with the seeds showing or with its tell-tale frilly end (terrible description, sorry)

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

@Pomelo
Oh my!! You are amazing!! I will look at this brooch in a whole new light.
Love that it means happiness in marriage and also being clever!
Those are 2 of my life goals.
Thank you for adding so much interest and joy to my jade experience.

 

[Starstruck8]

Yes!! Jadeite sleuthing is SO MUCH fun!!
Especially when you have experts working on your "case."
Here are closeup pix.

Squirrel and grape? According to this, squirrels and grapes represent abundance, fortune and many children. Quote: Squirrels and grapes” 松鼠葡萄 Sōngshǔ pútao theme is one of the many popular theme. Its’ meaning can be metaphorically translated as “abundance in fortune and offsprings”. Grape vines are prolific and squirrels 'breed like rabbits', so to speak.

Note, I'm no expert; this is courtesy of Professor Google. But the leaves look like stylized grape leaves. And the animal could be a squirrel. Searching for 'Chinese jade squirrel and grape' gives lots of hits. An example:


There are also many rather cute paintings.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I was also thinking grape for the fruit and in that case it would be a mighty tiny fox!

 

[Pomelo]

Squirrel and grape? According to this, squirrels and grapes represent abundance, fortune and many children. Quote: Squirrels and grapes” 松鼠葡萄 Sōngshǔ pútao theme is one of the many popular theme. Its’ meaning can be metaphorically translated as “abundance in fortune and offsprings”. Grape vines are prolific and squirrels 'breed like rabbits', so to speak.

Note, I'm no expert; this is courtesy of Professor Google. But the leaves look like stylized grape leaves. And the animal could be a squirrel. Searching for 'Chinese jade squirrel and grape' gives lots of hits. An example:


There are also many rather cute paintings.

Excellent sleuthing, you’re right, it probably is squirrels and grapes!!

Initially I was thrown off as the grapes in @Rubies-R-Me ’s brooch are quite far apart but other examples have individual grapes too!

 

[Crimson]

Squirrel and grape? According to this, squirrels and grapes represent abundance, fortune and many children. Quote: Squirrels and grapes” 松鼠葡萄 Sōngshǔ pútao theme is one of the many popular theme. Its’ meaning can be metaphorically translated as “abundance in fortune and offsprings”. Grape vines are prolific and squirrels 'breed like rabbits', so to speak.

Note, I'm no expert; this is courtesy of Professor Google. But the leaves look like stylized grape leaves. And the animal could be a squirrel. Searching for 'Chinese jade squirrel and grape' gives lots of hits. An example:


There are also many rather cute paintings.

@Rubies-R-Me, what a large brooch. The carving is nicely done. Are you going to wear it? Please share some photos
@Starstruck8, I agree it is a squirrel with grapes
It was a popular motif during the Ming and Qing periods - seen on porcelain and in art pieces, too.
This is from the National Palace Museum in Taiwan:

國立故宮博物院-國立故宮博物院

國立故宮博物院-國立故宮博物院

www.npm.gov.tw

Here’s a bowl with a multi-coloured depiction. Looks quite lifelike and adorable! In this photo you can see the squirrel has a sharper nose.