Trade Offs

After much thought and customer feedback, I decided to continue the "Clearance" section on the Ying Yu Jade web site.  I haven't added the clearance jade to the new web site when it was developed earlier this month.   The clearance jade items include pieces that have been around for awhile and need a jade loving home, or have "imperfections".   Jade often has "something" that keeps it from being "perfect", but true jade lovers know that things like clarification lines, small chips or scrapes from the jade carver, all show off that is is real and natural jade.  For example, clarification lines might look like cracks but they are part of the stone formation that might define change in minerals that create the color, pattern of the stone in the jade.  They aren't damage, and don't affect the durability.  Some of the clearance jade has cracks in them.  For example, the JHBB281 has a small crack that goes  up and down, so a true crack and not a clarification line that goes through the width.  It's not easily seen, and may have been caused by the color changes in the jadeite stone.

This jade bangle is the fine grained old mine "lao pit" probably mined prior to the year 2000. It has very soft hues of lavender and a deep mossy vein.  It has fine grain, high chime, and is much more pretty than the photo shows. If perfect, it would be valued at $1500-1800. 
Unfortunately, it has a crack.  So it's listed on the Jade Heaven site as a Daily Special with a very very low price.

I won't admit to you how many jade bangles I have in my personal collection.   I am a real hoarder of these.  And part of the reason I keep them for myself is they are the fine quality lao pit jadeite that shows a crack.  I have only three jade bangles in my personal collection that are "perfect".  The rest all have something not perfect, usually cracks.  I have never broken a jade bangle while wearing it that has a crack in it.  But I've broken "perfect" ones.  My theory is that a crack takes the stress off the rounded-ness of the bangle shape.  When you whack a jade bangle "just right" (actually just wrong", it can shatter, or break in pieces.  But jade bangles with cracks, that I wear all the time while gardening, cleaning, doing yoga, physical activity, get whacked and I am sure I broke or cracked it more, but amazingly it didn't get damaged.  I can't prove the crack keeps the bangle more durable, but that's my experience from 17 years of wearing jade bangle bracelets.

When customers express interest in a clearance jade bangle with a crack, I tell them that if they are wearing it and it does break within 30 days, I will give them store credit for another purchase.  I haven't had a customer tell me their clearance jade bangle broke.

The Clearance collection will soon be added to Ying Yu Jade.  The reason for clearance will be described.  And remember my pledge about selling jade:  I sell only the kind of jade I would personally wear.