"Dragon Whiskers"

My personal jewelry is either 18K gold or good quality .925 sterling silver. When I was listing the older vintage jadeite pendants on the web sites, I kept some for myself, my usual
"hoarding" behavior.  I purchased a few very good bails for pendants, both gold and sterling silver and have used these bails for years so I can wear the jade pendant on one of my chains.  But I have some larger, heavier jade pendants that just don't look right with a bail and are so heavy the pull the chain when it's attached.   Also, these old mine "lao pit" jade pendants just don't look right with bails.  They seem to need something more natural to look and feel right to wear. 

Some of the jade necklaces for sale on the sites are on adjustable silk cords with additional jade beads for accents, and I love that kind of necklace. 

The answer to adding something to these big, or vintage jade pendants is the "Dragon Whisker" cord.  They are silk cord with knots tied in the traditional way to make it adjustable. The are often accented with jade beads, also.  A jade pendant attached to a Dragon Whisker cord looks great with a simple t-shirt, and elegant with a little black dress.  They are especially good for the "bi" circle, or donut, round pendants.

For The Jade Blogger readers, if you order a bi jadeite pendant from Jade Heaven or Ying Yu Jade by May 5, 2015, you can receive a free Dragon Whiskers silk cord FREE.  Write "free Dragon Whiskers" in the comments box on your order, and we will attach one to your bi pendant, no charge to you.  The cords will sell for $8-12 when we get them listed on the web site, and if any remain after the free offer and the ones I use to attach the pendants I'm hoarding!

New Ying Yu Jade web site

It is  exciting and scary ending the Ying Yu Jade web site that most of you are familiar with, since 2003.  I feel loyalty to all the people at the web hosting company who helped make Ying Yu Jade the best jade business!  But with the demand for web sites being
viewed on mobile devices, the older technology wasn't up to date.  The new Ying Yu Jade will be mobile friendly for viewing and ordering.  Some of you will applaud that you can order off your mobile phones, and especially Apple products now without any glitches.  You will be able to search.  For example, if you are looking for a jade bangle that's 56mm size, you enter    56mm    in the search box, and it will show you what's available.  Or if you are looking for Year of the Sheep jade pendant, you can enter   sheep   and the results will show.  And your credit card will be more safe on this site.  I will never receive any of your credit card information.  The information I receive is only the risk factor of the credit card being used.  I simply accept the payment, without knowing any of your credit card information.

Some long time customers who have looked at the JadeHeaven web site which is on the new format were disappointed that they can't see the items that are newly listed.  There are two ways to see what's new.  You click on the Collection, then you can search by several options, include new-to-old.   Your feedback inspired me to add at "What's New" category so you don't miss anything.  And the Daily Special will continue.

It's very close to being completely set up.  But you may notice that the Burmese jadeite bangle bracelets aren't listed yet.  With the new format, more than one photo can be shown.  So we're going to add them back, first checking to make sure they are in stock and haven't been sold but not removed.  We will test them all again to make sure they are genuine jade and jadeite.  Then take photos.  The new additions may have more than one photo, items that are already listed have one photo, but another may be added as we get up and running.

We hope you enjoy the new Ying Yu Jade web site, genuine and natural jade, jadeite purchased prior to the Lantos embargo, so it's wonderful quality, very rare to find the old mine jadeite.  http://yingyujade.com    YingYuJade     It may take awhile for the domain
name to catch up with the new site, but all should be in place by April 29.

And for more great quality jade, visit Jade Heaven.

Your feedback welcome!

Every extra minute of the day is spent getting Ying Yu Jade moved over to the new format.  It's not difficult, but it is so time consuming.  I can copy and most the text into the new format, and add the old photo, and when I get done, take new photos. The new format has space for multiple photos.  And as I'm working, I'm getting a customer perspective of how the present shopping cart area of YYJ doesn't always work correctly.  On some web browsers, the photos of the product actually move around, and change so the photo you see is not the photo that was loaded there.  Tech support denies there is a problem.  And without tech support, you don't have a decent web site.  I had hoped the "new YYJ" would be ready for launch this Monday, April 27, but I don't want to overdose on work, so now aiming toward the end of April.  But if you use a bookmark to go to YYJ, and one day it doesn't work, or you get a strange message about not finding it, wait a day or two because the domain name will be transferred and it takes a few hours for everything to get in place. You might try the web address   http://yingyujade.com   and then make a new bookmark.

I've started getting feedback, and thank you very much.  One of the concerns customers have is not being able to find out "what's new".   I had a link and set up on the present site that you could go to the shopping cart, and new products would be listed first.  I think on the JadeHeaven web site, you can search by "newest to oldest", but not sure because as administrator, I have a different access to search results.  The JadeBangleBracelets web site doesn't have a newest-to-oldest search.  And it looks like YYJ might not have that option either.  I called tech support for the new format, and she tried some change to the template theme, and thinks that kind of search is a good idea, and perhaps will offer it in the future.  When she looked at YYJ in it's development stages, she suggested something I have been thinking about:   having a category to introduce new products.  Since being able to know "what's new" is important to you, I am determined to offer that option.

So keep your comments coming.  Only one was posted on this blog, and it was SPAM.  I have the blog set up that comments posted need to be approved.  There are some totally strange comments, not related to this post or jade, and vulgar, or related to scams, so I want to approve comments first.  And if you want to comment, but don't want the comment to go public, write a note in the comment that it's private and it will stay private, only I will see it.
Post your comment, you won't see it until it gets re-posted by me, but I will share your
comments within 1-2 business days.  Thanks!

Changes, changes, and more changes.

Google officially announce that on April 21 it will change its ranking system to favor web sites that are "mobile friendly", that look and work good on mobile devices.  I heard about this earlier this year, and that was my motivation for Jade Heaven, and to move JadeBangleBracelets to a different web site.

Web sites that had a lot of relevant content, photos, YouTube videos and pages used to be ranker higher, and that was the way to go if you wanted your web site to appear high in search engines.  But now mobile use is more important.  On the Ying Yu Jade web site, there have been pages of resource information, including YouTube (by Google) videos, the blog.  So many pages, so much information, and now if the website is "mobile friendly", these features are a detriment and cause the web site to not show up in ranking.

So Ying Yu Jade will also begin its migration to the new shopping cart format.

These new formats are shopping carts essentially, not web sites.  So I have been thinking about how to keep all the resources about jade.  This Blogger is one way to provide information.  I can put more information here than on the Blogs on the shopping cart sites. And I can make links on the product and Blog pages in the new shopping cart to link to pages.  But it will be different.

The first thing I want to do is take all those jade bangle bracelets that were sold to me as grade A natural jadeite, but I am not sure it really is natural grade A, and greatly reduce them sell.  It would cost $100+ each to get them certified by a GIA gemologist.  And I don't want to add that cost to you, the customer, if you are looking for a good deal on a jade bangle. So you might get a really good deal by purchasing a jade bangle that you like, and looks good to you (and they look good to me or they wouldn't be listed) and buying it.  To sweeten the deal, there is FREE SHIPPING to USA customers.  When they are cleared out, I will add some of the really good jade bangles that I personally purchased from jade carving families, and know they are grade A, and jade bangles that have individual certificates.  And there are a lot of the good grade A jade bangle bracelets in the inventory.

JadeBangleBracelets

The other new addition to JadeBangleBracelets is shipping internationally.  I'm starting with Canada, Australia and Great Britain, and if that works out, then will add other international countries. 

Ying Yu Jade may take a few weeks to get transitioned to the new web program.  But I will keep you up to date on progress.

Last year I wanted to quit selling jade, for many reasons.  I was very upset when I heard about what Google was going to do regarding search priority.  But when I started making changes, it was actually quite interesting and gave me new energy to keep going.  I wore my "yin and yang" balancing jade bangle to give me good energy to do this work. The darker green is the qi energy for motivation and the lighter yin is to help me keep calm and carry on.

Don't wear your jade to Chinatown

Recently a new customer asked me to help her choose a traditional kind of jade bangle bracelet for her elderly mother.  Her name indicated she is Chinese.  And she had a low
budget and needed a larger size jade bangle so I suggested the traditional Chinese jade.  The Chinese jade we sell is specially chosen for me, and carved to our specifications by
a jade carver I have worked with for many years.  Chinese jade is "good green" without
too dark of a green that these days means color treated.  And Chinese jade has good
"qi energy", a good choice for many Chinese women. 

After she received it, I got an email from her that she had taken the bracelet to her
Chinatown and was told many negative things about it by those Chinatown "experts".
Firstly, they told her it wasn't jade, it was glass.  Then they told her it was poor quality.
They convinced her it was terrible, and of course offered her an alternative for 2-3
times the cost of what she paid.  And she believed them.   The sad fact is that most
people, even these Chinatown "experts" don't know very much about jade and confuse
people, especially people who are learning about jade.  And of course it's to show how
"knowledgeable" they are, and to get the person to buy from them.

So what can I say?  Spend an hour trying to educate her?  I blogged last month that I
decided to not respond to emails from people who ask "is your jade real?" anymore.  I'm
happy to help new jade buyers learn about and choose the best jade bangle for themselves but it's rude to ask me after reading the description that the jade is real, genuine, natural,
if it's "real". 

But wait!   Every few months I go on ebay, Etsy,  and some other web sites and buy a few
jade bangle bracelets just to see what most jade bangle buyers can purchase.  I test them
with gemology tools, including refraction to determine if they are real jade or jadeite.  Then
take them to my GIA gemologist jeweler for color testing.  Only one of all the bangles I
bought was genuine jadeite natural color.  The rest were advertised as grade A, some
even advertises at Grade AAAAA (whatever THAT is!).  So I do understand what women
who want genuine, natural jade are having to deal with.  It's very difficult to an honest
jade seller to compete with that, and their lower prices.  As I told the customer complaining about the Chinese jade bangle, what it comes down to when you buy jade is your trust of
the person selling it.  Do they have experience going to China and buying jade?  How many
years have they been learning about jade, gemology.  Does the information they post make sense to you?  Jade sellers in Chinatown are like jade sellers in China.  I've had 16 years
experience with both.   The only way to really know what you are buying is getting a refraction test.  That gives you a true result of what the stone is.  Sorry, but there's no
definitive test for jade sellers.  But if you buy from a jade seller you trust, don't take your jade to Chinatown for an opinion.  Take it to a GIA gemologist.  

Should I wear my jade bangle on my right wrist or left wrist?

One of the questions I get regularly: should I wear my jade bangle on my right wrist, or my left wrist?  Which wrist is best for wearing a jade bangle bracelet?
 
Your left wrist is closest to your heart, and if you wear jade the traditional way for wellness and qi balance, then the left wrist is the best wrist for a jade bangle bracelet.

In the past, only wealthy women could afford to have jade bangle bracelets.  And wealthy women didn't have to work for a living.  But in our modern every day living, wearing your jade bangle bracelet on your dominate arm could expose it to more possibilities for damage.
So take that into consideration when deciding which wrist to wear your jade bangle on.

And you do need to decide which wrist you want to wear your jade bangle on before you purchase a jade bangle bracelet.  That's because most women's hands and wrists are not the same size.  And a few mm size difference can make a big difference how your jade bangle fits.

I personally wear my every day jade bangle all the time on my left wrist, because I like it closer to my heart and my left is not my dominate wrist.  Since I wear jade for health and wellness, when I need a different color of jade for balancing my qi, I wear either a jade pendant with the qi energy, or wear another jade bangle on my "other" wrist.  Sometimes I even wear two jade bangles on the same wrist, with a gold "spacer" bangle between. 
For example, when I travel I want to wear deep deep green "black" jade for protection, both physical safety and from contamination.  So I either wear a black jade pendant, or one of the Chinese jade "black" jade bangles on my right wrist.

If you are a jade bangle lover, you might want to wear more than one jade bangle at a time, so you can wear two or more on the same wrist.  Be careful because if they hit each other just right (what I mean is "just wrong!) they may crack or break.  I like to wear a "spacer" to protect them.  I have two 24K gold slender bangles I sometimes wear between the two bangles.  But I prefer to wear a jadeite beaded stretch bracelet between two jade bangles.  The natural color of the jadeite beads "goes" with almost any color of jade you have. 
And looks and feels awesome.

I pulled another box of jade bangle bracelets from storage this to get photos taken and list them on the web site.  This box is the newer jadeite bangles with certificates.  The good news is some are already listed, and more will be added daily.  The bad news is there are some I just can't live without and pulled them to keep for myself.  You would think after 16 years of buying jade bangle bracelets and having my choice of all these lovely jades I would have found my "perfect jade bangle bracelet".  Wrong.  I personally like white or light green jade with deeper green veins.  And cleavage lines, or even cracks, are fine because they add to the natural-ness of the jade.  I had blood drawn for lab work earlier this week, and the lab tech wanted me to remove my jade bangle (???) and I refused.  She said that she understands about Chinese and Asian women wearing jade and refusing to remove the bangle, but not a "regular American" woman being attached to her jade bangle.  I was thinking about the marvel of a boulder of stone being carved into a jade bangle, and then being on a wrist.  How fortunate we are to be able to have a piece of nature to become a part of us.  The jade bangle in the photo on my wrist is a perfect example of a boulder from nature. It truly looks like stone. There is some translucence so you can see the veins through it. The color ranges from white to light green, and there are some very soft hues of lavender and honey.  The big deep green vein goes from the outside to the inside and there are some smaller veins the same coloring throughout.  If I list it, the price will be around $888.  If you want to buy it "off my wrist", it's yours for $500.  It's 51mm inside diameter and 15mm wide.  My ideal size is 53mm and I have to put it on and take it off with a plastic bag underneath it, but as you can see, it fits close to the wrist.  And feels wonderful!

For reference, the number is #626, and includes certificate.  I may get very attached to it, so therefore the low  "off my wrist" price for a limited time. Money order or check payment.
Contact me at jadeheaven88 @ yahoo.com

It's not the "perfect" jade bangle for me, but comes pretty close. 

When I shop in the jade market, I am very careful to inspect each piece of jade before I make the final "deal". I not only look with my eyes, but also feel each piece with my fingers. The jade sellers often have lights and filters to help customers carefully inspect each piece.
Jade is a natural mineral and isn't "perfect" like man-made products, or "fake jades" can be. When you look closely at jade, you will see a lot of interesting things, which is as it should be. However, many customers want their jade to be "perfect", so that's what I try to purchase.
The jade sellers in the Chinese wholesale jade markets don't speak English, and I speak very little Chinese, so discussion is quite limited. When I see a jade bangle that has a line in it, I usually set it aside and don't consider it. However, the jade sellers want to know why I don't want it, and when I point out the line, they point to the "veins" in the arm to indicate that it's not a crack, rather it's a vein, naturally occurring in the jadeite and not considered to be damage, and will not affect the durability of the jade piece. The Chinese people cherish these veins because it's "proof" that the jade is genuine and natural, "A" quality jade.
The jade market is chaotic, and I don't inspect with a loupe or magnifying lens. If you want to find a minor imperfection in jade, if you look hard enough, you will find it. And that's not what is important about jade. What's important is that it looks good, and is the quality of jade that it's claimed to be. So if you don't want a mineral with minor imperfections, you won't ever be happy with genuine natural jade and jadeite. There's a Chinese saying "even jade has flaws".
So what's the difference between a jade crack and a jade vein?
The photo below shows a drawing on the jade stone that is the pattern of a jade vein. The line goes around the circumference and may curve, and you might feel it with your finger nail. Or you might only see it but not feel it. It's not a crack, although it might look like a jade crack

 

 Cleaving lines run through the circumference

 A crack is different from a vein, and is considered to be damage. A crack runs up and down the width of the jade bangle bracelet

 Cracks run up and down as shown by the red line

 

I always say that I sell only the kind of jade I personally would wear, and I wear jade with cracks often. I can honestly say that I have never had a cracked jade bangle bracelet break because of the crack. So I do sell jade bangles with cracks in the Ying Yu Jade clearance section.   You can get a great deal on jade with veins, cracks, chips or imperfections that are not real damage in the clearance section. Also, some of the Estate and Vintage jade pieces have veins and cracks in them, and have "survived" for many years, and will last for a long time.
Jade bangle bracelets with veins can be in any price range. The beautiful jade bangle with imperial green veins in the photo on this page has a vein, but the value is $8000. The value comes from the imperial green color, the lavender hues, the "flower" pattern of the natural jade stone. If I sell it for $8000, most people who pay that much will want a "perfect" jade bangle. And here's a secret that people who really "know" jade will understand: this jade bangle with its vein is a most perfect jade bangle bracelet. It's 58mm and 13mm wide, so too large for me, but an example for me to show people when I discuss jade what a perfect jade bangle should look like.

Want to view some wonderful jade bangle bracelets?

Jade Heaven

Ying Yu Jade

Easter weekend is often a time for reflection.  It's spring, and a time for new beginnings. And it's also a time when we might experience grief from losses in our lives.  Today is the anniversary of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of three friends many years ago, but on April 4 I always think about them, and even after all this time experience grief.  When I was getting dressed for the day, and deciding which earring to wear, I chose white lily dangle earrings, the white and the lily feels comforting to me.  If you wear jade for balance, this is a good time to wear your white jade.  It's related to the lung meridian (Chinese medicine) and lung is metal element.  When lung is out of balance, as it often is during spring and pollen season, feelings you  may experience are grief, sadness.  That inspired me to put a soothing, peaceful jade necklace I had custom made, but are so pretty I've been hoarding them, giving as special gifts to special people, and of course wearing one myself. It's a lotus cluster made from jade beads with little carved jade peanuts cluster below the lotus.  The white jade feels so balancing, and it's beautiful.  I posted it yesterday, quantity is limited, so if you want a healing jade piece, something perfect for spring, this is it.
Jade Lotus Necklace   Click the ling.  By the way, if you get a message that the link is not secure, that's only because I transferred the complete URL to the store yesterday and it takes 2-3 days for all the servers to catch up.

If you like to wear jade for feng shui, April is the month to wear "emerging spring" color pattern. Spring green on white jade is a classic and cherished color pattern. Green jade is related to the liver meridian, and white jade related to the lung meridian. If the liver / gallbladder is out of balance, green jade qi energy helps cleanse toxins that can cause illness as well as feelings of anger and frustration. The lungs need to be balanced this time of year to handle the toxins in pollen that are plentiful as spring begins. "Emerging Spring" is also yin and yang balancing, for health of body, mind and spirit. You can find jade bangle bracelets and jade pendants with spring green and white colors on Ying Yu Jade web site .http://yingyujade.com
April 1, 2015