Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Burmese Jadeite Bangle Bracelets: The Old and the New, and My Personal Jade Bangles

My husband, who has shopped in China with me for jade bangle bracelets, helped me unpack and organize the new shipment of Burmese jadeite bangle bracelets with certificates of gemology testing.  He commented that these new jadeite bangles looked like "real jade", not the softer color older jadeite, carved before the year 2000, that I had been purchasing.  Now that older jade is more rare, often in jade seller's safes, so difficult to purchase.

Burmese jadeite grade A bangle bracelets from most recent shipment
I took the jade bangle on the left to keep for myself, and have been wearing it.  Very "yang" energy, giving me more energy, but I think too much, because difficulty sleeping at night. I can go all day without a nap when I wear it, and still have energy in the evening.

The photos can't truly show the difference in the jadeite stone between the old and the new:

 You can see the yin and and the yang, light and darkness.  And the one I kept for myself has some yin white "clouds" veins to balance the yang.

The newer jadeite bangles are beautiful, well polished, good color and good carving workmanship, but they just don't have the "glow" of the old mine jadeite.

Two jadeite bangles with jadeite bead bracelets between the for protection (and they look great!)


I wore them together for awhile, with two elastic jadeite bead bracelets between them so they wouldn't hit each other, and run the risk of cracking.  The "new" jade bangle is thicker inside to outside, has a satisfying "heavy" feel (part of the yang) due to the weight of it.

And then I got sidetracked looking for the jadeite beads bracelets because I want to add them to Jade Heaven web site.   You can see in the photo below that they look so nice with any kind of jadeite.



I like to take some photos of the jade bangle bracelets on my wrist, because although they are beautiful in the single photo, being on a human wrist gives them a "glow" due to sharing of jade qi with body qi energy.  But I haven't been able to get them on my wrist easily because I burned my wrist, not only once, but twice, while getting food in and out of the oven.  And the burns are on the bottom of my thumb knuckle, the tightest part of the wrist when putting on a jade bangle bracelet.  I used a thin plastic bag from grocery produce department to put on and take off.

Jade bangle too tight?  Use a thin plastic bag to put on / take off

I burn my wrist often when using the oven.  If you do, too, you know how that makes putting on and taking off jade bangles painful. And this burn is close enough to my jade bangle that the bangle touches it.  I immediately ordered oven rack shields from Amazon, and they have already saved me more burns since I got them three weeks ago.





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Friday, April 21, 2017

Is My Jade Real: Responses and Answers

Thanks for your emails, comments and guesses.  And here's the answers to yesterday's blog post.

But first, the most "real" answer is that you need a GIA gemologist to appraise the jadeite stone with gemology testing equipment.  The gemologist can guess, but needs the testing equipment to know for sure.

The jade bangle photos I posted were all taken from ebay.

True fake jade. Priced at $35

Grade a genuine natural Burmese jadeite, with certificate. Priced at $500
99.9% probably jadeite, and color treated because price only $20

Most of the emails I received were correct. And most of the emails were from long time Ying Yu Jade and Jade Heaven customers.   The #1 fake jade was the "fooler" because the responses were it was color treated, but not everyone knew that it is not jade.  Jade doesn't look like that.

Thanks again for your emails, and if you were right about all three,  a small gift is coming your way.
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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Is My Jade Bangle Bracelet Real? Experience Helps You Decide

We have spent at least two weeks taking and editing photos of the new shipment of Burmese jadeite bangle bracelets grade A with certificates.  At least 20 photos are taken for each jade bangle, often up to 50, to get the ones that show that jade as it really is.  I do not want customers to be disappointed when they receive their jade because the "real thing" doesn't look like the photo.  When the photo is listed, I check on different browsers including a desktop Windows, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an Amazon tablet, an iPhone and another Windows laptop with three browsers. 

A "jade sister" from Ohio sent me an email a couple of weeks ago that they went to a show that had a jade bangle bracelet seller. She looked through the selection, talked to the seller who told her they were natural grade A.  But she had a "feeling" that they weren't.  She has been wearing genuine and natural jadeite for several years, and her experience with owning genuine natural jadeite has given her knowledge about the quality of jade.  When you wear good quality jade, you know how it "feels" and that gives you intuitive knowledge when you are looking at jade.  When I'm listing jade, sometimes a piece just doesn't feel right.  I have some gemology testing equipment, and I can test with refraction to get a result if it's jadeite, or something else. 

The other consideration is that jadeite might be "real jadeite" but it might not be natural color. And just because jadeite is B or C grade, doesn't mean it's not "real" jade. 

Here's a learning experience:  three jade bangle bracelets you can look at to decide which one, if any is "real" and natural color:

 #1 Real genuine and natural jadeite,  or "fake" , or real and color treated
#2Real genuine and natural jadeite,  or "fake" , or real and color treated
#3 Real genuine and natural jadeite,  or "fake" , or real and color treated

And you can guess the price.  

Answers in the next Jade Blogger.

You can contact me at jadeheaven88 @ yahoo.com if you have questions or comment.

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Saturday, April 15, 2017

Jade Bangle for Easter and Spring: How to Clean Jade

When you need more energy in your life, try wearing your jade bangle bracelet that has the most "yang" qualities. Deeper and darker green is more yang, and I like to have some "yin" to balance it. But mostly the "feel" of yang.

So I changed my jade bangle bracelet to my most "yang" last week. It was a stressful week and I needed more energy to last all day.  This is my favorite yang Burmese jadeite bangle bracelet. 



I've had this jade bangle for at least 10 years.  I purchased it in China when I was jade shopping near the Myanmar (Burma) border with a guide I had hired, a young Chinese woman.  She thought jade bangle bracelets were for "grandmothers" and were too old fashioned to wear.  When we saw this kind of jadeite, we both fell in love with it, and she even purchased one for herself and one for her girlfriend. This kind of jade is the color that usually gets washed with acid because there is very little translucence and the Chinese women usually don't like this much "yang".  We named it "modern jade bangle bracelet".  We had a fun shopping trip.

Today my life is more relaxed again, and I want a calm, peaceful Easter weekend.  Time to change jade bangle bracelets.

Classic Chinese Jade Carved Bangle Bracelets, Dynasty Style

Classic Chinese jade is naturally more yin, and is the kind of jade used in jade health tools, like jade rollers, gua sha tools.  It has healing qi qualities.  My jade carver used the best quality of Chinese jade to carve jade bangles with "knots", bamboo and other carving.  The caving style is the way they were made during the Dynasty eras in China.  I love the healing and calming qi energy.

The "modern" jadeite bangle I was wearing is small for me, so I used lotion generously on my wrist and hand to slide it off.  I usually use a thin plastic bag, but didn't have any handy.  I have to be very careful when I remove a tight jade bangle that it doesn't go flying off and land on a hard surface and crack or break.  I took it off while sitting on my bed.  It was covered with lotion, so I used my preferred liquid hand soap with no antibacterial or extra chemicals and cool water to wash it.  Then dried it with a soft towel.  Jade loves cool water.  Never use hot water to clean your jade.  It will clean up perfectly with cool water and good quality soap. 

It looked so beautiful, and glowed from the cool water, it was tempting to put it back on!

Now it's clean, polished and back in my "jade bangle bracelet drawer". a dark drawer in the cool room. 

That's the best way to keep your jade clean and in good condition.  Easy and natural, like jade itself.

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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Unpacking Jade, but With a Twist

I've stated that I buy only jade that I personally would own and wear, and that's the truth! So when I sell the one of a kind jade pendants, necklaces, jewelry and bangle bracelets, I give them a very fond farewell, and show the customer how special their purchase is.

One of my long time customers purchased a jadeite bangle bracelet for herself prior to Christmas.  She likes the natural-ness of jade, and often chooses pieces that have that natural feature like inclusion lines, or even tiny chips and scratches made by the jade carver during the process.  She also has a young son who loves the jade his mom buys, so I sent a special gift for him, too.  Last month she sent me an email that she had been carrying the package in her handbag since she received it, because she loved the "feel" of having it unopened.  She waited for an auspicious time to finally open it.

And she sent me photos of the process, because it was so special to her.

I sent a hand colored card I made for her, and wrapped a yarn around the box

Packed with tissue paper to keep the jade bangle secure

The photo doesn't show how beautiful the carved jadeite bangle bracelet really is

This was a special jade bangle that I had hoarded for awhile, but knew it needed a wrist, not a drawer to hide in.  And I wanted to show her how special it was.  And she showed me how special it was to her, too.  She is a true "jade sister".

If you have ordered in the past few months a one of a kind item, you probably received a personal note from me.  I love to stamp and color with colored pencils.  It's my way of appreciating YOU as a customer.

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Friday, April 7, 2017

New Jadeite Bangles from the New Shipment Being Added Now, Sale Prices for Limited Time

I'm finally getting the photographed Burmese jadeite bangle bracelets with certificates from last week's shipment added to Jade Heaven web site.  It is a true pleasure to hold them, touch them while feeling for any cracks or chips.  As a get a "feel" for the jade qi energy so I can write a good description, the color comes more alive in my hands.  They have been in storage, then shipping for a long time.  I think jade qi energy goes into hibernation when they are boxed up, in the dark for awhile.  Like the jade you put in your drawer for awhile, then when you think to take it out, you might wonder if it's really the one you put away, because it looks different.  Then you put it on, and the jade's "glow" comes back.

When I add the photos to the listing, sometimes I see what looks like incorrect photo editing.  Small areas that look slightly lavender.  As I worked with them, I realized that quite a few of these really do have some soft lavender, and some even have good veins of 
lavender.


Burmese Jadeite Bangle Bracelet #3079

And isn't it nice to know that you can be sure you are getting real and natural jadeite, because each one of these comes with a free certificate of gemology testing.

More will be added.  The jade bangles in the "Heavenly Jade Sale" are the new listings with discount prices. When more are added, the present ones will be removed to make room in the Sale section, and the sale price will be removed, too.  If you see one you like, get it now. The price is right, and it will look more pretty than the photo shows.


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Monday, April 3, 2017

Sorting Through the Box of Jade, New Shipment and One (or Two!) for Me!

I truly believed I would have some of the jadeite bangle bracelets from my new shipment almost a week ago listed.  But...I have been working on it.

I opened each packet with the jade bangle inside, tested with refraction to make sure it is genuine jadeite, which was redundant with the presence of certificates and I could tell it was genuine jadeite, but it's my promise to you that they are "real jadeite bangle bracelets".

By the way, the packets are the traditional silk paper packets with cellophane  to protect it. You can remove the cellophane and keep your jade bangle in the pretty packet.

Then I matched each one to the certificates of gemology testing, made a label for each packet to correspond with the certificate, and put them in numerical order.

Each jade bangle gets examined and the corresponding certificate number placed on the packet

With the help of husband Tom, we now have them ready to photograph.  The photos are taken in natural daylight in an outdoor enclosed area, the photo shows part of the lanai room. By waiting til the lighting is "just right" and taking the photos, they need less editing so that most browsers show the "real thing" and our customers will not be disappointed by getting a jade bangle that had a photo shop editing. 

So how many that were my size did I keep for myself?  Actually, a low percentage, 7% of the 100 (7 jade bangles, one is in the photo above).  There were a lot more I would like to keep, but you would probably like to purchase some!  If you are on the mailing list for Jade Heaven, you will receive an email so you can have first choice!  Soon, I hope.