A Guide to Buying Jade

We encourage our customers to schedule a meeting with us to view our pieces prior to the purchase. The jade pieces may appear differently under different lighting.

In Singapore, many of us have assumed that 玉 (yù) and 翡翠 (fěi cuì) are of the same types of precious stones. While some says that 翡翠 can be a type of 玉 but not all 玉 are 翡翠. 玉 is jade and 翡翠 is jadeite. In China, the 4 main types of jade does not even include jadeite! Below is a table showing the differences in their names in English.

岫玉 (xiù yù)	Serpentine Jade
独山玉 (dú shān yù)	Anorthosite/Dushan Jade
蓝田玉 (lán tián yù)	Tremolite/Lantian Jade
和田玉 (hé tián yù)	Nephrite

 

Each of these jades have a deep root of history and stories in China and each of them have their own values and differences. In this article, we will talk about jadeite which is what FAYJADE primarily is selling. Let's talk about 翡翠 or jadeite!

Cotton 棉 (mián)

Cotton is common in jadeite and it is crucial to have cotton in jadeite otherwise, there is something wrong with the stone. Without the presence of cotton, jadeite cannot be formed and this statement derives from the saying 无棉不成翡. The most expensive form of jadeite (imperial jade for example) have cottons in it. The question is whether the cotton is fine like a thread of a spider web or as thick as a real cotton wool. Certainly, the finer the cotton, the higher the value of the jadeite. There is a type of cotton that is extremely favourable to all jadeite enthusiasts which is the snow cotton 雪花棉 which appears like snow/snowstorm in the jadeite.

Crystal texture/晶体

Jade or jadeite after all are precious stones, and are very common to have crystal alike texture. Although, higher end jadeite has little to no crystal texture, it is also an important feature to have in identifying a Grade A jadeite because treated jade will have all the crystal texture to be removed. Crystal texture is also one of the attributes in determining the jade's value.

Cracks 纹裂 (liè wén)

Generally, cracks are a huge no-no to all jade collectors even in jewellery. However, it is more important to differentiate and to be able to tell between true cracks, natural cracks, inner cracks. Whether to accept the presence of cracks in the jadeite world is a huge debate but it varies between people on the level of acceptance. Cracks are so common in jadeite, it appears almost every where on a piece of raw stone. As such, this is where we human intelligence is pretty much needed to skillfully extract the valuable part of the jadeite from the crack. One way to access is by the feeling of touch, touch the piece with your fingers or better yet, your nails. If you feel a rough surface or a "bump". That's a crack. If you see a sudden deep contrast of the colors on the piece through a single line. That's a crack. The only acceptance that is tolerable and will still have a high value are lines that are so fine it cannot be felt or seen properly. At FAYJADE, each of our pieces have been highly assessed over and over again to make sure you don't get the chance to feel these cracks.

Types of Jadeite 种 (zhǒng)

This is where things get interesting. Depending on the texture of the jadeite, the value of the jadeite can be of a huge contrast. The table below will provide a great guide for your personal reference. However, differentiating on the types of the jadeite can be subjective but any kind from Fine Glutinous Rice type above is considered to be part of the valuable collection.

豆种 dou zhong $	Bean - the lowest value kind with no transparency. Texture is like beans. Opaque. Lifeless. Rough.
糯种 nuo zhong $	Glutinous Rice - Texture is similar to glutinous rice. A bit of transparency. But still consider very rough.
细糯化种 xi nuo hua zhong $$	Fine Glutinous Rice - Texture is finer as if glutinous rice is cooking towards like a porridge. You can expect fine texture from here. Fair translucency.
糯冰种 nuo bing zhong $$	Icy Glutinous Rice - Texture is very fine as if the ice cream has melted, just like milk and water combined. Good translucency. There is a misty scenery to it.
冰种 bing zhong $$$	Ice - Texture is like an ice or shaved ice. Sometimes you can notice the fine cotton because you can see through the texture. Considered the premium kind. A typical ice with bubbles inside.
高冰种 gao bing zhong $$$$	True Ice - Texture is so fine, you can barely see the cotton. Just like an ice without any bubbles inside the jade.
玻璃种 bo li zhong $$$$$	Glass - Most valuable kind where texture is just like a glass. Clear and crisp with very little to none cotton appearing on the piece.

 

One thing to take note of the above table when it comes to the value of the types, This is to take into the account that each of the types are of fine jade with minimal cotton and no cracks. For example, Icy types are of middle value of price point, but the value of the jade can be drastically decrease if there is the presence of huge cotton and other impurities such as crystal coarse.

 Jelly/Collagen/Steel Texture 果冻/胶感/钢性

This is added value or attribute of what was listed above but it is associated together with the types. Basically, when the jadeite in its raw form aged very well beneath the earth, they will form a certain glow or rather, a very high refraction of light. This can be easily identified in ice types. But, it can be rather difficult for novice jadeite enthusiasts to identify against the glutinous rice types. However, trust your eyes because if you have two jadeite pieces to compare, the difference is very obvious through the naked eye. There's a saying goes 起冰容易起胶难 which means it is a lot more easier to get ice type jadeite but it is difficult to get jades into the quality like jelly alike. The highest attribute for this is 钢性 which is achieving the look of steel. For ice type jades to achieve steel like texture, there's another saying when the jade drops into a bowl of water, you cannot find it. This is to describe the extreme clarity of the jade.

Grade A/Grade B/Grade C /Grade B+C

You guys probably heard a lot of Grade A jade or jadeite everywhere around shops or online store but has no idea what it is. You might also think that it probably means it is high or best quality of jade and Grade B means less quality. Yes and No. Jade can be Grade A but it does not mean it is a good quality jade. The table below will probably make things clearer for you.

Grade A	Grade A jade means that the jade is untreated. The jade itself is natural and not being bleached and colored. Cleaning and polishing are common practice and internationally recognized.
Grade B	Grade B jade means that the jade itself is chemically bleached to remove any dirt and unwanted impurities after which it will be injected with polymer.
Grade C	Grade C jade means that the jade has been dyed to improve or to add colors to it.
Grade B+C	Grade B+C means the jade has been processed using the methods of B and C.

 

The ugly truth is that, it can be difficult for anyone to identify using the naked eye whether the jade is Grade A or not. The advancement of technology has further make things difficult. The one way that proves the most effective in identifying Grade A jades is to send it for laboratory testing at a trusted local entity.

Marbling or Jade Itch? 飘花/翡翠藓

People are often being to made believe that any blotch of green on their jade pieces is consider as marbling effect. But do you know the existence of jade itch? Jade itch is just a direct translation from Chinese as we are even unsure ourselves what is it called in English. Marbling effect on jade is very flowy-like, like when an ink dye meets water. However, if you see a huge blob or blotch of black-green often dull in color, most likely it is jade itch. Jade itch is nothing of value. They are what we called dead jade. Many people does not know the existence of jade itch and often being sold as marble or as nephrite. A real nephrite should be of full black and only show it's true green colour only when strong torch shines on it. If someone shows you a nephrite jade, it better be full on black. If it's not full on black, most likely it's not nephrite but jade itch. Jade itch destroys the fundamental value of the real jade, and often being seen as a spoiler.

Burnt Jade

Orange, Yellow, and Red jade are very rare in the market. Many intrigued the colors just the sight of it. However, not all orange or red jade are natural. There is a process whereby burning the jade gives off a bright orange in color. Jade enthusiasts have to be extra careful towards these kind of jade. Burnt Jade are often distinguished by the unnatural structure of the jade. During the process of burning the jade, the texture and structure of the jade are broken down, this includes the natural cotton inside of it. One easy way to tell is the abnormally bright orange that burnt jade often gives out.

 Price of the Jade

Up until this point, many of you maybe confused so, how much a good jade costs? Is there a fixated value i can rely or trust along? The answer is no. Unfortunately, the value of the jade is perceived and unlike gold, it is hard to regulate the value of the jade because it has so many attributes to take account into. However, there is also the saying 一分价钱一分货, this means that you get what you pay for. Sometimes, when you start questioning on a particular jade that it should not be at this price point, why is it so cheap, you most likely have the right guts and feelings. If you think the piece is a bit too cheap, most likely, there is something wrong with the jade, that's why it can be sold at such price.

All these contributes to the value of the jade. Hopefully this guide is helpful for all of you in buying a piece of jade items. More importantly, when you fell in love with a piece, doesn't matter which types or attribute, you shouldn't stop yourself from buying. 玉遇有缘人, the jade is waiting for that fated person, just like how the wand chooses you.

 

Article will be updated from time to time. Last Updated: 18th May 2022