Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Asianfire]

Looks like I got lucky. Nice colour in every piece. I know white jade is not for everyone's taste, but I like it.






And after looking closer, I cant find any banding, so I'm hoping for plain chalcedony inside


Thanks for looking, Kurt

[southerly]

Nice score Kurt

[Jhon P]

Cool! looking forward to see what you carve out of it

[Asianfire]

Not out of the hot water yet. There is always the possibility that they are dyed (heat test turned out negative) all other tests require labs.
And or that they are not from China in the first place. Hetian is basically mined out, so I suspect that those pieces might be from Indonesia, and I'm told that even labs have a hard time testing for that
That would be no problem for me..... Just hate the idea that they might be dyed.

The biggest argument on dyeing is that it would actually devalue pure white pieces.
So in my mind, I try to hold the Nay-sayers at bay.

[Rockoteer]

I try/work at not buying anything from China.  Hard to do and sometimes you just do without.

[Asianfire]

I try/work at not buying anything from China.  Hard to do and sometimes you just do without.

You will have little choice if you want to partake on fantastic material from Madagascar. What I saw in the market was, I estimate, 40% coming just from that country (agates, jaspers etc....). They seem to have taken over the business end from there and its not the only place where they did so.

And before someone goes on a whining campaign, if they would not have done it, someone else would...... At least, that type of business has averted, for the time being, unrest and gives the locals at least some employment.

[irockhound]

The market was pretty dead for Botswana agate for a while as Botswana was trying to force jobs in country just as happened with Brazil and Rutilated Quartz.  Along came the Chinese and they greased the way (bribed is probably more accurate) and poof you have Botswana in 55 gallon drums.  What I still can't fathom was a Chinese dealer in Quartzsite with Bali Petrified Coral rough, $2.00 a pound and discounts for volume.  I wondered how they can put it on a ship, truck it to Arizona and still sell it for 2.00 and make a profit.

[Asianfire]

The market was pretty dead for Botswana agate for a while as Botswana was trying to force jobs in country just as happened with Brazil and Rutilated Quartz.  Along came the Chinese and they greased the way (bribed is probably more accurate) and poof you have Botswana in 55 gallon drums.  What I still can't fathom was a Chinese dealer in Quartzsite with Bali Petrified Coral rough, $2.00 a pound and discounts for volume.  I wondered how they can put it on a ship, truck it to Arizona and still sell it for 2.00 and make a profit.

Thats what I wonder since years with all sorts of goods. Everyday objects are cheaper imported than locally made.
Simple example, Local cookies cost about 4$ a pound, yet Polish or Austrian ones are sold for 2$. Its a crazy world all round.

[Rockoteer]

The market was pretty dead for Botswana agate for a while as Botswana was trying to force jobs in country just as happened with Brazil and Rutilated Quartz.  Along came the Chinese and they greased the way (bribed is probably more accurate) and poof you have Botswana in 55 gallon drums.  What I still can't fathom was a Chinese dealer in Quartzsite with Bali Petrified Coral rough, $2.00 a pound and discounts for volume.  I wondered how they can put it on a ship, truck it to Arizona and still sell it for 2.00 and make a profit.

Thats what I wonder since years with all sorts of goods. Everyday objects are cheaper imported than locally made.
Simple example, Local cookies cost about 4$ a pound, yet Polish or Austrian ones are sold for 2$. Its a crazy world all round.

Where do you live?  Curious...
Gary

[Asianfire]

Hong Kong

[finegemdesigns]

Not out of the hot water yet. There is always the possibility that they are dyed (heat test turned out negative) all other tests require labs.
And or that they are not from China in the first place. Hetian is basically mined out, so I suspect that those pieces might be from Indonesia, and I'm told that even labs have a hard time testing for that
That would be no problem for me..... Just hate the idea that they might be dyed.

The biggest argument on dyeing is that it would actually devalue pure white pieces.
So in my mind, I try to hold the Nay-sayers at bay.

Really? They are now using treatments to make white jadeite? I never heard this before. Especially since the market for white jadeite seems rather small.

[Debbie K]

Kurt:

If you are curious about whether or not your jadeite or jade has been bleached, get a 10x loupe and a flashlight and take a look. If it's bleached, it'll look crazed like the glaze on old china. If if's bleached and dyed, the dye accumulates in the cracks made by the bleach.

In my opinion, it's more difficult to spot dye only. Sometimes the dyed section looks different than the color it's trying to emulate when viewed under UV long or short wave.

Also, the unbleached jadeite "rings" like nothing else; it has a clear, clarion ring. If it's been bleached the tone is deadened.

They're bleaching a lot of marginal jadeite to look like the "ice" jadeite which has gotten very popular and pricey.

All in all, looks like a pretty nice score to me. I wish you joy carving it!

Debbie K

[Asianfire]

Really? They are now using treatments to make white jadeite? I never heard this before. Especially since the market for white jadeite seems rather small.

No not a treatment to make it white, The treatment is applied to make the rind in a colour that is supposed to come from a single source in China. Hetian is basically mined out, so they colour the stones to appear to come from there.

[metalsmith]

Not out of the hot water yet. There is always the possibility that they are dyed (heat test turned out negative) all other tests require labs.

See the section on Chelsea Colour Filters http://www.gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Color_Filters