The Choo Yilin Jade Kit: Your Cheat Sheet to Shopping for Jade
Since the brand began in 2009, one of the most common questions we have been asked is
“How do you know you’re buying good jade?”
This question has come from far and wide – from Southeast Asia to Australia, from Europe to North America. It’s known that purchasing jade is incredibly complex; gemologist friends have given feedback that testing jade is “so much more” technically challenging to grade as compared to diamonds. Today, you can get a strand of “jade” beads on China’s Taobao or Singapore’s Chinatown for less than SGD $20 and then walk into a fine jewellery boutique and see prices of jade jewellery at SGD $20,000
or even SGD $200,000! The difference is so vast, we can imagine that it’d be hard to immediately understand why.
KNOW YOUR JADE:
Ask Questions!
We thought long and hard about how we can help.
It took us speaking with many stakeholders before we came up with the solution: The Choo Yilin Jade Kit, a comprehensive resource and guide on purchasing jade. We thought it might also be useful to include a Cheat Sheet to Buying Jade where we go through a list of five questions you can ask any jade jeweller when purchasing your dream jade piece.
Although both jadeite and nephrite are classified under the term “jade”, the seller should know the differences between the two. When it comes to jade jewellery, we choose to work exclusively with jadeite as its rarity, toughness, and value make it the perfect material for celebrating significant moments, or gifting loved ones. Jadeite can also take on a higher gloss polish than nephrite, which makes it more suited for fine jewellery. Click here to find out more about jadeite and nephrite.
Mother Earth can take millions of years to create the beautiful colours and textures you see in each bangle. Our duty is to craft and polish them in a manner that brings out the inherent radiance of each piece. Type A jadeite is the gemstone’s most organic form - no heat treatments, no added colours, no added polymers. Due to its organic nature, the colour of a Type A jadeite piece is unlikely to change over time. Type B and Type C jadeite, having undergone treatment, could potentially change in appearance in just a few short years. The retailer should be able to tell you the differences between Type A, Type B and Type C jadeite. Click here to know more about each type of jadeite.
For verification of Type A jadeite, you may have the piece certified at reputable, non-affiliated gem labs in Singapore, or overseas. Click here to find out how rare Type A Jadeite actually is worldwide.
Jade quality is determined by the following factors: colour, translucency, texture (grain density & clarity), and cut. The value of a jade piece is dependent on a confluence of quality factors. Most importantly, it has to be pleasing to the individual owning the piece. Your seller should be able to have a conversation with you regarding all four quality factors should you need further guidance. Click here to view the four quality factors.
Aim to get jade bangles that are custom-cut according to specially-designed proportions, instead of mass-produced hololiths. A hololith is a ring shape carved from a single piece of stone. Mass-produced hololiths prioritise maximising the number of bangles that can be crafted from a single jade boulder. Fine jewellers place the necessary time and resources into developing proportions that benefit the customer. Bangles crafted with a set of proportions in mind would make a difference both in aesthetics and in how the bangle fits on a human wrist. Your comfort is key to the longevity of your bangle’s wearability. Click here to find out more about jade bangle cutting techniques.
YOUR VERY OWN JADE KIT
Apart from answering the above questions, we have prepared The Choo Yilin Jade Kit, a comprehensive guide that will hopefully help to demystify the purchasing of jade forever. We really hope it helps you, and anyone else you’d like to share the knowledge with.
In the Choo Yilin Jade Kit, you’ll find a user guide to help you find your way through the information; an in-depth look at the questions we’ve listed above; summarised tables of data for ease of reference; and at the very end of the guide, we’ve even included a checklist for you to use when you’re shopping for your dream jade piece!
Click the image below to download your very own jade kit:
Still have more questions about jade? We’re always happy to help.
Get in touch with us via email, or DM us on Instagram or Facebook.
There are so many factors that make jade such a marvel to celebrate and cherish, and we hope that our Cheat Sheet to Shopping for Jade helps you on your journey to discovering your own trove of precious keepsakes. The more people come to know about jade, the more value it holds for this generation, and the ones to come. As Jade Specialists, it’s our privilege to be able to share the beauty of Asia’s royal gem.