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Subject: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Tue, Mar 08, 2016 IP: 91.122.15.30

I am terribly sorry to ask not art related question.

However, i make pendants and earrings. Recently, i mastered nephrite polishing skill, but, even after some research it is hard for me to understand the different colors value. I read post on this forum any yet it is hard.

Moreover, it takes unholy amount of working time to achieve mirror like finish effect and i am not sure if it is worth it at all with some nephrite stones.

Can you look at stones i made from my little nephrite collection and bless me with some information?







Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Wed, Mar 09, 2016

Some more





Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Superinvestor Thu, Mar 10, 2016

Are all these different slabs?
Judging by their translucency, I really do not believe they are nephrite jade. Did you test them?
Even if they were, base on their brown color, they may be so called sugar jade. Some of them have so much impurities in them. They just do not appear to be good jade to me. Sorry.
If they are Hetian nephrite jade, then mutton-fat would be the best color (not white, like color of frozen mutton); white, white with green tint, celadon, yellow and black. Actually it was extremely difficult to find quality celadon, yellow or black Hetian nephrite jade.
Also, bai yu (dark green nephrite jade) from Xin Jiang, British Columbia, Siberia, Big Sur (California, USA), New Zealand, Alaska are also very nice.

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Sat, Mar 12, 2016

Thanks for you answer

What's wrong with translucency?
I polished those myself and had to fight that unholy snake skin like texture on each. I am actually buying a lot of rough stones at stone fairs and cut them personally, so, little doubt.

The difference between mutton fat and white nephrite is yet a mystery to me.

I added another stone i have, is it count as celadon?

All those from Siberia by the way, and purchased because i was interested in unusual color. Dark green you mentioned is relatively easy and cheap to buy here.



Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Super Sun, Mar 13, 2016

Nothing wrong with translucency. However, based on my previous experience from studying and testing more than 1,000 piece of jade and soft stone carvings, roughs, slabs, I found that it was extremely rate to find nephrite that were translucent. I had only seen one carving that was made of quality white (with a tiny green tint) Hetian nephrite jade that at first looked like glass to me, with metallic sound, only after testing it, found its MOH hardness to be between 6.5-7, with a S.D. at around 2.96. Some time jadeite can be translucent, but very often a translucent stone is either softer stone (serpentine) or agate (with hardness close to 7). The piece shown on your fourth picture (from top to bottom) shows one can see the US dollar bill under the jade slab, simply did not resemble any nephrite I had seen. Possibly sugar jade from Liaoning? Rumor that there was nephrite jade being found there once.
Where did you acquire your "jade" from?

The picture of your latest "celadon" piece was simply too big and blurry to tell for sure but its color, IMHO, cannot be called celadon which should be a light but bright yellowish green.

Mutton-fat would be defined by some the color of frozen mutton (or fat) when it was cut into thin slices or resembles the color of milk. Is milk white? not really, it is almost like a grayish white or like lychee white, the white color of the "meat" of a lychee.

It would be great if you would test the density (specific gravity) of your slabs. I was once fooled by green jasper specimens obtained from California, USA and thought they were nephrite jade because they looked like nephrite, felt like nephrite and could pass the scratch test, only after testing for their S.G., found them were too light to be nephrite. Cheer. Super

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Mon, Mar 14, 2016

How i acquired those stones? It took years. Mostly from geologist community. I am always buying unusual nephrite and beg to look for more unusual for me. So, it was more like personal collection until i learned how to polish it.

As for the peace you can see dollar through, i made it almost as thin as dollar itself. Hard task but the result is nice and shiny. I must have apple green you can read dollar through also.
Will take some more photos soon, you help and opinion are highly appreciated.

I will attend stone fair this Thursday and hopefully will visit official gemologist there. He have microscope and all other testing equipment. Will report the result.

Thanks again for you kindly provided knowledge.

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Fri, Mar 18, 2016

Hello again

I tested most of stones on photos, all natural nephrite. The one you called Sugar jage: Retracrive index - 1.61, hardness is more than six and lees than seven. I will add the picture of another thin slab of it kind below. And some pictures of my other nephrite.

Thanks for you time.







Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Fri, Mar 18, 2016

Another three photos







Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Super Sun, Mar 20, 2016

Do you know the original sources (where they were mined) of your "nephrite" slabs? They are really different than any nephrite I had seen before. Their texture and translucency still look more like that of quartz to me. Of course, you may be right. It would be great if you can test their densities.

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Mon, Mar 21, 2016

I might see the root of the misunderstanding now. The texture you mentioned. Snake skin like surface, right? It is usually left on slabs because it takes too much efforts to give nephrite literally mirror like finish. That's why my slabs might look more transparent than usual to you, and smoother surface provide lighter color as well.

I need the sensitive spring scale to measure density in water, will check eBay for one.

However, i can post the pictures of some rough stones i made my slabs from.

Also, you was interested to know how and in what form i obtained my stones. I am buying them from stone dealers and geologist's, all mined in Russia.

The last three photos represents my recent purchases.

Thanks again for you kind communication, any information and opinion you providing are precious to me.









Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Hana Wed, Apr 24, 2019

Hi Pavel,
I really like the nephrite slabs that you post here and wondered if you could sell me a small piece to make a pendant. I don't know how to private message you, so I just leave a message here. Hope to hear back from you.

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Thu, Apr 25, 2019

Year 2016, wow.

Thank you for your kind compliments. I have an Etsy Shop where i, well, sell jade pendants. I hope this wouldn't be morbidly against this message-board rules if i tell you its name which is "Classicjades". You may contact me there.

Hmm.. Since we are raising this topic from its cold lonely depths of Internet it would be unfair to not post something aesthetically appealing.
Some of my new pendants will do. (i humbly hope so)







Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Mon, Mar 21, 2016

Last purchased stones.







Subject:I believe they are nephrite
Posted By: Super Mon, Mar 21, 2016

Pavel, thanks for posting pictures of your jade roughs and after looking at them I believe most or all of them are indeed nephrite though I have to readily admit I have not seen such interesting colors (like those in your second and third picture in your first message). I especially like the green ones with black patches in the second picture of your second message, they have the unique look of Russian nephrite jade. As a matter of fact, in late Qing and early Republic periods, this type of spinach green nephrite jade were used for carvings and every time I saw carvings made of this type of Russian nephrite jade, they fetched pretty high prices. I did not have a lot of luck in acquiring any Russian nephrite jade samples (like the green ones) due to its high price and I do not know if I could trust some of their sellers. Again, thanks for sharing. It is kind of amazing to see how different a slab and a rough may look, even of the same material. Super

Subject:Re: I believe they are nephrite
Posted By: Pavel Wed, Mar 23, 2016

Yes, it is hard to acquire Russian nephrite this days, Chines bought it all. Literally. They payed in advance for all good nephrite major mining companies will find in next five or ten years.

However, if you interested, i can sell you nephrite. (Forgive me moderator for i have made a commercial offer). I know the guys who sell rough stones and can make slabs myself.

P.S Thanks for compliments, it took years to master nephrite polishing, was tantalizing.

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Ernest Wilhelm Wed, Mar 09, 2016

Those are only slabs, not carved. A Chinese carver might be interested. Or, get some stands, and use them as display pieces.
Lesson learned, first carve, then polish.
Ernest

Subject:Re: Help me please with nephrite value
Posted By: Pavel Sun, Mar 13, 2016

All those are almost ready pendants. I am not into "Tiger kissing a lotus", "strange doughnut" and etsetra Chines carving. People cant wear them to office.

Sorry if it harms any aesthetic feelings )

Instead of display pieces i usually made night lights.





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