On Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:04:19 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry
wrote:

How do I find out if these two are worth anything even close to what I
paid? I assumed that buying Jade directly in China would give me
steep discounts;

why would you assume you'd get steep discounts on jade, in the country where it
is valued higher than almost anywhere else in the world? In the U.S., and much
of the rest of the western world where you can buy jade, the majority of buyers
are not all that picky. If it's pretty, they're happy, which is why so much of
the jade sold here is cheap junk, either low quality, or outright dyed, or just
not actually jade. In China, while the cheap stuff is still available, it's
more there for tourists or those who cannot afford better. The Chinese
themselves value jade highly, and a higher percentage of buyers there know, and
demand, quality, and are willing to pay for it. Laws of supply and demand (good
stuff is not that common) will mean that prices for good jade will likely be
maintained at a relatively high level, not discounted much. Highly discounted
stuff would likely be junk, not worth what you paid, no matter how low the
price. Higher priced jade from a respected dealer, on the other hand, might
well be exactly what it was represented as being, and could easily be worth what
you paid. That price, by the way, is still fairly modest, as jade goes. The
very finest qualities are a rare and very high priced gem.

By the way, mainland China is not generally the original "source" of fine jade.
The finest Jadeite rough is mined in Myanmar (Burma), not china, but the extreme
interest and long history of working jade in China means they import a great
deal of jade into china to be cut and worked. That includes, by the way, large
amounts of Nephrite jade, the type of jade that's usually sort of darkish olive
green, sometimes called Siberian Jade, Taiwan Jade, Alaska jade, British
Columbia jade, and other such. Nephrite is one of two minerals called jade. The
other, Jadeite, is the more valuable of the two, has a more crystaline texture,
and comes in the whites, light greys, light green, "spinach" textures, an
intense almost emerald green (imperial jade) that can command astronomical
prices (tens of thousands of dollars per carat) But anyway. Like I said,
Mainland China, while there may be a lot of jade offered, is not generally the
"source", or the main wholesale outlet. Hong Kong is the largest of the
wholesale/dealer centers, and there, if you've got the right connections, you
might get access to true wholesale levels (though it's not likely if you're not
in the gem/jewelry trade). But a highly reputable dealer in mainland china is
most likely a highly respected retail dealer, not a wholesale one. This doesn't
mean you got ripped off, it just means you are more likely to have paid a fair
price on a material that's as saleable, or more so, in China, than elsewhere.

if I paid 3700RMB in China, does that really mean
these two are worth, say, over $2000 back here in the states?

You're assuming you bought them at a wholesale level. Why are you making that
assumption? You bought them, from what it sounds like, at a retail outlet. I'd
guess the price you paid, in dollars, is not much lower than what they'd sell
for in the States. It might be, of course, but I'd not assume they would be.

I
highly doubt it, I wouldn't buy these for anything like that. Clearly
I'm no expert, however.

And this nicely illustrates the difference between the average jade buyer in the
states, and one in China. You're not an expert, and you have not learned to
appreciate the subtle differences between qualities, some of which are as much
cultural preferences as they are visual ones. Without that background, the
value of one quality over another isn't apparent to you, or to the typical U.S.
buyer. That's why even finding really good jade in the U.S. might be more
difficult than in China, since there, a higher percentage of buyers will
appreciate and recognize fine quality.

Even if they appraise for close to the price
I paid in China that would be OK, but again, I highly doubt it as I
see bangles for $100 and much much less.

It's a pretty good bet that the vast majority of the lower priced jade bangles
sold in the U.S. are not especially fine quality. Many are dyed, not natural
color. Some are not even actually jade, but related materials. Telling these
apart, by the way, is not always easy, nor is it easy to detect dyed material
without some expertise and experience. The differences between good quality
and mediocre quality can be subtle to the untrained eye, especially at first
glance just through a showcase window.


How can I get a fair appraisal, more for curiosity and learning than
anything else?

You need to find a gem appraiser who's knowlegeable about jade. This may take
some looking... The average jewelry store won't have that expertise. If you
find a store that happens to specialize in or carries a wider than usual range
of jade, then perhaps that's one place. But that's not common in the U.S.
outside the "chinatown" sorts of neighborhoods. If you live in Los Angeles, you
won't have trouble. Same thing in New York, or a number of other cities where
there's not only a large jewelry industry, but also perhaps a substantial trade
in jade, and interest in it. You may also be able to find books on jade in a
local library. There are several good ones in print, which can help to start to
educate you on jade quality.