Made of Jade.

What is jade?

'Jade', or yu, as it is called in China, is strictly speaking a generic term for two different gems, nephrite and jadeite. The name is derived from the Spanish 'piedra de ijada', loin-stone, jade having been recognised by the Amerindians as a remedy for kidney ailments. Because of its beneficial effect on the kidneys, the stone was also known as 'lapis nephriticus'. That, indeed, is where the term 'nephrite' came from.

Jadeite is rarer than nephrite and is therefore regarded as more precious. Nephrite deposits have been found in China, New Zealand, Russia, Guatemala and the Swiss Alps. Dark green jade, so-called Canada jade, is also found in Western Canada. Jadeite is found in China, Russia and Guatemala, but the best stones come from Burma, now known as Myanmar. There, at the annual 'Gems, Jade and Pearls Emporium', blocks of jade in all sizes are auctioned. When purchasing the raw materials, the dealers need to be fairly lucky, since the nodules, blocks and fragments are sold either whole or after having been cut into slices, and there is only a very small window, the result of some initial grinding. So the buyer cannot see exactly what is hidden on the inside: valuable green jade, or an almost worthless, speckled or streaky material. It is not until the cutting process begins that the real quality is revealed.

In the jade-cutting centres of Canton, Beijing and Hong Kong, the raw material is processed with carborundum and diamond powder. Since jade is, as a rule, not transparent, but has a fine lustre, the cabochon is the form best suited to it. Thin slivers, which can be worn as pendants, and jade bracelets are popular too. Round, cylindrical and flat shapes can be combined to make attractive necklaces. Traditionally, jade is processed into slender figures, filigree images or thin-walled vessels. This is sometimes erroneously referred to as jade carving. Unwanted material is in fact removed during the cutting process, and the stone is subsequently polished. Here once again we see the subtle difference between nephrite and jadeite: whilst polished nephrite has a surface with a resinous lustre, the glassy lustre of jadeite after polishing seems to shine almost like that of a mirror.

Here are some of Jul B. Dizon Jewellery's way of being creative with the precious gem.









For more information about Jade, please lick on
http://www.gemstone.org

Rock, Paper and Neck.

It starts out with the materials.

The ROCKS this time were 15 strands of round amethyst beads and 2 carved jade pieces. I decided to make a necklace with an Oriental touch to it but without a lot of details and froo-froo. Just clean and simple lines will be enough to make a statement piece.

On PAPER, my pencil and Chinese food (for inspiration, you know) inspired me to draw this up and I instantly fell in love with it. My client would surely like and look great wearing it.




Coloring the design is very important so that the workers get a better idea of what you want the piece to look like.




It then goes to our goldsmith, stone setter and polisher. The beads go directly to our restringer and the final outcome took my breath away. I am happy. I feel like God. I guess all designers feel this way. Something that you just draw up will come to life. Something in the mind becomes something you can hold and touch and wear.





And on the NECK, this is what it looks like. How fun isn't it?


Thanks to MPdG for stripping in my store just so I can take this photo. BWA HA HA HA!

Buddha Bless You!

When a VIP client of mine buys something, she tends to over do it and buys a whole lot instead of just one or a couple. When she went to Shanghai, a jade market caught her eye and of course, having the tendency to overdo things, she buys a truck load of jade beads and carved Buddha.

When she gets back to Manila, her yaya comes to my store with a sack full of beads that I have to design for her. Seriously now, how many Buddha necklaces does one person really need? So what I did was to put 3 together in one necklace. This way, it creates more of an impact instead of just a single one. The following pictures are only some of the pieces that I have created for this client.

I have still have half a sack full but I suppose this is where the challenge lies.

May Buddha Bless me with more ideas!