Where to buy Jade Jewelry

When we think of jade jewelry it's the beautiful green variety that comes to mind instantly although there is more than one type of jade and in different colors too. Genuine jade can be either jadeite or nephrite with jadeite being more expensive and rare; thus making it more popular. Being a very tough and hardy stone, it can stand much wear and tear and therefore is the ideal semi precious stone to make jewelry. Jade in fact can be turned into beautiful pendants, earrings and bangles and its popularity is proved by the fact that any woman who visits China will never leave that country without finding a reputable jeweler from whom she can buy jade.

Its very popularity however has resulted in many unscrupulous vendors trying to sell fake jade as the genuine kind. Therefore it's best to find out from a trustworthy person where to buy jade jewelry before stepping out to do your shopping. What you must be careful of is not to be fooled by fraudsters who would go to great lengths to prove that they are selling genuine jade whereas most of the time it is soapstone or green glass treated to look like jade. Whenever you buy jade go for a piece that has clarity and texture which is one way of judging jade.

Keep in mind that although it's a semi precious stone, jade is never valued in carats. Good jade will be uniform in color while the intense green jade which is semi transparent and looks almost translucent is much more valuable than a piece of jade that is opaque. You should never buy jade jewelry if the stone has inclusions and other visible flaws. Although most pieces are dyed or heat treated to bring out its color, this generally does not harm or damage the piece of jade.

What most people are not aware of when they buy jade is that green is not the only color in which jadeite is found. Jade comes in almost all colors of the rainbow and strangely enough even in black. White jade is also quite popular but not as much as the green and next in line is lavender jade which is actually a very pale lilac that looks quite pretty when set in gold or silver. While you can buy any color of your choice according to your preference, what is more important is for the piece of jade you buy to have light pass through it making the stone shine with clear transparency. You can test this yourself by shining a torch at the piece of jade or holding it against the sunlight to see the affect.

Another method of selecting genuine jade jewelry is by striking two pieces of jade together to listen to the sound it makes. If it gives out a silvery tinkling sound, it means you have come across genuinely good jade whereas if it makes a dull thud, beware; the piece is a fake and you should not even think of buying it. If all this is making you wonder from where to buy jade jewelry, go to a reputable jewelry store because that's the only way you can be sure of the quality of the stones you purchase. Remember, genuine jade is very expensive and if anything is offered to you at an unbelievably low price; steer clear because in no way can good jade ever be cheap.