Posted By: Bill
Posted Date: Feb 01, 2008 (12:28 PM)
Recently, one of my jade friends sent me two jade items as gifts for the celebration of the coming Chinese New Year. He obtained these jade slits and elongated jade beads while he was traveling in China. I especially like the elongated bead because it looks older than the jade slit and has very good weathering on it. I have not seen such jade beads for sales anywhere in the internet.
This elongated jade bead is greenish-yellow in color. Its size is: 4.6 cm L, 1.1 cm W, 1.0 cm T.
It is flat on its bottom but kind of concave (in a V shape) at its top. It is hollow inside with openings on both ends. The tunnel was drilled separately from both ends because there is a slight round ridge in the middle where the drillings met. It weighs only 16 gram. It is not easy to measure its S.G. due to such low weight even with a 50 g spring scale. I obtained a S.G. from 2.68 to 2.86 in three different measuring. Its hardness is 5.5 It is possible that this piece made of bowenite but more than lightly I believe it is nephrite because I have not yet found an serpentine piece measure more than 2.65 Also, many times I found the S.G. of real weathered nephrite piece has a S.G. just slightly below 2.90
On each end there is a slight edge of the hole (toward the bottom) being carved off, leave it with a very unique appearance. I will try to post more pictures later of these holes.
The stains and weathering found on the surface of this bead seems to be very genuine and old. There is one "Silver Nail Stain" (silver spot) found on this bead.
If anybody has any opinions regarding the materials and age of this bead, it would be welcome.
I was deeply touched with such generous gifts from such a great jade friend whom I had originally met in this forum.
We have so much fun in corresponding and in discussing jades almost daily. Since he traveled so much in China, he is almost like my eyes and I got to see what jade pieces are currently available in different parts of China. I am truly blessed.
Thanks.
Bill
- Bill - Feb 04, 2008 (08:53 PM)