Jade bracelets & bangles
Jade bracelets and bangles: check the grade, measure your hand, and ignore the word natural.
Buy a bangle, then put it on
Learn A, B and C
A is natural jadeite with only a wax polish. B is acid-bleached and filled with polymer. C is dyed. B and C are worth far less.
Measure your hand
Bring your thumb to your little finger and measure around the knuckles. Sellers then match that number to an inner diameter in millimeters.
Ease it on safely
Work over a sofa or folded towel. Soap your hand or use a thin plastic bag, tuck your thumb and ease it over slowly. Stop if it hurts.
Jade is worn for life, then handed down.
What to look for
Most cheap jade is treated or is not jade at all: dyed quartzite, serpentine or glass. The word natural on a label proves nothing.
Jade bracelets & bangles
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
How can I tell if a jade bracelet is real?
An independent gem lab report is the only reliable proof. Tapping it, feeling for cold or scratching it cannot catch a bleached Grade B. Those tricks mostly rule out plastic and glass.
What is the difference between jadeite and nephrite?
Jadeite is the harder, glassier stone, mostly from Myanmar. Nephrite is tougher and waxier, and it includes the famous Hetian jade of Xinjiang. Both are true jade.
What does it mean if a jade bangle breaks?
Traditionally, people say the bangle took a blow meant for the wearer. That is a belief rather than a fact. Many families keep the pieces and have them reset as rings or pendants.
