China Trip: Day 4 – The Jade Factory

In the morning, we had a fabulous buffet breakfast, then boarded our bus to head towards the Great Wall of China. On our way, we stopped at a jade factory.

When we entered the doors, we were ushered into a small room & given a brief lecture on the two types of jade: hard jade (used primarily for jewelry) & soft jade (used for sculpting statues, puzzle balls, or even ships like the intricate one below).

We were able to view a couple of jade carvers earnestly at work making soft jade puzzle balls that have up to 8 independently rotating layers inside of them. Amazing that these are drilled out of a single piece of jade!

While there, we also learned about the different “grades” of jade. Surprisingly, the best quality is nearly white in color. It is very translucent & when you strike it, it sounds like crystal. The lesser quality tends to be darker green.

When we entered the jade factory store, a flock of store attendants pulled us over to their counter to try on some of the “Grade A” translucent bangles. The bracelets appeared quite small and I wasn’t sure if one would fit, but the clerk just pulled out a plastic bag, put it over my hand, and easily slipped it onto my wrist. Of course, the bangles were about $250 USD each…so I opted for a different treasure to take home with me. I’m actually more attracted to the greener jades, so I ended up getting a basic bezel pendant that has a fun hidden dragon on the back side. It may not be heirloom quality…but I like it!