Jade has always been a timeless topic. Jade bracelets accentuate a woman’s rustic elegance, while jade bracelets highlight her graceful refinement. In recent years, jadeite bracelets have gained increasing popularity among consumers. While people adore these pieces, many remain unclear about their origins, bead counts, and symbolic meanings. Today, we’ll explore the knowledge surrounding jadeite bracelets.
Symbolism of Design
When working with a jadeite rough stone, the primary consideration is typically crafting bracelets. Using high-quality jadeite with excellent translucency and color for beads is not only time-consuming but also wasteful of the material. Such premium jadeite and the associated processing costs would inevitably drive up prices, leading consumers to perceive jadeite as excessively profitable. This is precisely why some jadeite merchants are reluctant to use high-quality jadeite for bead production. Most jade bracelets on the market today are made from leftover scraps after cutting larger pieces. With such low material costs, they typically sell for 150 to 250 yuan. Consequently, finding a bracelet with excellent jade quality and uniform, beautiful color is truly a rare find.
Round Beads: Round jade beads with uniform color command the highest value, as creating a complete strand is exceptionally challenging: First, each bead must be nearly identical in quality; second, polishing consumes significant material; third, only flawless stones without cracks are selected; and finally, drilling must be perfectly aligned without deviation.
Only when all these conditions are met does the resulting strand achieve high value. Nevertheless, round beads remain highly popular, symbolizing the wearer’s ability to achieve perfection in all endeavors, navigate life with flexibility, and enjoy smooth success in every endeavor.
Pyramid-Shaped Bead Strings: Strung from round beads of varying sizes arranged in orderly tiers, typically with the largest bead at the center tapering progressively toward both ends. This symbolizes accumulating wealth and expanding blessings. This shape suits customers with round faces, elongating the facial appearance and enhancing facial contours.
18K Gold-Set Bead Necklaces: Jadeite bead necklaces and bracelets are often crafted with 18K gold settings. This not only protects the beads from external damage but also allows for stylish and elegant designs. Symbolism: The pairing of gold and jade represents the union of a man and a woman, signifying a perfect match. Additionally, in the Five Elements theory, “earth generates metal.” When gold and jade are combined, they are believed to foster greater wealth and attract prosperity.
Symbolism of Carving Techniques
Jadeite carvings boast countless designs with innumerable meanings, too numerous to detail here. Jadeite beads offer high malleability, allowing carvers to conceptualize and create diverse themes that embody the cultural essence of jade.
For instance, an 18-bead bracelet often features the distinct facial expressions of the 18 Arhats, symbolizing the wish for their divine protection.
Moreover, as times evolve, the Buddhist connotations have gradually faded, and jade bracelets have become fashionable. Some are carved into identical cartoon piglets or fish, appearing vividly lifelike. Piglets symbolize “prosperity beads,” while fish represent “abundance year after year,” appearing vividly lifelike.
Color Symbolism
Most jadeite bracelets on the market today feature multicolored stones, with different color combinations carrying distinct meanings.
To be precise, jadeite can exhibit seven colors: yellow, white, green, red, purple, black, and blue. These hues can coexist on a single piece of jadeite, though such occurrences are rare. Multicolored jadeite commands prices many times higher than monochromatic pieces. However, multicolored combinations are frequently seen in jadeite bracelets.
Yellow + Green: Known as “Imperial Green,” this combination of yellow jadeite and green jadeite is highly ornamental, creating a striking visual impact. The bold contrast evokes imperial grandeur and elegance.
Purple + Green: Called “Spring in Full Bloom,” this pairing symbolizes triumph and acclaim, like spring winds bringing success and applause.
Red + Green + Purple: Known as “Three-Color Jade of Blessing, Prosperity, and Longevity,” symbolizing fortune, high office, and longevity—embodying life’s three greatest blessings.
Red + Green + Purple + White (or Yellow): “Blessing, Prosperity, Longevity, and Joy,” signifying not only high rank and wealth but also enduring happiness, longevity, daily joy, and boundless good fortune.
Red + Green + Purple + White + Yellow: “Five Blessings Descend Upon the Home,” embodying the complete set of blessings—fortune, rank, longevity, joy, and wealth—reflecting humanity’s profound yearning for a blissful life.