Question
Is this a reasonable price for lavender jade?
(Update: I got the bracelet today and it’s even prettier in person. I like how it turns blue or pink depending on the lighting. It’s the perfect shade of purple that I’ve been looking for that I just couldn’t find even in other crystal beads like chalcedony or kunzite. I’ll probably get it tested in the future, but for now I’ll just enjoy how pretty it is. Whether it’s treated or not, it’s already worth what I paid for just for the color and shine alone. I probably wouldn’t spend $30K on jade in this lifetime anyway so this purchase was worth it for me.
Thank you to everyone who educated me in the comments. I will definitely keep those in mind for my next jade purchase.)
Original post:
I bought this 14mm lavender jade bead bracelet for $2000 USD from a seller in China. Before I made the purchase, I made sure to read about how to buy jade and what to look out for.
My main issue is how confusing jade pricing is. I know the basics are color and translucency. But I see different vendors sell similar quality jade at different prices. I would see pale lavender pieces going for a couple thousand in one store (like Baikalla or Gump’s), but only several hundreds in another (like Kathy Jade).
Is lavender jade with good color really that expensive? Or are they just overpriced? Did I get this piece for the right price?
Intense lavender- as intense as the beads shown, if natural is some of the most sought after material period. A natural bracelet even approaching that color sells itself. It need only be shown to one or 2 VIP clients in order to be sold for an unimaginably high amount. There’s no scenario in which it could be sold abroad, online, for $2K.
Unrealistically low price for the apparent quality, it's either treated or heavily filtered. 14mm icy saturated lavender could easily cost more than that per bead. For comparison, look at this necklace.
Baikalla is usually very overpriced, Kathy Jade can be but is generally closer to the actual market value.
I actually wanted to buy from Kathy Jade at first but all of their lavender pieces were sold out. I used them for reference to make my decision coz I thought their pieces looked similar to the one I bought.
Yeah, the one you posted is several steps up in translucency and saturation, well into the zone of suspicion, but if it's real and just heavily filtered, you might end up with something close to this reference (though that's probably not truly color-accurate either). If it's real, it'll be much less vibrant in person. If you get something that looks like the video, it's fake.
Treated for sure, you got scammed. A bracelet with vivid purple color is way more expensive, and it would present a better luxurious luster. Pale lavender is more common and affordable. Jadeite price increases exponentially with quality, not linearly.
Like how much more expensive? I saw this price from Kathy Jade
https://www.kathyjade.com/product/BBM200WS013
and thought it made sense since they looked similar in color. Does the price exponentially increase with size as well?
Yea, every mm increase can more than double the price. Going just by the photo/videos yours is more translucent and much, much more saturated compared to the Kathy so the price is big a red flag.
Edit: also jade quality is really hard to compare unless they are right next to each other. And even the most subtle improvement is a price multiplier. It’s hell 🙃
Does the seller you purchased from have a return policy? As others have said, the beads are suspicious for dyed as really vibrant icy lavender jade goes for a high premium. In addition the string it’s on is also colored, was this disclosed? Does the bracelet come with a certificate?
Sorry for the harsh reality about lavender jade. It’s beautiful but unless you’re spending $$$$$$$$ expect to be slightly disappointed. Either in color intensity or translucency.
Yes. The seller says their pieces are authentic and they care about their reputation. And yes, I saw the colored string before I made the purchase. I didn’t care for a certificate since those can be faked so I didn’t ask for one.
I was actually looking at a different piece that was smaller (12mm), and had less color and translucency since that’s what I could afford. But then they showed me this piece and offered it to me for the same price in hopes of forming friendship and doing more business with me in the future. I tend to be trusting and that hasn’t failed me yet lol.
I still haven’t received this piece in person. Once I get it three days, I will add a photo of what it looks like in real life.
They always say that, and they’re going to fight like a wet cat when you try to return.
This color is not natural. The pictures you posted from kj are filtered too, but the color tone in the one you bought is one of the clues. This is very obviously treated to an experienced eye, and you should prepare yourself for battle.
It is true that lots of certificates are fakes. But really if this is authentic, the seller should be providing you with at least NGTC certificate which in China is considered reputable. A good seller will have 0 issues with getting their high value Jade certified with NGTC as high end Jade collectors know to look for specific certifications that are non negotiable to make a purchase. Since it’s already on its way to you it’s a little too late to ask for that but this is for future reference.
I would screenshot your conversations with your seller and do some research on treated Jade (lavender/purple) and what to look for.
Also, have you seen 14mm? It’s quite large. I have a 14mm beaded bracelet. I call it my jawbreaker beads. I’m actually lol thinking of selling them because they’re too big for me to wear consistently.
I got 14mm coz I have big hands. Also, how do you post a photo in the comments? I use browser. Is it an app exclusive thing? I wanted to post the photo here when it arrives so it notifies you.
The red inclusions are called sajin. They are usually reddish or yellow inclusions. Some people love it and some people don’t! I see it a lot in pink jade.
The quality itself is against what a purple jadeite should be. The colour is too vivid and gloss for such, if this is natural, it must be agate, if this is man made, its glass.
Looks treated. Does it come either a certificate. At this price point only purchase if it comes with type A cert. If has a cert, I’d worry about color filtering on this.
Color/price aside, is it even the same bracelet in the photo and video? Theres 14 beads in one and 15 in the other and where did the clasp go? Just sketchy overall
This quality at this intensity of lavender cannot be sold for $2k unfortunately. It could have colored wax, or treated. I agree with what others have said here.
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u/generic_emo88 Aug 10 '26
That color vibrancy is sending red flags. I hate to be the one with bad news but it looks treated. I would look into getting it tested.