About Jadeite

Different from Nephrite’s variety in its kind and origin, jadeite is solely sourced from Myanmar (Burma) and only has one kind and one name – “Fei Cui” (翡翠in Chinese. Considered relatively new in the Chinese market, it was in the 1700’s the first jadeite reached China from Myanmar, displaying incredible colour, transparency and texture. Jadeite can be found in colours such as purple, yellow, reddish orange, white, gray black and brown and many shades of green. The vivid green shade of jadeite was highly regarded among the royal family of the Qing Dynasty and has been given called “Imperial Green”. It is considered the most valuable jadeite colour and can command thousands of dollars.

For decades, jadeite was exclusive to the Chinese royal family as a symbol of royalty, power, and wealth. In the modern days, especially with the rise of China’s economy in the recent 40 years, many more people can afford to purchase Jadeite. Demand is outweighing the annual supply mined and over the past decade, the price of the finest jadeite has increased tenfold to $3000 an ounce, making it far more valuable than gold. Jadeite jewelry is being offered by major auction houses quite regularly fetching higher and higher prices. Next to certain rare colours of diamond (blue, red and pink) Jadeite is the world’s most expensive gem, with prices far above even ruby and sapphire! Of the top ten most expensive jewels sold worldwide by Christie’s in 1999, five out of ten were jadeite, including three of the top four. These auctions clearly show that jadeite is among the most valuable of all gemstones.

What is 24k Gold?

24K gold is non-alloyed, nearly 100% pure gold. The word “K” refers to karate, which measures the gold’s purity, and should not be confused with the better known “carat”, which refers to a diamond or a gemstone’s weight.

The grading system of gold is based on the karat system, which measures the purity and ratio of pure gold vs other metals. The highest karat rating available for gold is 24K, which is why it is the purest form of gold.

24K gold contains 24 parts pure gold. 22K gold contains 22 parts gold and 2 parts of other metals added as alloy, equivalent to about 91.7% gold. 18K gold contains 18 pure gold with 6 parts of other metals added, equivalent to about 75% gold. So on and so forth. Today’s market, it is common to see 24K, 22K, 18K and 14K gold. At LFX, we only sell 24K and 18K gold jewelry.

24K gold is great for making jewelry because of its softness and easiness to mold and bend. It is also a good choice for investment and value holding, as it can be traded for money worldwide.

How Are 24k Gold Jewelry Sold Traditionally?

24K gold are traditionally sold by weight. The heavier the gold piece is, the more expensive it is. Depending on the method of making such gold piece, a labour fee is usually added after the gold price.

At LFX, we use the following formula to calculate the final 24K traditional jewelry for our customers:

Weight x today’s retail gold price (per gram) + labour fee

The retail gold price is calculated based on the international gold trading price of the day. It can change daily and is highly transparent. It is important to know that gold is traded in stock market by ounce, but most retail stores sell 24K gold by gram.

What is 3D Hard Gold Jewelry?

As we know, traditional gold jewelry is soft in texture, easy to deform and scratch, small in size and heavy in weight. “3D Hard Gold” breaks through this limitation and adopts advanced hollow nano-“electroforming” technology. It has improved the hardness and wear resistance of gold by enhancing its gold content, PH value, working temperature, organic light agent content and agitation speed in the electroforming liquid. This technology has made it possible to make super hard, high-purity, hollow gold jewelry or larger sizes in the same gram.

The hardness of 3D hard gold is 4 times that of traditional pure gold. It has high wear resistance. It is made with a high-precision wax mold to make the gold 3D. It has a three-dimensional effect. It uses advanced space dewaxing technology and no solder joints. Once formed, without seams, the surface lines are smooth and perfect.

Here are a few benefits of 3D Hard Gold jewelry:

  • High hardness and strong wear resistance
  • More fashionable designs and three-dimensional stylings available
  • Lighter in weight, which makes it easy to wear a larger sized piece as it is hollow inside
  • Lighter in weight, which makes it cheaper to buy compared to a similar sized traditional gold piece

3D Hard Gold Jewelry is sold at a fixed price.

What is Gold Filigree Jewelry?

Filigree is a delicate jewelry embellishment in which fine, pliable threads of pure gold are twisted or curled into a design and then soldered onto a piece of jewelry. Filigree has a long history and were most popular during 1920-1940s. Today it has almost become a lost art and only very few artists can produce fine gold filigree pieces.

LFX is one of the few companies that have such national level art masters and craftsmanship to hand create fine gold filigree jewelry. It has been regarded one of the Intangible Art Heritages of China.

Gold filigree jewelry and ornaments are all hand made and require an intensive labour skills and time to produce. It is sold by fixed price and is usually more expensive than all other gold products.

Gold filigree jewelry or ornaments are extremely delicate and requires to be handled with great care. It can be easily bended or deformed and will become almost impossible to repair.

What is Antique Gold Jewelry?

The term “Antique Gold Jewelry” doesn’t refer to vintage jewelry or old jewelry that has been restored. Antique Gold jewelry is a very recent innovative method that has integrated ancient gold crafting techniques and traditional culture with modern design to create stylish jewelry. It is a bold statement of masculinity and style that is as ideal as a valuable collectible or meaningful heritage.

The Antique Gold Jewelry create a unique matt finish that is very different from the traditional gold jewelry which are very bright and shining. It has become the new favourite collection for many gentlemen for its masculine and low-key luxury style. It is also quite popular for new brides for its elegancy and delicacy. Many antique gold bangles have integrated ancient filigree craftsman to create a true exquisite piece of art.

Antique gold jewelry is sold by weight, just like the traditional gold jewelry.

What is 5th Generation Gold Jewelry?

The latest gold jewelry style sold in jewelry stores is called “5th Generation Gold”, shorted to “5G Gold”. It represents the latest technology that further improves the hardness and design potential of traditional gold. One can say it combines all the benefits of both traditional gold and 3D Hard gold.

5th Generation Gold is as hard as 3D Hard gold with three-dimensional effect, but without hollow design. It has the same weight as the traditional gold in comparable sizes. 5th Generation gold gives customer the true feeling of the heaviness of pure gold, high wear resistance and allows them to maintain its value without limiting its designs.

Today, 5th Generation Gold has quickly become the most popular choice of gold jewelry. It is sold by weight, the same way as the traditional gold jewelry.

Care and Clean for Gold 24k Gold Jewelry

You should keep away from chemicals like perfume, bleach or cosmetics when wearing gold jewellery to avoid chemical reaction. Gold reacts with metals like silver, mercury, lead, etc., readily to give white spots on the gold jewellery. Such white compound can be easily removed with a propane torch. Therefore, try not to contact the said metals as much as possible when putting on gold jewellery. In case of such a circumstance, all you have to do is to send the gold jewellery back to a jeweler to have it cleaned. Gold jewellery can generally be cleaned with diluted soapy water and then dried with a piece of soft cloth.