Glassy White Icy Jadeite Ring

Fine jade ring set with high quality ‘glassy’ white jadeite cabochon and accented with diamonds in 18k.

The jade has a very fine grain crystal and is noted for its transparency.

In jadeite, this ‘玻璃种’ or glassy type is distinguished from mere icy or translucent jade.

Glassy jadeite has the topmost clarity in terms of transparency.

Specifically, these is icy white jade that displays an optical phenomenon known in the jade trade as ‘起莹光’ or luminescence.

Luminescence appears as a silvery white light moving through the jade cabochon.

If present, this phenomenon is mostly observed in top quality icy white jadeite, and less commonly in icy green jadeite.

“Every jade is unique”: this distinction becomes peculiar in high quality jade – each jade then becomes a specimen, looking like some other gemstone.

While the earrings look like the nacre of silvery pearls, the ring in this icy white jade set look like the cleanest moonstone (last photo).

The jade is set in a closed-back ring, clustered with round brilliant and rose cut diamonds – an aura of ultra white-light.

The ring’s face spans 17 x 15 mm.

The jade cab is 10 x 8 mm.

Diamonds weigh at least 1.3ctw.

This ring is photographed with all jadeite jade displaying luminescence, to relay this phenomenon slowly but surely.