Antique Hetian Nephrite Jade Bangle

Fine nephrite jade bangle with an internal diameter of 58mm.

This is fine 籽料 (or pebble) Hetian nephrite jade of an off-white tone, with two faint spots of reddish pebble ‘crust’.

籽料 (tzu liao, or ziliao) refers to ‘pebbles’ with a beautiful crust acquired over time, specifically at the riverbed of a nephrite river downstream.

This bangle is of antique provenance, telltale signs are intention (carving reveal) and off-white purity that is not the modern fascination.

One section is left unpolished, with the ‘skin’ of the rock intact, to reveal the way of the rock or its origin story.

This intention is not only deliberate but passionate, exercised by old-time carvers to humbly point out an aspect which if they had only taken a step further would have extinguished its provenance.

Nevertheless, it is such effort which can be ridiculously aped in jade ‘antiques’, to pass off a modern jade stone carving as old.

This is why it is extremely easy for jade dealers to make claims on provenance based on carving. However, when carving efforts are too overt, it is usually not antique (though possibly vintage).

Generally speaking, when we have BOTH uniform pure white color AND intentional carving, we are less inclined to consider the carving an antique piece.

Modern day collectors look for white purity in nephrite, but they may be losing the forest for the trees.

The asymmetric carving extends from the idiosyncratic section to the organic shape of the bangle ie. not equally thick ie. one side slightly more, though very inconspicuously.

Considered ‘freeform’ shape in a jade bangle, this is a scholarly beauty standard of a different epoch.

The bangle is extremely good quality, one of not many well-poised* Hetian jade nephrite of antique provenance.

There is a fullness to this bangle because of its levelled inner wall (flat not rounded). Hence, the 58mm measurement will also allow a slightly smaller wrist to wear its proportions without feeling loose.

The bangle is around 11mm thick, that goes from 15mm to 17mm tallest. By any standard, this is considered a full-bodied jade bangle, not delicate.

* The finer point being, this is not only authentic Hetian jade, it is 籽料 Hetian nephrite jade, in bangle form! In Chinese, this is 和田玉籽料手镯.