Pair Mutton Fat Jade Bangle

A pair of very fine nephrite jade bangles with an internal diameter of 58mm and 59mm.

The jade is near white and considered highly translucent.

For nephrite to approximate translucent jadeite constitutes one semblance of its quality.

For translucent nephrite to also be oily constitutes another semblance of its quality.

In reality these two qualities are actually very hard attributes to fulfil, to qualify as very few occurrences whether in jade or jadeite, hence highly collectible.

Most nephrite bangles sold today are a combination of oily and translucent. The difference is in its percentage of each attribute. The price increases as BOTH attributes soar.

Those having experience handling nephrite over a long period will recognise the provenance of this pair.

Very possibly, the pair belongs to one of the finest nephrite jewelry to come onto the free market (outside auction); this pair has been quietly collected.

Specification:

The 58mm cylindrical bangle is all round, with a 11mm thickness and height.

The 59mm semi-cylindrical bangle is D-shaped (though rounder than modern D bangles), with a 10.5mm thickness and 12.5mm height.

Both bangles were collected many years ago, and cut many more years before.

Older bangles, being Old School, tend to have a thick depth-to-width ratio (the ideal bangle cannot be wide/tall but it should be thick). The latter also preserves the fact a truly oily AND translucent bangle need not be cut thin to observe translucence.

Modern or more recent jade bangles tend to be cut ‘slimmer’, or ‘taller’, whether all round or semi. The significance of an authentic Old School bangle becomes clear: artisans of the past had lesser pressure against material wastage ie. they need not cut a bangle to spread the weight.

The last photo shows off the lustre of mutton fat nephrite best, in low light the patina is actually at its most stunning.

Both bangles are near white, translucent, and oily, in person.

Nephrite that is near white is valuable, but 羊脂白玉 (mutton fat nephrite jade) is not common at all (and more rare than real).

Mutton fat nephrite can be perceived as a subtle perfection in a definitive material.

Provenance aside, material as observed in this bangle will never get carved into figural form, being one uniform color and consistent translucency. The bangle aspect forms its dearness.

While jadeite is royal, nephrite is poetic; the knowledge of jadeite is ascension, the knowledge of nephrite is horizon.

Quite simply, preference for jade or jadeite can only be resolved soulward.