A few years ago I bought some large carved beads and was told they
were jade. They are a mixture of green and white, not the usual jade
color, but they have the waxy luster and feel, the right smoothness
and heft, so I thought, Maybe they’re a lower-quality jade.
Recently I found smaller beads of the same material and was able to
design a nice formal necklace. Just as I was about to post it on my
website, I came across a listing in Fire Mountain’s catalog of
"Ching Hai ‘jade’ " that looks identical. The catalog and on-line
listing from Fire Mountain use the quotation marks, which is
generally an indication that it’s an imitation or a different stone.
However, they haven’t said anything about what it really IS. I’ve
looked on the web - no joy. Does anybody know what this stuff
really is? The item is Fire Mt’s catalog # 13-1005NB (p. 177 in
2003-2004 paper catalog). I have to know what it is before I sell
it, because I rant about misleading labeling all the time and don’t
want to join that club.
Thanks.