Jade Factory

The jade factory was pretty impressive (and it provided time out of the snow and the cold!)

They had 7 or 8 individuals working on different aspects of carving. They use water while they are carving to minimize the dust.

It takes 7 days to make and polish a jade ball like this. It represents family with each layer representing a different generation of the family and its one eternal round.

The darker the green means it is more rare and more valuable. So then, why was white jade used for the gold medal if is the least valuable? It is because white jade comes from Beijing and so they felt it would be most appropriate since the Olympics occurred there.

One way to tell if a piece of jade is fake is by looking for grains/crystals in the stone. If it is perfectly clear and see through, its fake (probably glass). Another way is by how it sounds, but you need a real piece of jade to compare for sure- the ping is lighter for fake jade.

Only one piece of jade to make this statue of stallions- I didn't even want to know how expensive it was.

They also had some beautiful pieces of artwork made from crushed particles of jade. However, there were WAY too many employees in the store and too few customers and so they followed me around everywhere- especially since I like to look on my own. If I have a question, I ask. I am not a fan of being hovered over as I look around the store. And this happened MULTIPLE times, since a couple who was with me bought TONS of jade pieces. It actually discourages me from buying things since I am more annoyed than anything. So, I didn't buy anything :-)