Whether you work with beads, wire, or both, you may want to incorporate jade gemstones into your jewelry design. Jade is lustrous semi-precious gemstone that has a soft, glistening, opaque appearance. It mostly occurs in shades of green, ranging from a creamy white with a subtle green tint to a dark smoky green with flecks of black. I once had a necklace of greenish-white jade beads that people used to mistake for glow-in-the-dark plastic because it had exactly that sort of milky, luminescent appearance!(COPYRIGHT: I'm so sorry to have to put this here, but I've had trouble with online content theft. Readers are welcome to print my articles for their personal use, but I do not allow my text or photos to be copied to anyone's online site. No one may use my content without written permission from me.)
Jade has a long history of use in the arts and crafts of the Far East, and it retains its association with China in particular. It is a great choice to enhance your Asian-themed jewelry designs. Jade can be carved into intricate shapes and it has a smooth, pleasing feel. Many good-luck charms such as four-leaf clovers or apples or hearts are carved out of jade. In metaphysical circles, jade is known for its alleged ability to stimulate the heart chakra and promote feelings of forgiveness, empathy, and love.
Because jade has a cool, smooth, luminous beauty, it pairs well with gemstones such as pearl and metal such as silver. As with pearl beads, jade beads can be strung into gorgeous necklaces on silk thread with a protective knot between each bead to keep it from rubbing against the adjacent bead. Its greenish hue and opaque appearance allow it to complement gemstones such as turquoise or black onyx.
Some other design ideas you can try with jade include pairing jade beads with beads of green jasper, labradorite, or even green plastic. Alternate stringing jade beads on black silk embroidery thread with intricate silver spacer beads for a tribal-looking bracelet. Put a netsuke at the end of a jade necklace. You can even work with polymer clay to mimic the look of jade. You can then carve the polymer clay bead into the intricate nature-themed charms for which traditional jade jewelry is renowned.
