Looking for info on my Gaiwan

[Zhōng Kuí]

Hey I am looking for info on these Gaiwan I found in an antique warehouse. I was led to this site be a fellow Tea enthusiast on Reddit. They were apparently bought from an estate sale in the 70's and had been in that family for two generations. I have done lots of research and have narrowed the stone down to spinach jade and not serpentine. They are masterfully crafted and in excellent shape. I'm trying to get them appraised but don't know where to start. Any help is appreciated.

PS I thought they were nephrite from a Russian mine but then I found some Chinese jade that looked the same.
http://imgur.com/a/MUaE9

[茶藝-TeaArt08]

Zhong Kui,

Those are beautiful, delicate and rich! Congratulations on the find! How is it brewing tea in them?

Blessings!

[Zhōng Kuí]

Phenomenal. Anything specific you were wondering?

[kyarazen]

酒泉玉 or jiuquan jade.

[Zhōng Kuí]

酒泉玉 or jiuquan jade.

So you believe it is a kind of serpentine? I do not think so after all of my research. Any reason you believe so?

[kyarazen]

酒泉玉 or jiuquan jade.

So you believe it is a kind of serpentine? I do not think so after all of my research. Any reason you believe so?

because i haz some lying around. they used to be trendy as wine glases

here's one of the gaiwans that i have, quite thin, probably half a millimetre thick only

https://www.instagram.com/p/zo9F6nRf3l/ ... aloeswoods

[Zhōng Kuí]

酒泉玉 or jiuquan jade.

So you believe it is a kind of serpentine? I do not think so after all of my research. Any reason you believe so?

because i haz some lying around. they used to be trendy as wine glases

here's one of the gaiwans that i have, quite thin, probably half a millimetre thick only

https://www.instagram.com/p/zo9F6nRf3l/ ... aloeswoods

Interesting. It does look quite similar. Does yours leach or break down with use? Mine don't and I read that serpentine, specifically bowenite (which is what I think yours is..maybe mine too) does because of the soft mineral. I had one person tell me that what I have is nephrite and not bowenite. You could still be correct though. Spinach jade nephrite and bowenite look very similar.

Do you have other gaiwan or ware made from this same material?

[kyarazen]

Interesting. It does look quite similar. Does yours leach or break down with use? Mine don't and I read that serpentine, specifically bowenite (which is what I think yours is..maybe mine too) does because of the soft mineral. I had one person tell me that what I have is nephrite and not bowenite. You could still be correct though. Spinach jade nephrite and bowenite look very similar.

Do you have other gaiwan or ware made from this same material?

you can take a search on 酒泉玉 for many more examples. i had cups and saucers made of the same material.

if it is nephrite it doesnt scratch with steel. you can take a scalpel or a penknife to an obscure part of it to see if it scratches

spinach jade is a western term perhaps. in nephrite it is either 碧玉 or 花青

[Zhōng Kuí]

Interesting. It does look quite similar. Does yours leach or break down with use? Mine don't and I read that serpentine, specifically bowenite (which is what I think yours is..maybe mine too) does because of the soft mineral. I had one person tell me that what I have is nephrite and not bowenite. You could still be correct though. Spinach jade nephrite and bowenite look very similar.

Do you have other gaiwan or ware made from this same material?

you can take a search on 酒泉玉 for many more examples. i had cups and saucers made of the same material.

if it is nephrite it doesnt scratch with steel. you can take a scalpel or a penknife to an obscure part of it to see if it scratches

spinach jade is a western term perhaps. in nephrite it is either 碧玉 or 花青

Do you know what kind of stone the "Luminous Jade" is? I cannot be certain.

So does your gaiwan not leach because of softness?

I'll try to scratch it and tell you what I have found. Probably take some pictures of before and after so we can all see.

[kyarazen]

Do you know what kind of stone the "Luminous Jade" is? I cannot be certain.

So does your gaiwan not leach because of softness?

I'll try to scratch it and tell you what I have found. Probably take some pictures of before and after so we can all see.

luminous jade or 月光玉 is serpentine.

no idea on leaching, it feels like it does so i dont use it often

[Zhōng Kuí]

Do you know what kind of stone the "Luminous Jade" is? I cannot be certain.

So does your gaiwan not leach because of softness?

I'll try to scratch it and tell you what I have found. Probably take some pictures of before and after so we can all see.

luminous jade or 月光玉 is serpentine.

no idea on leaching, it feels like it does so i dont use it often

Any idea what kind of serpentine? There are many kinds..

[kyarazen]

Any idea what kind of serpentine? There are many kinds..

just for convenience's sake you can refer to :

http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E8%9B%87%E7% ... 3%E7%8E%89

[Zhōng Kuí]

Any idea what kind of serpentine? There are many kinds..

just for convenience's sake you can refer to :

http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E8%9B%87%E7% ... 3%E7%8E%89

Thanks that is interesting. i wish they got into more detail on the compositions, but none the less it is a good reference.

[theroots]

if it is nephrite it doesnt scratch with steel. you can take a scalpel or a penknife to an obscure part of it to see if it scratches

A scratch test indeed is the easiest way to see if it is jade.
If you're on Facebook: There is a pretty good group for Jade collectors (antique & new). I'm sure they could tell you more about your piece. Here is the link if you're interested:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/319030194928738/

[tst]

I have one like this ... pretty sure it's serpentine, but not an expert by any means.