As reported to you in October 2005, a new nephrite jade extraction activity has started in the vicinity of Ge’ermu, a town at an altitude of 2800m in the western Chinese province of Qinghai. The jade from Ge’ermu is now the second white jade source in China and this material has been selected for the back of the Gold Medal of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. This mined, not river boulder, material is, according to the Chinese Jade specialist and carvers, not quite up to the Hotien Yurungkash white jade as its “feeling” is “drier” and not as “hard” when carved, as Xinjiang jade. As however the Hotien material supply is dwindling, Ge’ermu jade becomes a welcome substitute.
In a search for white jade roughs for fellow FOJ Charlotte de Syllas of England, I came across in Hangzhou of a shop in the Wushan Flower & Bird market which has specialized in Ge’ermu jade.

I entered the shop because in the show window I recognized rough jade pieces with the typical chalk white color and texture of the Ge’ermu material. The sales lady and shop owner, coming actually from Ge’ermu, confirmed my identification. By looking around in the shop I noticed several carved broaches and bangles in a white translucent material with leek to tenous emerald green streaks and patches.

Having seen numerous green natural and dyed jadeite and calcite bangles displayed, I showed my “knowledge” and pointed out that I am surprised that in a shop specializing in “Yu” (nephrite jade) such “Fei tsui” (jadeite jade) items are displayed.

The lady raised her eyebrows and told the visiting “foreigner with a long nose” that this was indeed "Yu" and that it came from the jade mines near her hometown Ge’ermu.

I asked her permission to take some pictures of her carvings and I am happy to show them in the following pictures to you.

Google Earth view showing Ge'ermu north of the Tibetan Plateau.
Ge'ermu is the last major town before entering in Tibet the on the new Beijing - Lhasa railway line

The bangle wrongly identified by me as being in jadeite! 
It turned out to be the new Ge'ermu nephrite with green spots - Asking price for the bangle: 1300$ US

In the Ge'rmu jade shop in Hangzhou discussing supply, quality and of course prices , prices and prices!

Small jade mountain (10cm base) in Ge'ermu white jade with a¨green streak - Asking price  2600$

Detail of the green area on the jade mountain carving

Different pendants and decorative carvings in Ge'ermu white jade with green streaks - Asking prices about 1300$ each

Pendant with a nice exploitation of the green area (rushing water) as decorative element
for a fish ascending a waterfall

Dragon broach

Another green headed dragon on a broach in Ge'ermu jade

Knowing the mastery of  Chinese carvers to color stones, I was still unsure if
the local green areas in the carvings were not induced artificially.
The cut section of a typical Ge'ermu white jade rock showing a green area
in its core of a mined piece finally convinced me that we truly have white
nephrite with natural green color patches and streaks.