We put a lot of consideration into the materials that we use at Jade Hampton. Our family has been involved in sourcing high-quality 0.925 silver, jade and gemstones for decades, passing down knowledge over generations.
Our jade
We have sourced all of the materials used in our jewelry in Asia and Australia. Our jewelry is available in small batches, often from vintage sources, meaning that their crasftsmanship is higher than many modern jewelry brands.
There are two types of jade: jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite is considered the more precious and valuable of the two, as it is much rarer, harder, and has more vibrant and rich colors.
Our jade is primarily jadeite from Myanmar (commonly called Burmese Jade), home to the highest quality jade in the world. Burmese jade is known to come in vibrant colors, including lavender, red, yellow, blue and green (the most iconic color). We carry a wide variety of brilliant shades of Burmese jade.
We also have some beautiful nephrite from Australia. Nephrite is known for more muted, natural colors.
Since ancient times, jade has been prized in Asia for its beauty and connection to the earth. Jade is often associated with harmony, balance, good luck and protection. We hope that our jewelry brings these values to those who wear it.
Our sterling silver
All of our silver jewelry is solid 0.925 sterling silver. That means that it is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, which are added to make the jewelry hard-wearing (as 100% pure silver is very soft). Our 0.925 silver is known for being bright and beautiful. Sterling silver jewelry also tends to be well-tolerated by people with metal sensitivites.
Our other gemstones
In addition to jade, we have a wide variety of other gemstones, including onyx, sapphire, ruby, mother-of-pearl, coral and seraphinite.
Onyx is a sleek, black stone formed from lava, used since ancient times but made particularly famous by its use in art deco work.
Sapphires and rubies are varieties of the same mineral, Corundum. Sapphire comes in almost every color, including blue, pink, yellow, purple, orange and black. Red sapphire is commonly called known as ruby. Sapphires and rubies are some of the hardest stones in the world, second only to diamond. We offer lab-made star sapphire and rubies.
Mother-of-pearl is actually not a gemstone, but comes from the inner layer of shells. It is the same material that pearls of made of (hence the name). It is known for its beautiful irridescence.
Questions?
We love to talk about our jewelry. If you have any questions, please reach out to us and we'd be happy to help.