Tag: Mason-Kay Jade

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How to Use the Mason-Kay Showroom

How to Use the Mason-Kay Showroom

Posted on by jordan

Hello, jewelry store friends!

The Mason-Kay Showroom is Mason-Kay Jade’s online portal for retailers to use in-store to find inventory and pricing on natural jade jewelry. Here is my advice on how to register, set up your account for customers to view, and use it for memos/orders.

If you already have a login, you can still use the same username and password that you had before. If you’re not sure what your store’s login credentials are, just email [email protected]

How to Register

Go to masonkayshowroom.com and click “Not Registered”

Once approved, you’ll receive an email that says you’re good to go and can immediately start viewing the product.

The Showroom is pretty self-explanatory, with a search box for keywords like “estate,” categories, and filtering by price, color, et cetera.

Once you have a login, you can access your store account where the default markup is keystone. This can not be changed, so if you want to feature the Showroom with a different retail markup, you’ll want to add a “Customer,” which you can also designate for your store’s sales floor.

Setting up “customer” accounts for customer / sales floor viewing

Go to Manage Customers and click New Customer to create an account. This is still tethered to your Main Account, but this “Sales Floor” Customer won’t be able to control markup. 

Doing this means you will have more than one login. One for keystone, and the additional logins with your chosen markups.

You can tell which account you’re in by the “Welcome” in the top left-hand corner.

To test it, you can log out and re-login as your Sales Floor Customer Account.

Your Sales Floor Customer Account can view inventory, pricing with your designated markup, and they can build a “Request List” that gets emailed straight to your inbox. 

Managing Your Account and Setting Markup

If you’re logged into your Main Account, you can manage multiple customer accounts and control their markups individually. You can create a number of logins for your individual staff members and individual customers, and even view their request lists within your Showroom.

If you go to Account Info and select  Manage Retail Markup, this is for store owners to set a default markup so that their employees can establish Customer Accounts more easily.

Choosing Product to Memo / Order

In the Main Account of your Showroom, the “Request List” feature is called “Add to Tray.”
When you Add items to your Tray, you’ll have the option to send this list straight to Mason-Kay. This is a handy option when choosing items for an order, a memo, or for your upcoming trunk show. We recommend saving this list for yourself by clicking “Printer Friendly PDF” in the top left corner of your tray.

Once you’ve filled your tray and are ready to place an order, click “Email Tray to Mason-Kay” with your message. You will not receive an order confirmation until after you’ve spoken with a Mason-Kay Staff-member who will follow up to confirm your order. This is mainly because we update the Showroom once a week and therefore can’t guarantee that every single item is available at the time you’re viewing. During our follow-up conversation regarding your Tray, we’ll be able to tell you exactly what is available and discuss shipping, terms, et cetera. 

So there you have it! Mason-Kay Jade is the leading supplier in the US for natural, untreated jadeite jade.Our renowned brand is an asset to the industry and YOUR customers as each piece has been tested and guaranteed natural ‘A Jade.’ We also offer testing and valuation services as well as jadeite jade valuing for appraisers.

Upon registration for your Showroom login, you’ll receive an email with information on how to use the Showroom and of course you can always call the office if you have any questions.

We look forward to doing business with you! Visit masonkayshowroom.com to get started!

Indications of “B Jade”

Indications of “B Jade”

Posted on by jordan

Identifying jade (jadeite or nephrite) is not normally a difficult task for the experienced gemologist. Many jewelers and gemologists, however, are still very intimidated by jade when it comes to valuing it or buying off the street. Why is this?

This is actually a very educated and legitimate concern!

While identifying jadeite is not difficult with the right equipment, distinguishing “B Jade” (polymer/resin impregnated jadeite) from “A Jade” (natural, untreated jadeite) can be impossible without spectroscopy, an advanced form of gemological testing that is uncommon in jewelry stores and independent gem labs due to the expense of the machine.

So what if a customer comes into your store with jadeite, but needs to know if it is “A Jade” or “B Jade?” While it can be sent in to Mason-Kay Jade for proper testing, your customer may want to have an idea as to whether or not it is “real jade” before spending the money to have it tested.

Here are some indications of ‘B Jade’ you can look for in your store to determine if you think the piece should be sent in for advanced gemological testing:

#1. How much did it cost?

Natural jadeite is rare and valuable, so if a customer purchased what appears to be bright apple green / fine jade for a price that seems too good to be true…It probably is. 

But of course, the seller may not have valued it appropriately so the price of the item is obviously not a sure indicator. It can, however, help the customer determine if they think it is worth spending on testing. For instance, a customer may say “I only paid $20 for this piece, so it’s not really worth it to me to spend $100 on testing.”

#2. How is it cut and set?


Natural jade usually (but not always!) does not come in calibrated sizes, as the cutter will typically try to make the best use of the rough. Additionally, jadeite isn’t usually cut as a flat bottom cabochon, but may be rounded and even sometimes uneven on the bottom side. It’s also uncommon for jade to be backed or set in a mounting with metal behind the stone. Most natural jade is set in mountings where you can observe the bottom of the stone and see that it’s real. Don’t make a rash assumption though just because of the cut and setting, as there are exceptions to every rule.

#3. Is it a bangle? Does it “ping?”

Natural, unfractured jade bangles, if dangled from a string and struck with a metal rod, will sing out a beautiful resounding “ping.” “B Jade” sounds clunky and abrupt, having no ping due to the internal fracturing.
This is very telling but not a conclusive test for multiple reasons:

-If it’s a natural jade bangle that is fractured on the inside, it will not ping. However, you will probably be able to see these fractures. Nonetheless, the absence of a “ping” doesn’t always mean it isn’t jade.

-If it’s a dyed green quartz bangle, it will ping and sound very similar to natural jade. Therefore, the “ping” isn’t always an indicator.

The best way to know for sure whether your jade is natural is to send it to a reputable gem lab such as GIA or AGL, or a knowledgeable supplier such as Mason-Kay Jade who offers laboratory testing.

For more information, visit:

https://masonkay.com/jadeite-services-and-fees

https://masonkay.com/storage/app/media/Mason-Kay-Guide-to-Natural-vs-Treated-Jade.pdf