Passing The Torch

As I considered the kind offer by Fred and Charlotte to follow them in managing Friends Of Jade I realised quickly that  it would be a huge challenge for myself and Joan. I am quite sure I do not have the credentials or the life experience of Fred and Charlotte, but as I talked over the idea with respected  friends the feedback I received was encouraging.  We have all reaped the wonderful benefit  of Freds undertaking to revive Friends Of Jade . As a result we can sit at our computers and study all about Jade through the  Journal articles or read about current happenings in the world of Jade through articles contributed by those in the Jade world today. In fact, Friends Of Jade dinners at Tucson  and Jade Cove have had a great impact in helping to connect and mould the current community of Jade lovers around the world. All of this a result of a man with a plan sitting at the computer!

In closing I would  like to Thank Fred and Charlotte for their hard work and the trust they have given me. I would also encourage feedback and dialogue as to the focus and the future of Friends Of Jade.

In the following weeks I will be adding weekly suggestions for articles and posting a few myself.

             Until then ,

            Mike Burkleo

New Management

The hour has come for me to pass the mantle of stewardship of FOJ to another in our community. Graciously, Mike Burkleo has agreed to continue monitoring the site, which many jade lovers have found a vital meeting place through the years. Here we share stories, information, photographs, and questions and answers about jade. I have relished the worldwide communication about jade. Because in the next year, I plan to revise my book Jade: Stone of Heaven, which continues to enjoy a wide audience, I shall use this forum as a source of research. I continue to support the artists who are ever producing more creative and expansive works with this storied material. I welcome your comments via this network, and I wish each of you fulfillment in the aspects of jade most engaging to you. 

Fred Ward

Seasoned collectors that make amateurs green with envy

This new article from China Daily gives us a new view of what is happening inside China as precious jade material is sought from both old collectors and some of China's new rich buyers.

Read the full article here

Friends of Jade is now a public site

Dear Friends of Friends of Jade:

Today is an important moment in our history. The original Friends of Jade organization began in England in the 1980s. I got involved while writing and photographing the "Jade" article for National Geographic Magazine and began writing jade pieces for the paper-based "Friends of Jade Bulletins." At that time American Robert Frey and Brit Robert Deans were producing a paper "Bulletin," usually once a year into the 90s. After Bob Frey died, Robert Deans did not want to manage FOJ alone. A dry spell with no Bulletins spurred Roger Merk in San Diego to print a revival color issue of the FOJ Bulletin in 1992. Thereafter, Friends of Jade lay dormant.

In 2004 when I decided the world of jade had waited too long for a voice, I announced a web-based entity. Obviously, we had enthusiasm. Soon we surpassed the number of members the paper-based FOJ had had in the 1980s. Between spring of 2004 and now, membership has continued to increase and our web-based archives contains material about jade that is unavailable elsewhere.

It is now time for another great leap forward. The new Friends of Jade website will no longer be fee-based. Instead it will be open to the world as the premier resource for jade information. Beginning this week I expect to see the number of "hits" on the site explode as global jade enthusiasts, dealers, traders, researchers, prospectors, miners, writers, photographers, and just plain interested people log on for a look.

For our wonderful core group of about a hundred FOJ members, you can now toss your FOJ username and password. Log on as you would on any other site. Also, please be my eyes and ears to see what you like and what others are viewing for the first time.

The obvious first question you may ask is how we will support a free site without an annual fee. It will be funded the same way most of the world's Internet sites are--by ads. We will allow companies and people with an interest in jade to advertise on the site, which will look very similar to all the other web sites you visit now. Our new direction will take time to settle down. The benefit of opening up the site is that we may have thousands of people logging onto the Friends of Jade site.....which will be a good thing for us and for jade.

Stay in touch and keep logging on for new information........

Thanks and regards for all your ideas, articles, support, and interest.

Fred Ward
Friends of Jade