My Journey to finding Authentic Jade Beauty Tools

Growing up in a Chinese household, I had always been aware of the Jade Roller. Perhaps my aunt or my mother had one. I never thought much of it, until years later when my acupuncturist, Dr. Ming Liu, introduced it to me again as he was applying the Jade Roller to meridian points to treat headaches, muscles, and joint pain.

Traditionally, used to stimulate acupoints in the body, I realized that the same TCM principles could be applied on face. Using the Jade Roller to roll over the myriad of acupoints on the face could tone, detoxify, provide circulation and rejuvenate tired skin.

Working with Dr Liu to substantiate the face points, we introduced the now infamous Jade Roller to the GingerChi Beauty line in 2013. This little high quality natural tool soon helped us become the leading name in natural Gua Sha tools and traditional Chinese beauty care.

The Quest to find and make the best Jade Roller

However, the quest to finding and producing this best Jade Roller wasn't easy. In early days before the roller craze caught on, one might have come across a few rollers amongst other novelties in a Chinatown curio shop. They were usually cheap and poorly made. 

After an extensive search, I found a reputable manufacturer of authentic jade products in the Anshan Prefecture City in Liaoning Province of China.

It is a family owned facility, situated in a small township outside the city of Anshan.

8,164 miles to the source

 

I flew into Hong Kong and made my way to Shanghai where I met up with Tian Jian, a China travel expert from Trax2. We took the Bullet train to Anshan Prefecture City in Liaoning Province. The journey took several hours and covered almost 700 miles. 

It was thrilling to pass through the numerous towns and historical cities along the way. Upon arriving in Anshan, we journeyed by car to meet the owner of my potential manufacturer, Mr Lu.

Larvae and Lamb Soup

Doing business in China is all about relationships and therefore you’ll often need to attend a business lunch or dinner with your supplier. In a show of hospitality, Mr. Lu had organized a banquet at the local eatery where the specialties were deep fried crispy Larvae and Lamb soup!

Over lunch, I've learnt about his manufacturing capabilities and how his facility has provides numerous jobs for the local craftsmen in the area. 

Perfecting the Jade Roller

After the sumptuous meal, we head back to discuss the improvements and quality control issues. I showed him my designs and over the next few months, we worked closely together to improve and perfect the roller. 

Every raw rocks was closely inspected before handcrafted by the local craftmans in the area.
The glue that held the pieces together was changed.
The old soft copper material where it gets bent easily was changed it into a stronger welded Nickel.
We finessed the finish and made sure the stones rolled smoothly without friction.

In 2013, we launched the GingerChi Jade Roller.  Soon, beauty gurus and influencers discovered our little tool. Rave reviews poured in as the first authentic and quality Jade Roller available. 

Fast forward to 2021. A plethora of 'jade' rollers and Gau Shas are now available in the marketplace. Every other beauty company seems to follow GingerChi's lead and incorporated into the skincare lines. Even at Walmart sells a version of the jade roller.

We get asked all the time - "How can you tell if a Jade Roller is authentic?" 

The story of Chinese Jade 

The Chinese have a long history of calling green rocks, jade. In fact there are many types of Jade. The most common are Jadeite, Nephrite and Xiuyan. 

The most expensive and rare form of jade, is Jadite from Burma. Next is Nephrite Jade. This prized precious stone has been used in China for thousands of years. Nephrite Jade is been mined extensively in Myanmar and strict regulations have been put in place by the Chinese government to keep the resource sustainable and the mines environmentally friendly.

Xiuyan Jade

Xiuyan Jade falls under the category of Nephrite. This is the most common type of affordable jade sold and most jade gemstone beauty tools are made with this variety. It is considered traditional Jade and has been used by the people of China since ancient times.

The jade for our rollers came from one particular area in China. The Xiuyan area of Anshan, in Liaoning Province in the northeastern part of China. The Xiuyan Jade found its name due to the rich deposits found in this particular part of the country. Xiuyan Jade has exquisite texture with a myriad of green hues and is more affordable, hardy and easy to carve.

The GingerChi Jade Standard

 

There are few different grades of jade. Some Jade undergoes bleaching to clean out impurities and inferior color. Some are even dyed. GingerChi uses Grade A jade that is unprocessed and unaltered. It is natural jade that has only been polished in wax and undergone a heat treatment.

Our Jade are certified by the Liaoning Province Examination center for Gem and when you purchase any of our products, it will come with a certificate number.

 

Choose your hue

Fine jade jewelry is typically deep green, but unsuitable for use in TCM tools. The Xiuyan jade we use belongs to the serpentine family and was chosen for its hardness and exquisite textures. This type of tough-wearing jade consists of many hues of green, resulting in the marbled, tonal look of our TCM tools.

Each individual tool is unique in color, crafted by local artisans from a big piece of raw stone so it consists of many different greens. 

Some customers are attracted to the purity of the almost white colored tools while others prefer the deeper green color. There’s also a lot to be said for the mottled ones with a variety of green shades. It boils down to individual tastes. We also believe the stone will 'pick' you. 

 

Rolling on - The Jade Gua Sha has arrived

The Gua Sha stone is fast becoming a popular item. Another ancient tool, the single piece of Gua Sha stone, carved with variety of shapes with curves, bumps, knobs and even comb teeth, can be used over the face, scalp and body to stimulate acupoints as well as lift and sculpt and promote lymphatic drainage.

Gua Shas can also be found in a variety of stones such as Rose Quartz and Bian. The traditional being jade. Our Jade Gua Shas, Gua Sha Combs and Jade Masks are also made of Xuiyan Jade from Anshan.

Quality assurance and sustainability

Quality control and sustainability is of utmost important to GingerChi. Upon arrival to the US, each natural beauty tool is inspected and checked by the GingerChi team before being individually cleaned and packed. 

We are mindful of excessive packaging and the effect on the environment. Our beauty tools come in an eco friendly drawstring linen bag which includes a set of instructions printed on recycled card and free Regenerating Face Serum sample.

The GingerChi Guarantee

At GingerChi we pride ourselves with sourcing the best, sustainable products and raw ingredients from all over the world. From organic cotton cloths in India, Dry Brushes from Sri Lanka, Jade from China and organic Oils and Teas from all around the world, we want to offer you our very best.

We hope you enjoy using our tools. If you have any questions about the Jade Roller, Gua Sha or any of our products, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear from you!

♥

GingerChi