What Is Glutinous Jadeite? Icy-Glutinous Jade Explained
Updated
Glutinous jadeite (糯种) is jadeite with a fine texture and a soft, semi-translucent look like cooked sticky rice. Icy-glutinous (糯冰种) is the step between glutinous and icy (冰种): translucent with a soft haze. 糯化 describes texture so fine that no grain shows. Bean (豆种) is coarser. Judge fineness, translucency, the glow under a flashlight, luster and cotton in daylight too, not under a backlight alone. At similar color and size it costs less than icy, but ranges overlap widely. It is the most common texture for bangles.
What is glutinous jadeite (糯种)?
Glutinous jadeite (糯种, nuo zhong, "glutinous type") is jadeite with a fine texture and a soft, semi-translucent look, like cooked glutinous (sticky) rice: light goes into the stone a little way and spreads into a gentle glow, but you cannot see clearly through it. The name describes the look only. There is no rice in it, and a "glutinous rice jade bangle" is simply a bangle of this material.
In the Chinese trade, quality is described with three words: 种 (texture, the size and packing of the crystals), 水 (translucency, how far light goes in) and 色 (color). "Glutinous" is a grade of the first two together. For the full system, see zhong, shui and se explained.
Three points are worth knowing from the start:
- Glutinous describes the material, not the color. A glutinous piece can be white, pale green, lavender, yellow or carry several colors.
- It is trade language, not a lab grade. A gem lab certificate names the material (jadeite) and any treatment. It does not say "glutinous" or "icy". The grade comes from the seller.
- The grade boundaries are fuzzy. One seller's glutinous-icy is another seller's icy. Judge the piece, not the word in the title.
In Vietnamese the grade is called chủng nếp or simply nếp (cẩm thạch nếp); in Thai listings, หยกพม่าเนื้อข้าวเหนียว.
What do 糯种, 糯冰种 and 糯化 mean?
Three words with 糯 come up again and again in listings. They are related, but they do not mean the same thing.
| Term | Chinese | What it describes | Typical look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glutinous | 糯种 | A grade: fine texture, semi-translucent | Soft, milky, like cooked sticky rice; light spreads only a short way |
| Glutinous-icy (icy-glutinous) | 糯冰种 | A grade between glutinous and icy | Translucent with a soft haze; light goes in further, edges still soft |
| Glutinized | 糯化 | How fine the texture is, not a separate grade | Grain too fine to see, a smooth, even, slightly gel-like body |
A few notes:
- 糯冰种 is also called 冰糯. In English listings it appears as "icy-glutinous" or "glutinous-icy". All of these names mean the same grade; 糯冰种 is the more common way to write it.
- 糯化 is a word about fineness. When a seller says a piece is 糯化 or "fully glutinized", they mean the grains are so fine and evenly packed that the body looks smooth and soft rather than grainy. It is praise for the texture, not a step on the ladder, and sellers use it loosely: some for any fine glutinous piece, some only for their best ones.
- Between bean and glutinous there is a grey zone. Pieces whose grain is still faintly visible are sometimes called 糯豆 or 豆糯 ("bean-glutinous"). Treat that as "upper bean, lower glutinous".
- Fine glutinous (细糯) is better than plain glutinous. Within one grade the spread is wide. A fine, clean, even glutinous bangle can look better than a grainy, cottony glutinous-icy one.
How is glutinous different from icy and bean?
Dealers place texture on a ladder. The steps blur into each other, but the order is well established. Glutinous sits in the middle, which is why so much jadeite on the market is described with it.
| Grade | Chinese | Grain | In daylight | With a flashlight behind it | Printed text under a thin piece |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bean | 豆种 | Coarse, visible to the eye like beans | Grainy, dry, little light gets in | Light stops near the surface; grains show | Not readable |
| Glutinous | 糯种 | Fine, hard to see | Soft, milky, smooth | A small, soft glowing patch | Not readable; only dark shapes |
| Glutinous-icy | 糯冰种 | Fine | Translucent but softly hazy | Light goes in further, edges soft | Blurred shapes |
| Icy | 冰种 | Fine and tight | Clear like ice, slightly misty | A broad, even glow | Visible but blurred |
| High-icy | 高冰种 | Very fine and tight | Clearer than icy, only a faint mist | A bright, clean glow | Nearly readable, slightly soft |
| Glassy | 玻璃种 | No visible grain | Water-clear, crisp | Clean, almost no visible grain | Readable |
What the table cannot show:
- Glutinous vs bean is about grain. In bean jadeite you can see the crystals; in glutinous you cannot, or only just. Both can be fairly opaque.
- Glutinous-icy vs icy is about clarity. Both are fine. Icy looks clear with a light mist; glutinous-icy looks translucent but soft, as if seen through thin frosted glass. This is the boundary sellers stretch most, and many "icy" bangles in listings are glutinous-icy. For the upper steps, see what is icy jadeite and what is glass jadeite.
- Thickness and color change the look. A bangle is thick, so material that looks icy in a thin pendant often looks glutinous-icy as a bangle. Strong color also makes material look less clear.
How do you judge glutinous jadeite?
Within the glutinous grades, dealers look at five things. Price differences inside one grade come mostly from these.
| What to look at | Better | Weaker |
|---|---|---|
| Fineness (细度) | No visible grain; smooth, even surface under reflected light | Grain visible in places; uneven, "sandy" patches |
| Translucency (水头) | Light goes in deep and the body looks moist and alive | Dry, dull look (发干, 发闷); light stays on the surface |
| Light through it | Under a flashlight, a wide, even, soft glow | A small or patchy glow, with dark or cloudy areas |
| Glow (起胶 / 起光) | A thick, jelly-like luster (起胶) on the curve; on the best pieces a soft floating sheen (起光) | Flat, dull surface with no luster coming up |
| Cotton (棉) | Fine, even, scattered; hard to tell apart from the soft body | Clumps, streaks or white patches that break the glow |
Two of these need more explanation.
Glow on glutinous jadeite. Fine glutinous material that has been well polished into a curve often shows 起胶: a thick, gel-like luster that seems to sit in the surface. A stronger floating sheen (起光 or 起荧) is more typical of icy and glassy material, but the best glutinous-icy bangles can show a soft version of it. When sellers say 糯冰起光, this is what they mean. It is a texture effect, not fluorescence.
Cotton in a soft body. In clear material, cotton stands out as white specks. In glutinous material the whole body is already soft, so cotton is harder to see. Look for where the glow breaks: under a flashlight, a good glutinous bangle glows evenly, while clumps of cotton show as whiter, denser patches the light cannot get through. A little fine cotton is normal. Large clumps, especially on the outside of a bangle, lower the value. Cracks are a different matter: see cotton and cracks in jadeite for how to tell them apart.
How much does glutinous jadeite cost compared with icy?
There is no price list. As a rule, when color, size, cleanliness and cut are similar, glutinous-icy costs less than icy, and glutinous less than glutinous-icy. Each texture step is worth a lot. In practice, the ranges overlap widely, because color, size and flaws often matter more than one step of texture. A clean glutinous-icy bangle with lively green can cost more than a plain icy bangle with cotton. See jade bangle prices and what determines jadeite price.
To show the spread with real numbers, here are three glutinous-icy bangles on sale on JadeiteHub, all in the flat-inside "princess" (正装) shape, prices as of 24 October 2026:
| Piece | Texture and color | Inner diameter | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| JH-000066 | Glutinous-icy with green floating flowers (糯冰种飘绿花) | 57 mm | US$4,269 |
| JH-000062 | Glutinous-icy, icy white (糯冰种冰白) | 57 mm | US$7,629 |
| JH-000027 | Glutinous-icy with green floating flowers (糯冰种飘绿花) | 55.6 mm | US$17,019 |
Two of them share exactly the same grade name, yet one costs about four times the other. The white bangle without flowers costs more than one of the floating-flower bangles. The difference comes from how clear and clean the body is, how much green there is and how lively it is, and how the flowers are placed, none of which the grade name shows. As of the same date, the site's glutinous-icy bangles range from roughly US$1,999 to US$17,019. You can compare them all in bangles. For how green wisps are judged, see floating flower jadeite.
Why is glutinous jadeite so popular for bangles?
Walk through any bangle market and much of what you see is glutinous or glutinous-icy. There are good reasons:
- The look suits a bangle. A soft, milky or hazy body gives a bangle a gentle, warm glow on the wrist. Many buyers prefer it to the cooler, sharper look of icy material.
- It is the realistic sweet spot. A bangle needs a large, crack-free piece of rough. Large blocks of fine, clean icy or glassy material are rare, so glutinous-icy is often the best texture a buyer can get in a good-sized bangle at a reachable price.
- Thickness hides less. Because a bangle is thick, glutinous-icy material still shows its glow well, while a small difference in clarity matters less than it would in a thin pendant.
- It carries color well. Many colored bangles, such as lavender, green-and-lavender (春带彩) or pale green, sit on a glutinous body. The soft body makes color look even and full.
- It is easy to wear every day. Fine glutinous bangles do not look too formal, and they go with plain clothes. To pick a style and size, see how to choose a jade bangle.
The same material is also common in bead bracelets, where the soft, even look is valued; see jadeite bead bracelets.
How do photos make glutinous jadeite look better?
Glutinous and glutinous-icy are the grades most often lifted by photos, because a small change in light moves them a full step.
| What the photo does | What happens to the look | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Strong flashlight or backlit tray | Glutinous looks glutinous-icy, glutinous-icy looks icy | A video in daylight with no light behind the piece |
| Cool white LED, raised white balance | Grey or yellowish bodies look clean white | A shot next to white paper by a window |
| Wet or oiled piece | Fills tiny surface gaps; looks clearer and more "gel" | At least one dry shot |
| Close-up of the thin edge | The edge is always clearer than the body | The whole bangle, and the thickness in mm |
| Filters and editing | Smooths out cotton, grain and dull patches | An unedited video, turning the piece slowly |
Another warning: a very white, clean "glutinous-icy" bangle at a low price is the classic profile of Type B, bleached and resin-filled jadeite. Treatment removes stains and leaves a white, translucent body. See how to spot treated jadeite and Type A, B and C jadeite. For more on photos, see how to judge jadeite from online photos.
How do I buy glutinous jadeite safely?
- Decide what you want: a soft glutinous look, a hazy glutinous-icy glow, or color. Do not pay an icy price for a piece that only looks icy with a flashlight.
- Ask for video in three lights: daylight over white paper, reflected lamp light, and a flashlight moved slowly around the whole bangle.
- Ask for a dry shot and for close-ups of any cotton, lines or cracks.
- Ask for the inner diameter, width and thickness. Compare bangles of similar size and shape.
- Get a lab certificate stating jadeite and natural (Type A). Expect it not to say "glutinous".
- Treat the grade as the seller's opinion. Compare the video with the ladder above rather than the word in the title.
On JadeiteHub, listings use the seller's own photos, and some include video. Every sold piece is checked against its certificate before it ships, and if it does not match the description you get a full refund.
FAQ
What is glutinous jade?
Glutinous jade usually means glutinous jadeite (糯种): natural jadeite with a fine texture and a soft, semi-translucent look like cooked sticky rice. It is a trade grade of texture and translucency, not a color, and not a lab grade.
What is the difference between icy and glutinous jade?
Both have a fine texture. Icy (冰种) is clear like ice, with a light mist. Glutinous (糯种) is soft and milky, and light only goes a short way in. Icy-glutinous (糯冰种) sits between them, and sellers often disagree at that boundary.
What does icy-glutinous (糯冰种) mean?
It is the grade between glutinous and icy: translucent, with a soft haze, as if seen through thin frosted glass. The usual trade term is 糯冰种; 冰糯 is another name for the same grade.
What does 糯化 mean?
糯化 (glutinized) describes texture so fine and evenly packed that no grain shows and the body looks smooth and gel-like. It is praise for fineness, not a separate grade, and sellers use it loosely.
Is icy-glutinous jadeite cheaper than icy?
Usually, when color, size and cleanliness are similar. But ranges overlap: on JadeiteHub, icy-glutinous bangles run from about US$1,999 to US$17,019 as of 24 October 2026, depending on clarity, green and flaws.
Why are so many jade bangles glutinous or icy-glutinous?
A bangle needs a large crack-free block, and big clean blocks of icy or glassy material are rare. Icy-glutinous gives a soft glow on the wrist at a more reachable price, and the soft body carries color well.
