You can picture it – a thick, simple, but elegant green jade bracelet with no cuffs or clasps that seems to be on your friend’s wrist, and she somehow never takes it off.
The simple yet highly regarded bracelet is the most significant source of protection for the wearer. But what makes this bracelet so unique? Are you ever supposed to take off your jade bracelet? And what would happen if you took it off?
This article shares insights into everything you need to know about wearing jade bracelets and some of the recommended care and wear tips. So, let’s get right into it!
Jade bracelet Should never take off – Is it Real?
To understand why some cultures believe that you must never take off the jade bracelet, we’ll note that bracelets are some of the oldest forms of jewelry.
In ancient times, bracelets were also called arm or hand rings because the bracelet is a ring-shaped ornament that goes on your wrist. It boasts a relatively long history, with men and women wearing bracelets in the past. For the women, the bracelets symbolized marriage, while they symbolized work or identity for men.
Besides wearing the bracelets to identify gender roles, the bracelets were also made of different materials, carrying different symbolism. But among all types of bracelets from ancient times, the jade bracelet was the most popular bracelet often worn by women and men.
There are also types of bracelets called the beautiful bracelets, chaise, peace, and permanent bracelet, all representing the role played by the bracelets.
In this article, however, we’ll focus on the permanent bracelet, which, as the name suggests, are the bracelets meant to be worn for the wearer’s lifetime and never to be taken off.
In most instances, the permanent bracelets are worn for a lifetime, often because they are symbolic. Most permanent bracelets are family heirlooms or treasures and taking them off would come as a form of dissociation from one’s roots. The jade bracelet is an example of a permanent bracelet.
With deep roots in ancient Chinese culture, jade bracelets are often passed down in families, and someone wears them until it is their time, and after that, it is passed down to someone else in the family, who will have to keep the bracelet on always.
Some of these bracelets are not the most stylish accessories, but they represent the love and protection of the wearer by parents and grandparents. So, wearing the bracelet all the time means having a close connection to the rest of your family.
Most importantly, the jade bracelet is considered a protective amulet, which means that taking the bracelet off opens you up to evil and deceit.
But that is not all; it is also believed that if your jade bracelet breaks, it has exceeded its capacity to absorb negative energies from all around you, so you need to replace it almost immediately, preferably with a new jade bracelet.
Perhaps this is all superstitious, but if you hold on to such beliefs, we believe that you will feel safer if you continually keep the jade bracelet on.
In other words, if the beliefs around jade bracelets are your beliefs and not run-of-the-mill tales, then keeping the bracelet on always will be the right thing for you to do.
That said, you should be aware of the challenge that comes with wearing the jade stone bangle bracelet – because of the fixed design of the bracelet and the absence of clasps, wearing the bracelet is just as challenging as taking it off – it will not clip through the widest part of your hand easily.
And you cannot settle on a bigger jade bracelet because it will fit too loosely and uncomfortably on your wrist. So, in addition to coating your wrist and hand with soap or oil, you also have to pinch the thumb with the pointed finger to make your hand small enough for the bracelet to slide through with ease.
This can be painful for many people, so they don’t take off the bracelet, ever. No one wants to feel discomfort every day and night, so why not always keep the bracelet on, mainly because it is durable and you can work with it effortlessly.
Is it bad luck to take off a jade bracelet?
Yes, it is bad luck to take off your jade bracelet, especially if you are Chinese. But if you have grown or wish to wear or put on a bigger jade bracelet on your kid’s wrist, for example, then taking off the jade bracelet wouldn’t be considered bad luck.
For older Chinese individuals who strictly follow the rules and ancient beliefs, taking off the bracelet would be regarded as a sign of bad luck.
But for anyone who doesn’t have similar beliefs and doesn’t believe in superstition, taking off the jade bracelet wouldn’t be much of a big deal.
Why can’t you take off a jade bracelet?
If the bracelet fits your wrist too perfectly, you will find it almost impossible to remove.
It may also be hard to remove the bracelet because it is made of a rigid material that cannot easily slide through your hand, expand, or be unclasped for easy removal. And maybe, the bracelet is just too small.
How to take off your jade bracelet
If your jade bracelet is too small, you will struggle to take it off. But you wouldn’t have to break it to take it off; all you need is a plastic bag.
In this method, put the plastic bag over your hand and under the bracelet, all around, then carefully and very slowly slide the bracelet out.
This method allows the bracelet to slip off easily without causing pain or extreme discomfort.
Conclusion
Superstitious people and people from Chinese cultures believe that you should always keep the jade bracelet on and only take it off in case of emergencies or if it’s too tight.
So, if you don’t hold such a belief system, nothing wrong will happen to you.
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.