Our 4th Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition has been spectacular, but also the most demanding... our team has had extreme difficulty choosing just one winner this year.

229 entries, 9 finalist, 12 fetlife favourites, 27 Shortlisted entires & over 30 highlights

Selecting the finalists in this kinbaku & shibari photo competition has been extremely challenging once again this year. Our 'short list' actually started out with 27 amazing shots. We've brought this down to a collection of only 9 images, so it is with great pleasure that we are able to display the nine finalists here. (No order):

2014 Finalist
Photo & Entry by Maiitsoh_Yazhi

Model: LadyCaribou
Rope: Bodhi

2014 Finalist
Model & Entry by -pg84-

Rope & Photo: SeanGrey
 

2014 Finalist
Model & Entry by Lizanne

Rope: Ligatio
 

2014 Finalist
Model & Entry by SarifkaMorgan

Photo & Rope: Cannon

2014 Finalist
Photo & Entry by SiRoberto

Rope: KinkyKittyPlayKat
Model: ScrewTheRoses

2014 Finalist
Rope & Entry by OneSexyKitten

Photo: thebodyerotique

2014 Finalist
Rope & Entry by -Edna-

Model: AneaCapaken
Photo: Petr Jedinák

2014 Finalist
Rope, Photo & Entry by LordNeptune

Model: Lala

2014 Finalist
Rope Photo & Entry by Cannon

Model: Tifereth

Congratulations again to everyone who entered this year, it has been an amazing contest! We're especially pleased with the level of quality submitted by returning entrants.

Until next year beautiful people... until next year... we love you all!

Slings are gaining acceptance as the perfect solution for creating strong, temporary rigging points for kinbaku and shibari suspensions. Not only are they ideal for slipping through narrow gaps, a sling will also allow you fix to positions otherwise unsuitable for anchor points made from rope.

There are primarily two kinds of slings on the market; Nylon Slings and Dyneema Slings. While Dyneema is a stronger material, Nylon Slings withstand looping and twists considerably more than their Dyneema counterparts making them far more versatile and reliable in scenarios more akin to creating suspensions points for shibari and kinbaku.

As part of our selection process we’ve opted for a physically wider sling, ensuring that it will provide a greater safety margin. This wider material also means that an anchor point will be slightly more stable.

In case you haven't used a sling before, do pay attention to the diagram below, as it is very easy to compromise the strength of your sling if you use it incorrectly.

Basically you want to avoid creating any kind of knot in the sling itself and where possible have the sling remain flat at all times. This means positioning so that you avoid any twists. The first two options in the diagram below are the two best choices when creating supspension points.

We've also created a short list of key points to help keep your shibari and kinbaku safe!

Critical Information on sling strength:

IMPORTANT POINT TO CONSIDER WITH SLINGS

- Before using the sling ensure you inspect it closely for any signs of wear or damage
- Marking the sling with any pen or liquid is not advised as this can cause the sling to deteriorate
- You should not alter the sling in anyway
- Avoid exposing the sling to direct sunlight for prolonged periods (UV rays will cause the Nylon to parish)
- Do not run the sling over sharp edges
- Keep the sling away from any corrosive substances
- Knotting the sling will reduce it’s strength and can cause damage to the sling
- Discard the sling immediately should you notice any wear or damage
- Do not sow or attempt to repair the sling if it becomes damaged or worn

Our Selection of Slings

We've selected slings in two lengths that we feel will be most useful to riggers. 60cm, available in black, and 120cm in a grey and black option. Doubled back upon themselves these slings will give you up to 30cms and up to 60cms of play. The 120cm option will also allow riggers to loop around larger beams without difficulty.

WARNING
All consensual restraint and related activities are inherently dangerous. It is the responsibility of any person using this equipment to learn and practice the proper techniques. This rigging equipment has not been designed for kinbaku and shibari suspension and use for such is outside the equipments designated purpose.
Even the correct use of equipment and techniques may result in fatal consequences. Any person using this equipment assumes all risks and full responsibility for all damages or injury which may result from the use of it. Before use you should take all steps to ensure any rigging is being carried out safely and that you are experienced enough to foresee and take appropriate action in situations where rescue may be required. There is no substitute for instruction by a trained and competent person; we strongly advise tuition is sought out before this equipment is utilised.

2013 Profile Photo Competition Winner

Our 3rd Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition has been spectacular, but also the most demanding... our team has had extreme difficulty choosing just one winner this year.

192 entries, 9 finalist, 12 fetlife favourites, and over 60 highlights

This year we are also going to post a new section with the 6 most loved images.

Without further ado... the 2013 winner is Mr_Monday for this entry with Madalynn-Raye. Rope and photo by Mr_Monday himself. 

Mr Monday's' Ideal Rope Bundle is now also available for purchase.

2013 Finalists

Selecting the finalists in this kinbaku & shibari photo competition has been extremely challenging once again this year. Our 'short list' actually started out with 28 amazing shots. We've brought this down to a collection of only 9 images, so it is with great pleasure that we are able to display the other eight finalists here. (No order):

2013 Finalist
Rope & Entry by MrMatt_LV

Model: CysterMidnite
Photo: MarshallB

2013 Finalist
Rope & Entry by OneSexyKitten

Model: Seraphine_XXX
Photo: TheBodyErotic

2013 Finalist
Rope & Entry by MrMatt_LV

Model: FaeDcay
Photo: MarshallB

2013 Finalist
Rope & Entry by IOLEVAR

Photo: Rue99 Studios
Model: LilyLaFleur 

2013 Finalist
Photo & Entry by Kalysto

Rope: onsoupire
Model: MissDistraction

2013 Finalist
Photo & Entry by TENTESION

2013 Finalist
Model & Entry by Miia

Rope: Ligatio
Photo: PhilBoxis

2013 Finalist
Rope, Photo & Entry by Mosafir

Model: Natalia

Congratulations again to everyone who entered this year, it has been an amazing contest! We're especially pleased with the level of quality submitted by returning entrants.

Until next year beautiful people... until next year... we love you all!

Our 2013 Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition comprised of 192 entries and over 2,700 votes. These twelve images were the highest voted images by the Fetlife community.

These are the competition's 'Peoples Choice' favorites.

We're very pleased to announce that this year's Highest Voted Shibari Image by fetlifers was won by TENTESION with 388 votes and a record 4,227 'Loves'.

Public Vote Winner
Photo & Entry by TENTESION


 

You can see the full top 12 entries into this years shibari & kinbaku photo contest are listed below:  

2nd Highest Voted 
Rope & Entry by JD-66

Model: Bendy_Dude
Photo: haylebopp

3rd Highest Voted
Photo & Entry by Lythany

Rigger: Lillerkins
Model: Flamerose

4th Highest Voted
Photo & Entry by TENTESION

5th Highest Voted
Photo & Entry by TENTESION

6th Highest Voted
Photo & Entry by TENTESION

7th Highest Voted
Photo & Entry by SiRoberto

Rope: BlueRisk

Models: LaceyGirl, Adverspossession, ScrewTheRoses, CuntlyRvaMiss, Sweet_Kat, SweetPea23, Chelsey3092, Sardonica, Judgetenderly, rya-poon, Birddi, Kalita82

8th Highest Voted
Model & Entry by Zonah

Rope: lewrubens
Photo: imagesbywilliam

9th Highest Voted
Rope, Photo & Entry by Nawa-kun

Model: Misaki-chan

10th Highest Voted
Rope & Entry by MrMatt_LV

Model: FaeDcay
Photo: MarshallB

11th Highest Voted
Rope, Photo & Entry by MissEvilGen

Model: Georgia_63

12th Highest Voted
Rope, Photo & Entry by FrenchChris

Model: Solestria 

Thank you everyone for making our 2013 Kinbaku & Shibari photo contest even bigger this year!

Whilst our baby rope store was conceived in Australia, and enjoyed a five month gestation period in a tiny studio apartment in the middle of Earls Court, the first day of being exposed to the world is now two years in the past... and yet it hardly seems a blink of the eye.

From one tiny store to a presence on four different continents and in six different countries.

In the space of two years, our UK rope store has grown beyond our expectations, and now has three siblings, and one 'on the way'. We'll be soon announcing that we have a Canadian Jade Rope outlet joining the family, a small family which has now spread through Europe, the United States and Australia.

Best of all... our customers keep coming back, three, four, even a record of eight purchases. So we know people are happy with our rope and service! It is a great feeling.

So thank you, to everyone out there supporting us, without you none of this would be possible. And to say thanks, we're running a series of short fast birthday promotions. If you are not already on our newsletter list, then you should sign up to our social media channels so that you can take advantage of the flash sales that will be running from March 1 to March 14!

• Jade Rope on Facebook
• Jade Rope on Twitter
• Jage Rope on Google+

Don't hesitate... grab some of the best value bondage rope on the market. We'll look after you!

Jade Rope's beautiful natural tossa jute ropes are such a fantastic quality that they actually attract people whom appreciate esthetics and they do so whilst being supurbly effective when rigging. At Jade Rope we are extremely proud of these high quality ropes, and we know they will become favourites within any colection of rope you may have.

When conditioned theseTossa jute ropes ofer incredibly soft fibres providing a nice golden colour, and this impressive colour is just one of the qualities offered. Not only will you will appreciate the optimal flexibility of this type of fibre, it delivers on one extremely important factor... an ability to form longlasting knots that resist compression under load.

If you could lable a rope as 'HQ Tossa Jute', this rope excells in numerous categories, making it our premium choice when looking for soft jute ropes. This Tossa jute is pleasant to touch - even before conditioning - making it very effective when in contact with skin. 

One of the big advantages high quality tossa jute ropes is that your ropes are always highly photogenic. It doesnt matter if you are shooting in B/W photo or colour. Obtaining profesional photos showing a strong structure of rope is very easily achieved with this choice of bondage rope. You will enjoy this rich golden colour even more when combining rope over clothes. Despite our preference of rope on skin, one of the key qualities of Tossa Jute rope – the golden colour - is accentuated infront of a variety of dark and light colours.

New unconditioned Tossa Jute ropes are perfect for traditional rigging, especially with a sub that enjoys a course sensation when being tied. We have even had feedback where bunnies have critised the enevitable softness created by conditioning the ropes with bee wax or oils (Jojoba, or  Camelia 'Tsubaki'). If you prefer to buy already conditioned ropes we reccomand you to choose some of our ropes which have been preapired and conditioned with maximum care. We are extremely confident both the rigger and bunny will feel that extra care and attention.

We can promise you a many amazing moments during the rigging with these premium qualtity ropes. We're so confident,  will look forward you to send us some of the results of your work with ropes! Feel free to share the passion of rope with others.

Ra. and Joe
Jade Rope Team Europe

Kalyss Mercury is well known in Brisbane for her household of kinky adventures, however, life goes on and Mistress MK Mercury has now departed to study in Norway. Brisbane's loss will be Europe's gain... and her presence in Europe is timely. Our new EU rope outlet is now up and running in Czech Republic. Unfortunately Czech is a little way from Norway, but Jade Rope EU will be delighted to have Kalyss in the neighbourhood. You can reach Kalyss via her website.

Model: Kalyss Mercury | Rigger: Nawa-Kun

Our photographer (Stillsby Hill) managed to capture this moment, the 'pulse of pleasure' that came directly after a more painful set of expressions as Nawa-Kun put his own weight behind the two column tie, stretching Kalyss out in a return to the roots of kinbaku. A somewhat slightly torturous experience that - we can assure you - was reveled in.

However, like any true dominant, Kalyss soon took command of the shoot (even whilst being bound to the pole in her own dungeon) and then put Nawa-kun's ties to the test by stretching through several different posses. This one was by far our favourite!

Nawa-Kun is now enjoying a healthy stop over in Japan - December through April - to dose up on some more rope tuition, we're actually envious of the treat in store for all the Canadian rope lovers once he arrives on their shores.

Model: Kalyss Mercury | Rigger: Nawa-Kun

We're delighted to announce that Jade Rope placed 5th in the 2012 Bondage Awards. While it would have been delightful to be one of the top 3 stores, we are actually very pleased with the result.

Our Jade Rope outlet in Portland (USA) was only in operation for seven months prior to this years nominations and to be recognised as the 5th best store out of 33 entries from around the globe is an enormous honour to obtain. Especially this quickly. Best of all Jade Rope was voted higher than all other stores dealing specifically with rope.   

Placing above existing reputable rope stores such as Esinem, Bind-Me, Maui Kink and Twisted Monk was extremely surprising, and given that all four of these stores have been in operation for many more years we're genuinely grateful to all of the riggers and rope bunnies out there who voted us into the highest placement among all of the rope outlets. 

"We're only about half way into our development wishlist for Jade Rope, so this is a very promising start
to our goal of becoming the most preferred rope store for Kinbaku enthusiasts". 

- Level1, (one of the original founders of Jade Rope)

A Noble Thanks

We want to expressly thank Noble who has been doing an great job in the US. Noble also obtained high placements in this year's Bondage Awards, but his commitment to delivering a high level of service has been commendable and we're delighted to see that this has been recognised by so many of our customers in the United States.

Obtaining such a strong backing so quickly has only been possible through his efforts.

Our Focus on Rope for Kinbaku

When we launched Jade Rope in the UK we wanted to offer the widest range of quality ropes we could find, for all rope lovers. Since taking that first step in 2011, we've become increasingly aware that riggers buying from us are increasingly demanding better quality jute ropes.  This will be our focus for 2013, we will be aiming to expand our existing offering of jute and obtain some premium high end jute rope sets.

With the addition of Nawashi Mugen to our team running Jade Rope Europe, we're looking forward to a very exciting new year!

We're delighted to announce two new team members: Ra. Panajotov and Joe Bart. A pair of experienced riggers who have both been actively pursuing Shibari/Kinbaku bondage for several years will now be opperating our new rope outlet based in Czech.

The level of interest in Jade Rope’s assortment of rope and rigging products has been slowly growing. Following the successful opening of branches in the United States and Australia, we are now expanding our quality customer services in Europe. This also means lower shipping costs to many of the EU member countries. It is our goal to continue to try and bring these costs down so everyone can obtain our quality rope for less. 

You can read more about our new team members here. We are delighted to have two accomplished riggers as part of our growing team.

Incredibly strong, and extremely light weight, we fell in love with this suspension ring the moment we first touched the ring's shinny smooth surface. It is a great feeling to know that others are now discovering the joy of this great little gem.

Our suspension ring is the only Certified Mobile Anchor Point (EN795(b) standard) that we've seen for sale in the bondage market, and knowing that it is rated to 30kN (3,000kg/6,750lb) is an assurance we believe other people are finding very valuable as well.

It is a delight that our suspension ring is now a best seller. For a few months now this ring has been the best selling item offered in our rigging equipment category and this November our mini suspension ring became the 6th best seller on our website.

Surely you need a bigger ring

There is definately a "My ring is bigger than your ring" complex out there... but our mini suspension ring allows anyone to rig right next to the largest ring in the room and be confident that anything thrown at it can be handled superbly by this more compact and most likely 'significantly lighter' choice in rigging equipment.

The only downside is the number of times you can run through the ring before rope lines start to fall ontop of one another. Many riggers do prefer to have a suspension ring that can handle five to six rope lengths that have been doubled back upon themselves, giving a total of 10-12 lines.

Whilst this amount of rope is not typically needed for most suspensions if you wish to rig in this manner our mini suspension ring may not be ideal for you. But... if you pay attention to a lot of performance rigging, you'll notice that carabinas are being used more and more as they are a great way to safely control and  seperate out the ropes. We really like this approach, and we easily fit six of our super light wiregate carabinas onto our mini suspension ring without any difficulty.

The right size for a suspension ring

One of the most beautiful aspects of shibari and kinbaku in present times is that people are starting to understand that there is no 'one way', no absolute right. Whilst there definately are wrong ways, and unsafe approaches, as long as your not putting someone at risk the true 'best way' in rigging is what works best for you and your bunny at that time.

Our mini suspension ring has an overall 12mm (1/2") diameter - which ,coincidently, is double the thickness of a 6mm (1/4") rope - allowing for an ideal amount of support for the section of rope undergoing a U turn under load.

Should you be crunching the sums, you'll notice that the centre is 26mm which comfortably allows two knotted rope ends to pass through, even when there is already four ropes in place.

Make no mistake... our Mini Suspension ring is one of the newer innovations in rigging that challanges the common thought. Bigger, is definitly not always better.

Brisbane based Beserk is one of those brands that is legendary among it's followers... we didn't have to ask a single model twice to be part of this shoot - not only would they get to be tied up - but they'd be suspended whilst decked out in  a great range of alternative clothing.

Featured Right

Model: Emily Logan
Rigger: LifesAStory
Rope: Braided 5mm Hemp

Whilst not a suspension, this basic two column tie was possibly the most fun of the entire shoot... the freedom provided by this 'restraint' offered Emily the chance to really swing off the rafters.

Outfiting this georgeous model is an array of alternative brands. Supporting Beserk there is  Avelina De Moray and Hollywood Mirror, and the next shot adds Poizen Industires to the list.

NOTE: You can take advantage of the great new Taggstar technology and click straight through to your favourite item directly from any of our images in this post!

Featured Below

Model: Miri Mayhem
Rigger: Level1
Rope: 6mm Worsted Polyester

Featured Right

Model: ScarredSerenity
Rigger: Nawa-kun
Rope: 6mm Tossa Jute

This inversion suspension sees another two alternative brands added to the supporting list; Hell Bunny and Leg Avenue.

Now Hell Bunny is certainly a brand that was made for shibari and kinbaku fun! You can see another great top of there's in the shot below.

If there are any model's looking to be a bunny in our next shoot please do make contact with us.

Featured Below

Model: Kristy Jax
Rigger: LifesAStory
Rope: Braided 6mm Hemp

All images were photographed by StrobeBris. Compositing handled by the Jade Rope Team.
Backgrounds thanks to Rob Boudon under the Creative Commons.

Thanks also go out to Beserk and QA Group for their assistence with this fun little project.

Having to ‘break in’ new rope almost every day, we needed a quick way to prepare new hemp and jute ropes for use in shibari and kinbaku.

This method of breaking in our new rope was developed after several months of trying many variations. Allowing yu to very quickly reduce the initial stiff feeling a new natural fibre rope posesess.  

We originally used a number of alternative methods obtained from other riggers around the globe, but eventually developed this method for dry preparation of natural fibre shibari/kinbaku ropes.  

The Jade Rope Quick Preparation Method

1. Hold your suspension ring (or large carabiner) straight up and down (as if you were holding a microphone) 
   
   ... really quite straight forward ;)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
2. Twist the rope in an anti-clockwise direction around the bottom side so that you make two complete turns, then pull a 30-40cm length through.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
3. Pass the leading end of your rope around a beam (or fixed point) and then feed it back through your suspension ring. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
4. Make sure you enter on the same side of the ring as you exited, and ensure the turns around the top of your ring are also made in an anti-clockwise direction.
   (Your rope should always enter and exit on the same side of the ring)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
5. Holding the leading end in place, pull back on the ring allowing the bottom section to feed through. 
   (For best effect, create drag by using your bottom two fingers to slow the speed in which the rope passes through the ring)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
6. Using your other hand push the ring back towards the beam, while holding the rope ends taunt.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
7. Grab hold of the section of rope now at the top of the ring and repeat steps 4 to 6 until all of your rope has past through the ring. 
   (If you have purchased particularly tightly laid rope – like our tossa jute – you may wish to put the length through a second time, however we only do this once and really like the end product) 

Why this quick method works when breaking in rope

The first time the new rope passes through the bottom of the ring, the anti-clockwise direction actually forces the strands to untwist slightly. The ring is then moved back and forth over any one section two more times during the overall process; re-tightening then re-loosening. That is before the rope is turned 180 degrees back upon itself. This time, when the rope travels back through the suspension ring it is being forced to twist back into a tighter lay. Because of the pumping action of the ring, one section of rope is ‘loosened’ four times, and tightened four times, returning the lay of the rope to ‘almost’ the same lay as it was in the starting position, however… the 180 degree turn is completed while the rope has been loosened making the rope flex further during the bend.

An added bonus is that the two ends of your rope are spared the full extent of the treatment. Experienced riggers will know that it is typically the ends and centre of your rope which wear or loosens first. You will notice that the rope is actually twisted and untwisted eight times in the preparation process, and this is achieved with just a few quick movements.  

This is not only the quickest method we know to break in new rope, but because the process returns the rope to it’s original lay this method also ensures there is absolutely minimal weakening of the rope. And this is the key reason why we have adopted this preparation method as our preferred way to break in new rope for shibari and kinbaku.

We are extremely excited to announce that Jade Rope is the only Australian rope store to be nominated for Best Bondage Store.

These awards are dominated by U.S. businesses, and we’ll be hard pressed to obtain a medal, but we are stoked for the recognition imparted by the nomination. There are 33 other stores in the running for the Best Bondage Store, so  the competition will be strong. 

We’d love your support, if you find the time to vote once or twice we would really appreciate the backing of everyone who has loved our products - VOTE HERE.

We have some great plans in place for the future… hopefully we’ll continue to gain recognition like this! So come on everyone... lets see if we can lift an Aussie business into the Bondage Awards Hall of Fame, by taking out the Best Bondage Store award this year!

General Rope Care

One of the key's to rope safety is remembering to inspect your rope before and after each use. You can do this by running through your hands and look for nicks, cuts and abrasions. You should also be aware of laid rope ‘opening up’ (untwisting).

• Use a rope bag; this will protect from dirt and abrasive particles that can reduce the strength and performance of your rope. (Remember to clean your bag regularly).
• Carry some cloth with you that you can wrap your rope in and use to place your rope on, as apposed to placing it straight on a floor. (Remember to clean your cloth sections regularly).
• If your rope starts to twist in on itself regularly, let it hang free so that that the twists unravel naturally.
• When storing your rope for long durations it is better to use a loose butterfly coil.
• Avoid marking your rope with pen, or inks as many of these contain solvents which can damage your rope.
• Avoid stepping on rope, this grinds dust and dirt into the fibres, reducing the life of ropes.
• Use suspension points that do not have sharp edges. This includes avoiding cheaper carabineers that do not have rounded edges on the gate.
• When using suspension rings, select ones that are at least twice the diameter of your rope to avoid unnecessary strain as the rope turns back on itself.  
• Wash your rope only when you need to. The less you wash your rope the longer it will last, but washing your rope is better than letting dirt, chemicals and acids obtained from people’s skin build up.
• Store your rope in a cool and dry place away from chemicals either in a rope bag or in a non-exposed storage space hung up from a smooth wooden or plastic dowel that is 3-4 times the diameter of your rope.

When do you need to replace your rope

You should never use damaged or old rope for suspensions. If you have become emotionally attached to a particular rope, put it aside and use it for building on your nawasa (floor techniques) or save it for the bedroom.

A rough guide for when you retire a rope is:

• Heavy performance rigging with regular suspensions: 3-6 months
• Regular suspensions and or vigorous high friction ties: 6-12 months
• Weekend fun only: 1-2 years
• Occasional use: 2-3 years

IMPORTANT:

• The above are only generalisations, and all assume that you store your rope correctly and care for it regularly.
• Always inspect your rope prior to any suspension or risky tie.
• It you have ‘shocked’ your rope a number of times, with any close calls, you should consider retiring it even if it is new.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Most of the new customers are snatching up cotton clothesline or soft and pliable nylon rope. Lexington Hardware on the upper east side estimated a 10-fold increase in these rope sales in the last 6 months. Sales of other kinky items have also jumped at stores that specialize in sex toys. A Babeland spokesperson reported that sales of BDSM toys have increased 30% since the 50 shades trilogy came out, mostly from purchases of the types of items described in the books.

The 50-shades phenomenon is increasing the public’s awareness and acceptance of kink and consensual rope bondage; and with this upsurge in interest more and more people are going to be looking for a length or two of rope to add some spice to their bedroom activities. I imagine that quite a few hardware store clerks who have only ever fantasized about rope bondage are finding themselves in a position of shyly being asked for advice on the suitability of different kinds of rope for sensual bondage.

Unfortunately the selection of rope at most hardware stores that is actually suitable for really enjoyable bondage tying or the delights of being bound is paltry to non-existent. For the sake of the the newcomers who venture into this wonderful realm of consensual rope restraint I hope at least a few hardware store clerks know enough to steer the newbies looking for natural-fiber ropes away from the sisal and manilla – unless their customers have a decidedly sadistic or masochistic gleam in their eyes.

 -Noble

Other than the inuendo of that single mention of rope near the beginning of the series, there are no steamy descriptions of rope bondage scenes in any of the three Shades-of-Grey books.  According to my friend, the few bondage scenes actually described in the books feature handcuffs or cable ties.

I think this speaks to just how captivating the concept of rope restraint truly is to people. The idea of experiencing rope bondage is apparently so appealing to the people that are drawn to these best-selling kink-themed books that hardware stores are being inundated by customers coming in and repeating the line from the book asking specifically for "natural filament rope."  Most of the new customers are reportedly snatching up cotton clothesline or nylon rope. I welcome them to the community of people who find rope restraint so enticing for so many varied reasons. I just wish they could get their hands on some natural cotton or linen ropes that are really suited for bondage. Then they'd see just how much more exciting and satisfying it is to actually do rope bondage than read about oblique references to it.

 -Noble

Esinem’s Tossa Jute rope becomes a favourite with Australian riggers. With little over a week remaining of pre-opening specials, our Australian outlet sold out of our initial stock of the 6mm Tossa Jute. The AU store has also been reduced to less than 50 metres of the 5mm rope in the same Tossa jute rope range.

Never fear, we have already ordered replacement stock (which we expect to arrive prior to the store’s opening on June 26, 2012) so you haven’t missed out on the chance to save 20% when you obtain some of this great quality shibari/kinbaku rope.

Esinem’s rope lines have all proven quite popular with Australian riggers, his light weight 6mm Asanawa has taken the honour of our 4^th best selling rope, giving Esinem (one of our favourite rope artists) 3 of the best 5 sellers in the Australian market so far. The popularity of these jute ropes in Australia is promising, and we are looking forward to our official launch here.

Image Credits | Rigger: Esinem | Model: Ika Noir | Photographer: Nawa Chou

Many people may not realise that the origins of Jade Rope actually start in Brisbane Australia. In early 2009, frustrated by not being able to source good quality rope at a reasonable price, one of our founding members began the researching how to take a passion for rope and begin spreading that love to a greater audience.

When that first business modelling was carried out the Australian market alone wasn't large enough to support imports of sufficient size to bring the costs involved down. Instead of turning away our small team spent 18 months abroad setting up our supplier network and additional outlets in the larger European markets to obtain the buying power necessary to bring great rope to Austlain shores.

It is a little known fact that Jade Rope was created specifically so that we could make the availability of great rope at reasonable prices a reality in Australia. Along the way, however, we’ve become completely enamoured with the passion for rope throughout the world and we’re extremely pleased to be pioneering a global rope network.

This was slightly a back to front way of doing things, but we are extremely glad that we have now returned home to Australia again! And it is even more delighting to have received such a warm welcome. We thank everyone for their kind letters and messages of support.

Our second Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition lived up to the first year's high standards, with more entries by more entrants:

168 entries, 8 finalist, 12 Fetlife favourites, and over 60 highlights

With votes by more than 2,100 Fetlifers!

This year the 1st place prize - the opportunity to custom design your very own 'ideal rope set' - goes to Tho4ns for this entry:

Rope & Photo by: Tho4ns | Model: Miss_Seraph

2012 Highest Voted Kinbaku/Shibari Image

This year the winner of the 'Public Vote' (Fetlife User's Favourite Image) was awarded to Ruairidh who both rigged and shot this photo of Yggdrasil. It is a beautiful and unique rope corset that obviously appealed to many people... enhanced by the gorgeous Yggdrasil we are sure.

2012 JRPPC - "Highest Voted"
Entry, Rope & Photo by: Ruairidh | Model: Yggdrasil

This image took the lead on the votes in the first week and held 1st place right through the entire competition. This year Fetlife's "Kinky & Popular" feature obviously assisted exposure for this great shibari photo, and whilst we 'hope' everyone commenting was aware of the competition running, in the end it is about sharing the beauty of kinbaku with an ever wider audience.

2012 Top 6 Shibari/Kinbaku Photos

Despite many agonising hours, the Jade Rope team was unable to reduce all of the amazing shibari/kinbaku photo entires to a top 6. We simply couldn't form a consensus. So this year there was a top 8. The winner you have seen included, so here are the remaining seven best Kinbaku/Shibari photos of 2012.

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entry, Rope & Photo by: Aeolis_Est
Model: BeautyBurns

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entry & Rope by: OneSexyKitten
Model: Rusty Shakleford
Photo: TheBodyErotique

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entry by: Rue99
Model: CuntessDupri

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entry, Rope & Photo by: VicRopes
Model: S.

2012 JRPPC Finalist & "12th Highest Voted"
Entry, Rope & Photo by: Anthelian
Models: Vervon & Heather

Those of you who followed the 2011 Competition will recognise Anthelian's work and Vernon who won last year's competition.

It was great to see them back again this year with another stunning entry. Anthelian also featured in the highest voted images a second time with another shibari image.

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entrant, Rigger & Model: ve-ra
Photo: Tho4ns

2012 JRPPC Finalist
Entry & Photo by: MarshallB
Rope: MR. Matt

Thank you again to everyone who entered the 2012 Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition.

It’s that time of year again! We’re asking you pull out that awesome rope bondage shot and turn it into a new set ropes.

Last year we received 144 entries, which collectively gained votes by over 1,600 Fetlifers!

This year we’ve up’d the stakes by increasing the prize money, and also offering a larger rope kit to whomever wins!

Best of all… you get to design the rope bundle yourself!

So why not get your favourite rope bondage shot out there and let it bask in the appreciation of other rope lovers!

You can read more about the Jade Rope Profile Photo Competition or get started by loggin into your Fetlife account this instant and messaging us with a link to the image you’d like to submit for entry.

We've included two highlights from the 2011 Profile Photo Competition, above and to the right is an entry by Stark-Arts and to the right and below is another highlight from DomSir.

Jade Rope - We Love Fetlife

We've just launched Jade Rope Europe. Our online EU rope supplies store - www.jaderope.eu - went live on Friday morning (December 2), and we are delighted to become the first international bondage rope supplier with a true global presence!

Currently all orders are still shipping from London, but that is a temporary arrangement which is in place only until the European branch opens. But there are big plans in place to enable effective European shibari and kinbaku rope supply network.

We're now putting out a call for shibari and kinbaku lovers who may like to assist us in building out the European languages. We're happy to pay for translation, but we\'d prefer to find someone who loves rope bondage and would like to become part of the Jade Rope team. We're particularly interested in people who are fluent in multiple languages.

Contact Jade Rope Europe if you\'d like to discuss the opportunity further.

A Perfect Stocking Filler

Looking for an inexpensive bondage rope set? We’ve decided that it should be easy to start out in bondage… cost certainly shouldn’t be a barrier and we really want to share the joy rope bondage can offer with as many people as possible. At these prices, our rope bundles are the perfect extra little Christmas presents if you wish to encourage a lover to try their hand at a touch of kink.  

At Jade Rope, we’ve just released two new low cost rope sets to help beginners obtain better quality ropes for a fraction of the price:

Beginners Shibari Rope Bondage Bundle
Available in Black & White twisted MFP, with both 6mm & 8mm options 

Introductory Kinbaku Rope Bondage Bundle
Available in Black & White twisted MFP rope

About the Beginners Bondage Rope Sets

These introductory rope kits are designed to provide you with an ideal rope set to learn with. Whilst synthetic ropes do tend to be a little ‘slippery’ we’ve chosen a nice diameter of 6mm with a twisted rope, so that you are one step closer to the jute ropes and hemp ropes, that are preferred by advanced riggers.

Both beginners rope bundles are made with MFP (Multi-filament Polypropylene) which is a soft and silky - perfect to introduce first timers to the pleasures rope can offer. Interestingly, MFP is the same fibre that sold as Japanese Silk Rope in adult stores, only we have created this rope at a much higher quality. There are far more numerous fibres... making it capable of holding up to 560kgs of weight.

The bondage rope bundles provides you with 21 or 24 meters of 6mm MFP rope to learn to tie with. The Beginners Shibari bundle consists of four lengths of rope and a total of 21 meters, and the Introductory Kinbaku bundle is made up of three lengths totalling 24 meters.

Polypropylene rope also has a number of other benifits, primarily that this MFP does not absorb moisture, and is very flexable. We know you will love these new rope sets, and because we are in the christmas spirit, we\'ve reduced them even further.

Anthelian has recently provided a free Wallpaper for Jade Rope.

Featuring Vernon, who modeled in Jade Rope\'s 2011 Profile Picture Competition Winning Image, this new amazing shot is utilising the Ideal Rope Set which Vernon won.

Anthelian has offered this wallpaper in 1920x1080 and 1280x720 screen resolutions.

Cotton Rope: Reinventing a favourite

Having featured in the first iconic bondage photographs in the US, cotton will always have a place in the psyche of western rope bondage enthusiasts.  Recently though, the easy availability of cheap cotton ropes has caused this fibre to lose a previously high stature.

Five key reasons cotton ropes fell out of favour:

• Cheap cotton ropes tend to compress – causing knots to ‘lock’ and be extremely difficult to untie
• Sash cord style cotton rope is often of rather weak construction – making it unsuitable for anything more than decorative bondage
• Cotton has a very high capacity for absorption (water, sweat, and other fluids) – requiring regular and thorough cleaning
• Possessing a shorter fibre length cotton suffers abrasion poorly – reducing the rope life
• Loosely made cotton rope tends to have a higher rate of stretch

Welcome to the Revival

At Jade Rope we’ve teamed up with a superior cotton rope manufacturer to provide a cotton rope that is ideal for bondage.  Our cotton ropes may cost more than your hardware store variety, but they out perform cheaper ropes dramatically. 

Eliminating locked knots
You can tell cheaper cotton ropes straight away by their loose weave.  Some are so loose they take on an oval shape.  These are the most commonly found ropes in adult stores. Our cotton ropes have a firm weave comprising of up to four times as many cotton fibres in the same length of rope.  This dramatically reduces the chance of not being able to untie a knot that has been under strain.

Higher tensile strength
The higher ratio of fibres mentioned above also means that our cotton ropes posses superior strength, reduced stretch and better resistance to abrasion.

Improved Life-span
Our cotton rope is impregnated with a naturally occurring wax known as Lanolin that reduces absorption and actively combats some microbes. This not only protects the cotton fibres but is also great for skin... so good that Lanolin is common in many natural beauty products.

Why Choose Cotton Rope

The beauty of cotton is almost entirely invested in it’s soft feel , but the look of a natural white fabric against the skin is also visually appealing.  The other benefit is that cotton still possess ‘tooth’ or ‘bite’, meaning that it will hold knots much easier than synthetic fibres.

We offer a range of cotton ropes in 5mm, 6mm and 8mm options. All of which enable you to enjoy the extremely soft feel of cotton whilst also benefiting from other positives – which today – are more commonly associated with hemp and jute fibres.  

A 'Perfect' Bundle of Rope

The winner of our recent profile picture competition, was able to choose out their 'ideal' rope bundle from all of the types of ropes we have available to buy online.

They were able to choose the type of fibre, diameter, colour and even individual rope lengths.

We are very pleased to announce that the competition was won by Vervon, who submitted this great image. We're also delighted to announce that Vervon's perfect bundle of rope, or her 'ideal' rope set consists of 100% natural braided hemp rope.

When a type of rope fibre becomes important

In the last few years, tossa (a variety of jute fibre) has come to the forefront of rope bondage. Jute has always been a strong contender for the elusive title of ‘best type of rope’. Now the right to the label of best rope is being fought between white jute and golden jute.

White Jute (also known as Bangla) and Golden Jute (Tossa) fibres are produced from two plants in the Malvaceae family. Corchorus capsularis is commonly referred to as white jute, and Corchorus olitorius is known as the golden jute used in our Tossa Rope.

What real differences are there between Tossa and Bangla

Tossa fibres tend to be slightly darker with either a light reddish or brown (earthen) hue.  The actual colour is effected by the soil - or more specifically - the nutrients available in the soil where the plants were grown. This becomes most evident when you obtain plants of the same variety from different regions or even countries. The distinctive golden look is most common in plants grown in Africa.

Tossa fibres are naturally longer as the Corchorus olitorius grows taller with less ‘branching’. This provides a raw material capable of being woven into stronger rope. The tossa jute variety also tends to be a slightly less dense plant matter, making the fibres fractionally lighter in weight.

Do not interpret that statement to mean that a rope made from tossa jute is lighter than one made from standard or ‘white’ jute. The construction of the rope will ultimately determine it’s weight and strength. Better quality rope always uses more fibres per metre than poorer quality alternatives. This is why jute rope can be brought very cheaply – the amount of fibre used in hardware store options is half what you need if you are tying anything other than garden posts.

Interesting Jute Facts

• There are actually 40+ varieties (or strains) of jute plant, however, only two are grown commercially.
• Jute is the second most commonly used vegetable fibre in the world.
• Jute is 100% biodegradable – one of the reasons we love selling natural fibre ropes.
• Tossa Jute is more difficult to grow than Bangla (white jute), and is only harvested once a year as apposed to two harvests that are possible with the white jute plant.

Jade Rope's Social Media Profile Picture Competition is into it's final stages.

We've had some great images submitted by 108 shibari & kinbaku enthusiests. A total 144 photos were considered and now 6 finalists have been selected.

Entry by: Ricardo

Entry by: KylieLiddell

Entry by Tom-Foolery

Entry by: Vervon

Entry by: TheNameIsSir

Entry by: Vervon

We thank all of the riggers, photographers and models who were gracious enough to enter the competition and we look forward to announcing the winning shibari/kinbaku photograph.

Kinbaku has retained many traditions of Hojojutsu, but not evolved towards torinawajutsu practiced by current day Japanese National Police. Kinbaku practitioners tend to pay more attention to functionality as a method of restraint. Two other common indicators are:  

  •  There is a preference to fix ropes using ‘weaves’ as apposed to knots 
  •  Rope is deployed with erotic intent, where the rigger often actively targets erogenous zones

These characteristics, do not define Kinbaku as a discipline, they are merely preferences that can be seen when observing the Kinbaku communities. As with all generalisations, individuals should not be judged against such criteria.

This section of the Jade Rope blog - Nawa-go (Rope Language) - is intended to provide valuable bondage knowledge. We will aim to create a resource of useful kinbaku techniques and include detial \'how to\' instruction.

Kinbaku shares a number of similarities with Shibari, both disciplines – when practiced at higher levels – tend to structure ties in a manner where the ropes themselves become pleasurable for the person being bound.

The reason behind a preference to avoid knots within the kinbaku discipline is commonly attributed to be relating back to the origins of Hojojutsu, where it was considered shameful for people of a higher status to be bound. In these instances the rope was applied in a manner where no knots were used. The desire to replicate ties from a previous era means that the approach from those times is also translated into modern work.

Fusion Bondage, has arisen as a term that covers the adoption of Japanese inspired bondage techniques into western societies. It is also known as Western Bondage, and essentially draws on knots, ties and techniques from disciplines unrelated to shibari or kinbaku, such as sailing and survival.

This category within our Nawa-go Blog will focus on bondage knowledge specific to Fusion Bondage. Jade rope is hoping to attract some leading rope artists to both contribute to this blog, as well as provide interviews on various fusion techniques, or approaches to western bondage.

Feel free to contact Jade Rope, if you are seeking specific knowledge – be it ‘how to’, or simply searching for insights from others who have practiced longer in the craft.

Developing a Trade of Knowledge

We\'re publicly appealing to people who are aware of training centres for Hojojutsu.

If you know of a martial arts school/venue that incorporates hojojutsu (hojo-jutsu or torinawajutsu) we want to hear from you.

It doesn\'t matter where you live, or in what city/country that you know the training centre exists, we simply wish to build up a solid list of avenues for people wishing to learn hojojutsu.

Please email Jade Rope with any information you may have.

Jade Rope has been switched live!

All of our rope is now available for purchase.

While the site is not scheduled to launch until April 26, we thought this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate what Jade Rope is all about... providing you with the ideal online store to buy rope for bondage restraint.

We\'re running a once off 20% discount on all of the rope we have available to buy online. This offer will not be repeated - we can\'t exactly launch the site twice now can we? Learn more about our pre-launch rope sale.

Jade Rope will have a lot of extra goodies for sale when we launch on April 26, but for now... enjoy the wide range of rope that forms the backbone of our new little store.

Hello From Jade Rope

Jade Rope has begun developing our new online rope store. This construction phase is scheduled to run through to late April and will launch with some great promotional discounts.

Jade Rope has begun developing our new online rope store. This construction phase is scheduled to run through to late April and will launch with some great promotional discounts.

Jade Rope will be offering 20% off all of the rope products on the site leading up to the official opening, so join the Jade Rope newsletter now to be sure you receive notification of this one time sale!

We look forward to launching this new online rope outlet and can\'t wait for feedback from the shibari, kinbaku and hojojutsu communities.

Regards,

The Jade Rope Team