Jade: The Imperial Gem |
Jade is the official gemstone of Alaska and British Columbia. It was considered the "imperial gem" or the "royal gem" in China as early as 3400 BC, and used for indoor decorations, suits for burials, weapons. tools, and ceremonial objects. It has been an important part of Chinese civilization for over 7000 years as important as gold and diamonds are in Western civilization. In recent years the famous Christie's even held jade auctions in Hong Kong. .
In ancient Korea jade was used in burials and small items of jade were used to adorn crowns. After 668AD, though, when Buddhist burials became more prevalent, the use of jade decreased since it symbolized wealth. Ornaments, neck pendants and weapons were made of it in New Zealand, and it was called "greenstone", but now much of it is imported. The ancient Egyptians honored it as a symbol of peace, love. balance, and harmony.
It is formed from two minerals, jadeite and nephrite as discovered by a mineralogist in France in the 19th century. Jade is judged on color, transparency, and clarity and ranges in color in various shades of green, as well as white, yellow, gray, black, orange and violet. It has a slightly greasy surface. Imperial jade, a form of jadeite, with its intense green is the most sought after color. The very finest jade reflects a evenly distributed color. There are sometimes stages of enhancements to jade, namely bleaching, staining, or waxing.
The word jade comes from the Spanish phrase "piedra de ijada" from the 14th century meaning "loin stone" as it was supposed to cure kidney and loin ailments. Pure white jade or yellow jade with a hue of pink are prized in the Far East. Americans and Europeans prefer a jade of emerald, apple, or spinach green. The Guatemalans have discovered new colors such as a black jadeite with gold veins, and rainbow, platinum and silver jade.
During the pre-Columibian era, the tribes in Central America hoored jade more highly than gold. There has been an increase in its appreciation across the world as more is understood about this beautiful gemstone. Jadeite is considered more valuable as it is rarer than nephrite, and the better stones come from Myanmar, formerly Burma.
Jade is also collected as antiques, and in jewelry it is often formed into cabochons since it is not transparent. Collectors often chose small bowls, snuff boxes, cigarette boxes, or jewelry, especially rings. Even they have to be wary as there are also many synthetic jades made from such materials as carnelian, serpentine, soapstone, quartz, glass, and aventurine.These creations often result in inferior products which have been colored or treated to resemble the real thing. It is therefore advisable to purchase jade from a reputable dealer or expert.