Occurrence:
Turkestan, Central Asia,
Myanmar, Siberia, Russia, China, New Zealand, Australia, North America,
Brazil, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Italy, Poland, Germany and Switzerland.
Appearance:
Two distinct minerals
are commonly called Jade, namely Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite appears
in many shades of green, colorless, orangish to brownish red, yellow, light
to grayish blue, gray, pink, lilac and dark purple. Nephrite, very similar
in appearance to Jadeite Jade, is also found in various shades of green,
although darker. Other colors are gray, bluish gray, and grayish white.
Serpentine, another distinct mineral, also jade-like in appearance is often
mistakenly called Jade, or Serpentine Jade and not as valuable.
Something
Extra:
Jade is the Chinese stone
of heaven.Since at least 2950 BC, jade has been treasured in China as the
royal gemstone, yu. The character for jade resembles a capital I with a
line across the middle: the top represents the heavens, the bottom the
earth, and the center section, mankind. The word yu is used in Chinese
to call something precious, as in English we use gold. Jade was thought
to preserve the body after death and can be found in emperors' tombs from
thousands of years ago. One tomb contained an entire suit made out of jade,
to assure the physical immortality of its owner. For thousands of years,
jade was a symbol of love and virtue as well as a status symbol.
In Central America, the
Olmecs, the Mayans, the Toltecs all also treasured jade and used it for
carvings and masks. The
Aztecs instituted a tax in jade, which unfortunately led to the recycling
of
earlier artworks.
Today it is jadeite jade
that is considered the real jade, commanding prices much higher than
nephrite because it comes
in much more vivid green colors and finer translucency than nephrite jade.
Jadeite jade is produced
in Burma, which is now known as Myanmar. Every year, the state-owned
Myanmar Gems Enterprise
holds the Myanma Gems, Jade, and Pearl Emporium where boulders are
sold by tender to the
top jade dealers from around the world.
The following
are different types of Jade:
- Cat's
Eye Jade
- Nephrite
- Purple
Jade