Burma Jade

Posted in Asian Antique Collectibles on 06/01/2011 04:42 am by admin

Burma Jade

Jade - The Gemstone Of Asian Royalty

Jade has had a special place in the long and rich history of Chinese Art and culture. In many ways, the reverence for jade demonstrated by the Chinese and other Asian cultures rivals the West's obsession with gold and diamonds! Throughout Asia, jade was known as the gemstone of royalty. It was worn by kings and noble families, and was even placed in their tombs after their deaths. It was believed that jade would protect them in the afterlife, and prevent their bodies from decaying. In time, the legends grew, and jade came to be accepted as the royal gemstone with magical powers. In order to truly grasp the emotions and sentiments that Asians attach to this gem, one must spend time in the jade market of Hong Kong, or at the more upscale Christie's House jade auctions that are organized from time to time. Ancient civilizations were first attracted by the hardness and durability of jade, and used it to fashion crude tools, implements, and weapons. It was only later that jade was seen as an ornamental material that could be used to fashion jewelry, figurines, and vessels. When used in jewelry, jade is cut in to cabochons and beads. It is frequently used to make Sterling Silver pendants, earrings, and necklaces. Outside the world of fashion jewelry, artists use this material to carve out intricate sculptures and figures. The clear, emerald green stone is the most valued. Over the years, the large variety in color and patterns exhibited by this stone have made it a popular gemstone with jewelry designers.

During the second half of the 19th century, mineralogists discovered that jade was not a unique mineral! Since then, two minerals – jadeite and nephrite have both been recognized as jade. Both stones are quite hard and take a good polish, making them ideal gemstones for fashion jewelry of today. Jadeite has small, interlocking crystals. This crystalline structure gives jadeite a high degree of toughness and hardness. Jadeite is often found in hues of green, white, pink, reds, black, brown and violet. These colors make for a good combination as accent beads in a cultured pearl necklace. From the point of view of a chemist, jadeite is a metasilicate of iron, calcium, and magnesium. Other impurities are found in minor quantities, making subtle changes to the characteristics of the mineral. For example the presence of iron or chromium gives jadeite a green color. Although similar in appearance to jadeite, nephrite is quite different from jadeite. For one, nephrite is harder and tougher than jadeite. Green is the most common color for nephrite, although the mineral can occur in almost any color. Today, Canada is the chief producer to gem-quality nephrite. A large deposit of nephrite is also being exploited in southern Wyoming in the United States. Other countries producing jade include Burma, Central America, Brazil, Canada, Japan, India, Siberia, Finland, and Tanzania.

About the Author

As a geologist, Dale has a natural interest in gems and their geological origins. He is also a fan of high-tech where he has authored pieces on cheap MP3 players, cell phones, and other items of general consumer interest.