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Jade: "The Strength of Steel"Jade, Chinese Stone of Heaven:Since at least 2950 BC, jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone, yu. The Chinese 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. Jade was thought to preserve the body after death and can be found in emperors Tombs from thousands of years ago. 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. The history of jade in Europe is not quite as distinguished, most Europeans were unfamiliar with jade as a gemstone for jewelry use until the sixteenth century when jade objects were imported from China and, later, Central America. The Portuguese, who brought home jade pieces from their settlement in Canton, China, called jade piedre de ilharga, or stone of the loins, because they believed it to be strong medicine for kidney trouble. Jade objects brought back to Spain from the new world were called by the Spanish version of this phrase piedra de hijada. This became the French ejade and then, finally, jade. What is Jade:Jade is a name that was applied to ornamental stones that were being brought to Europe from China and Central America. It wasn't until 1863 that it was realized that Jade was being applied to two different minerals (Jadeite & Nephrite). The two minerals are both exquisite for the purposes that jade is put to task and are hard to distinguish from each other. So what to do? Leave it alone and call them both Jade! Both jadeite and nephrite are very durable and tough, although jadeite is mildly harder than nephrite due to its microcrystalline structure The toughness of jade is remarkable. It has a strength greater than steel and was put to work by many early civilizations for axes, knives and weapons. It was later that jade became a symbolic stone used in ornaments and other religious artifacts during the eons. Origins of Jade:The ancient jade carved in China was what we today call nephrite jade. (Interestingly enough, the word nephrite comes from the Greek word for kidney, nephros, a bit more scholarly version of the same thing.) Jadeite Jade is one of the two minerals called jade. Jadeite has been a mystery to geologists for centuries. Its very source was an enigma since all known sources were from river gravel and boulders. Even today, only a few occurrences are known. Jadeite is considered rare yet it is composed of two minerals that are relatively common: Albite and nepheline. Jadeite's specific gravity of 3.3 to 3.5 is significantly higher than albite's 2.61 or nepheline's 2.60 - 2.65. This density increase can only be attributed to an unusually close packing of the structure inside the crystals. This packing must also be responsible for the unusual toughness of jadeite. Jadeite is now known to form in only high pressure and temperature regions that coincide with continent to continent collisions. When these conditions are right jadeite will form. Cleaning & Maintenance:Due to Jadeite’s extreme toughness there is very little maintenance that your inlay will require beyond occasional buffing with a soft cotton cloth. Specifications:
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