Imperial Jadeite

A hand-carved, Imperial Jadeite “Peace buckle” pendant with pavé diamonds set in 18k gold.

Jadeite forms when continents collide. A meeting and a transformation that resonates within Asprey’s new Imperial Jadeite collection—future heirlooms at the intersection of British artisanal heritage and rich Chinese folklore.

here are two types of jade, this storied material in Chinese ancient culture: nephrite, which has been used to make jewellery, ornamental pieces, tools and weapons for at least five millennia and jadeite, which is rarer and more recent within Chinese culture. Discovered in the 1700s in Burma, modern-day Myanmar, its beguiling and bright emerald green made it the immediate favourite within the Chinese imperial court. During the Qing Dynasty, around the time Britain was going through the Victorian era, Empress Dowager Cixi found it such a seductive material, she utilised it for everything from chopsticks to tea bowls in the Changchun Palace.

Jadeite’s unusually lustrous hue is incredible when it interacts with light; its pure crystal structure converts the light passing through it into an enigmatic glow. It is so high on the Mohs Scale that a hammer blow makes it ring rather than rupture. Asprey, a British institution, a creator of family heirlooms in materials from silver to crystal, porcelain to leather since 1781, debuts a collection made uniquely of this covetable material: Imperial Jadeite.

The collection of bracelets, bangles, pedants, rings, broaches, necklaces and elaborately carved sculptures are replete with symbolic resonance. The exquisite, smooth-edged “Blessing” bracelet, for example, pictured on the following page, is a bangle whose trio of circular forms (inner ring, outer ring and circumference of the band itself) represent the human pursuit of eternal life. All bracelets from the collection are carved from a single block of the raw material, with stunning pieces such as the “Peace Buckle” pendant, pictured left, resulting from the removed centre circle. Jadeite also appears in the collection as an ultra-rare purple jade—a nod to a Chinese legend in which bodhisattva Guan Yin saw a violet aura over the Hangu Pass, the cradle of Chinese civilisation, heralding the imminent crossing of 6th-century sage and Taoism founder Lao-Tzu.

Millions of years ago when continents collided, mineral-rich fluids from the plunging seafloor rose into the cracks of the Earth’s mantle to deposit the beginnings of jadeite rock as we know it now. As the tectonic plates continued to settle and resettle into place, the veins of jadeite broke and reformed again and again, producing the marbleized textures sometimes seen in the stone, bewitching its beholder.

China’s passion for jadeite echoes its royal heritage as well as its modern tastes, to connect to the past and the future through precious, meaningful heirlooms. Ancient made modern, meaning made material, traditions crossing continents, Asprey’s Imperial Jadeite collection is jewellery for all eras.

A hand carved, Imperial Jadeite, cabochon cut “Eye” brooch mounted in an 18k white gold floral spray highlighted with brilliant cut diamonds

Asprey London 36 Bruton Street Mayfair, London W1J 6QX T. +44 (0)20 7493 6767

All images © courtesy of Asprey Hand-carved green Imperial Jadeite teapot with lid and handle Opposite page: L-R: green Imperial Jadeite “Blessing” bracelet, green Imperial Jadeite white gold and diamond cabochon ring, Lavender jadeite “Blessing” bracelet