ART ANTIQUES&

By Dr. Lori

Two Types

Part 2 Nephrite of Jade:

By Dr. Lori Verderame

How did jade get its name?

Jade has been part of China’s art tradition for thousands of years. Jade comes in two distinct forms: jadeite and nephrite. Jade carvers believe that the elements of jade make jade something beautiful and valuable to wear and enjoy.

Both jadeite and nephrite are hard stones and both are called jade. If you want to be sure you have a piece of real authentic jade, look for a dense composition, veins, and weight of the stone. There should be no laying of the stone if it is really jade. Jade will scratch metal and glass.

Jade is dense and if you toss it into the air and catch it, it should be heavier than other similar stones of the same size. Weight is what you are looking for when it comes to recognizing real jade. Jade comes in many colors too: green, lavender, white, and yellow.

While most jade is jadeite on the market today. We are going to discuss nephrite—the other type of jade.

Nephrite

By the 14th century, Nephrite jade was traded widely. Nephrite is a soft and less dense stone when compared to jadeite, the jade I discussed in part 1 of this column. Nephrite has a recognizable glassy luster. Nephrite does not appear to have any layers. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, each Olympic medal was embedded with a piece of pure, natural-carved white nephrite jade.

Fake jade or look alike jades can be susceptible to chemical bleaching, color dying, and doubling, also known as layering. Some fake jade items are treated to look more translucent. Some fake jade items are treated to accept a plastic coating to enhance the object’s look. Natural, authentic, real and untreated jade is usually only treated with a plum juice wash or beeswax polish as it then will retain its true and natural color.

Jade is the stone that is used in special jewelry pieces such as the Bi symbol disc pendants that represent the Chinese symbol for eternity. The Bi symbol has a great spiritual significance. The Bi symbol is often presented carved in jade. Butterflies symbolize long life and they often carved into pendants, pins, earrings, etc. made of jade. Other symbols that are important to Chinese culture which are often represented using jade include: the bat, a symbol of happiness, the dragon which shows power and prosperity, the peach which references immortality, and the circular disc with a central hole which references happiness and heaven.