JADE - November 2006

Since prehistoric man, jade has been a part of human culture. Ancient cultures (such as Greeks, Romans, and various Asian cultures) would use jade to barter. In Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central America, jade was carved it into useful tools and weapons. It wasn’t until many years later that jade became know as a symbol of wealth. Central America civilizations honored it more than most precious of metals, even more than gold. In China it was the 'royal gem'. However, jade lost its luster during the Bronze and Iron ages.

Jade is one of the toughest materials in the world (toughness is a gem’s resistance to breaking). But it is also a 7 ½ to 6 on the Moh’s hardness scale (hardness is the a gem’s resistance to scratching) – making it ideal for intricate carving. Jade is a generic term for two gemstones, nephrite and jadeite; though, this was not discovered until the 19th century. Nephrite comes in a variety of colors such as mid to dark green, grey-green, white, yellow and red. Jadeite is very rare and is often considered more precious than nephrite. Jadeite comes in green, white, pink, red, black, brown, and even violet.

Today, most of the top quality gems are mined in Burma while the modern cutting centers for jade are Canton, Beijing, and Hong Kong. The value of jade is determined by a number of factors; color, intensity of the color, texture, clarity, and transparency. The different colors of jade are more popular in different cultures. In the modern American and European cultures, the emerald to spinach green are heavily sought after while modern Asian cultures prefer the pure white with fine yellow or pink undertone.

Hofmeister Personal Jewelers has extensive experience with jade and carries a variety of beautiful colors. So if you are feeling Imperial, stop by and we’d be happy to show you the beauty and character of jade.