subject: Jade And Its Role In Fashion Jewelry Of Today [print this page] Jade artifacts are often associated with Asia, and the ancient cultures of the Orient in particular. There is good reason for that because for many centuries, these ancient civilizations have used jade to make jewelry, carvings, and other ornamental objects. Silver pendants, necklaces, bracelets and amulets with jade as the focal point have been an intimate part of the art, culture, and religion in the Far East. Thus, there is no question that Asian cultures of old and present hold jade in great respect and revere. In particular, jade has been associated with Buddhism for many centuries now. Throughout East and South East there are numerous temples large and small dedicated to Buddha and his teaching, with statues and amulets carved from jade. One of the most famous of these temples can be found in the great Chinese city of Shanghai. Over two thousand years ago, three large statues of Buddha carved out of single pieces of jade, were brought back to these locations. Over the course of the following centuries, the monastery that housed these statues was enhanced by benevolent leaders, and damaged and even destroyed by marauding tribes and natural disasters such as fires and earthquakes. However, the three jade statues of Buddha have endured theses trails and tribulations and can be seen to this day.
We often refer to jade as though it is a single and unique material. It comes as quite a surprise to most when then find out that there are two distinct minerals jadeite and nephrite that are collectively known as jade. Jadeite was first discovered in Asia over five thousand years ago. This fact has been well documented in historical records from Asia. To this date, jadeite is primarily found in East and Southeast Asia, with only fairly minor deposits found on other continents of the world. Ancient Asian civilizations were first attracted by the hardness, strength and resilience of jadeite. They fashioned crude tools and hunting equipment from this mineral. But because of the hardness of the mineral, they found it quite hard to cut, shape, sharpen and polish articles made from jadeite. Natural jadeite is found in varying shades of green, white, pink, red, black, brown and violet. In contrast, the colors of nephrite are not as varied and dazzling. Nephrite is limited to green, and in some cases grey and grayish green. Nephrite is more commonly found and is consequently less expensive compared to jadeite. Asia continues to be the major producer of nephrite. However, large nephrite deposits have also been identified and commercially exploited in South America, Central America, Russia, Central Europe, and Canada.
