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Main jade producing countries. Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or ornaments.Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of minerals), or jadeite (a silicate of sodium and aluminum in the pyroxene group of minerals). [1]
Jadeite is the principal mineral making up the most valuable form of jade, a precious stone particularly prized in China. Most gem-quality jadeite jade comes from northern Myanmar. Jade tools and implements have been found at Stone Age sites, showing that the mineral has been prized by humans since before the beginning of written history.
A bi is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre. Neolithic bi are undecorated, while those of later periods of China, like the Zhou dynasty, bear increasingly ornate surface carving (particularly in a hexagonal pattern) whose motifs represented deities associated with the sky (four directions) as well as standing for qualities and powers the wearer wanted to invoke or embody.
Most of the jade work in Costa Rica was done with a particular type. It was a deep, blue-green color, and the same type the Olmecs used. In 1998 an enormous region of this particular jade was uncovered after a hurricane in Guatemala. The area is located in south east Guatemala In the Motagua River Valley.
In the absence of metal tools, ancient craftsmen used tools themselves made of jade, leather strops, string saws to cut and carve jade, and reeds or other hard materials to drill holes. Working the raw stone into a finished piece was a very labor-intensive process, often requiring repeated physical movement to shape the jade. [ 12 ]
A cong is a straight tube with a circular bore and square outer section with more or less convex sides. The outer surface is divided vertically or horizontally such that the whole defines a hollow cylinder embedded in a partial rectangular block.
Cups and vases made under supervision were immaculately carved out of jade and often studded with jewels. Among all the exquisite examples, the most unusual object displayed in the jade utility section is the cup, on which the name of the Mughal Emperor Akbar II Shah (1760–1837) is inscribed in Persian. The inscription reads 'Shah Akbar'.
The ruffled semi-translucent appearance of the leaves is due to the combination of various natural colors of the jade to recreate the color variations of a real cabbage. [1] The figure was carved from a single piece of half-white, half-green jadeite which contained numerous imperfections such as cracks and discolored blotches.