Jade

What we generally call jade is actually two separate minerals with similar looks and hardness – nefrit and jadeit. Only nefrit has been used in China since neolitic times till today. Nefrit is without comparison the most important of these two in the cultural history and arts in China. Jadeit came to be used only in modern times and to a greater extent from the latter half of 18^th century.

 

Jade is a hard stone. Jadeit is classified 6.75 to 7.0 (Moh-scale) and nefrit 6.0 to 6.5. Steel is softer ca 5.0. No tool of steel can make a mark on jade!

 

Nefrit-jade (kalciummagnesiumsilikat of tremolit and aktinolit, amfibol)

When nefrit is polished it will get a shiny oily finish. Nefrit is often half transparent but can also be opaque. Pure nefrit is white or colourless but because of impurity from other metals, e.g. iron, nefrit comes in different colours from black to white. Most common colours are green (from dark to light) and shadings of yellow and brown. Traditionally Chinese classify five colours of jade: red, black, white, yellow and green. White colour was usually regarded the fi­nest but Ming prefered yellow jade. The finest quality of white jade resembled fat and was called ”sheep fat jade”.

 

History of jade in China goes back to ancient times, more than 6000 years. Principally all jade before year 1000 came from Hotan (Khotan) – Qiemo (Qarqan/Yarkand) region in Xinjiang. Down from Kunlun mountains run ”The black jade river” or Karakax and ”The white jade ri­ver” or Yurungkax. Nefrit-jade was picked in the river and the river banks. Nefrit-jade lie in the bedrock in the mountains but have by erosion (wind, rain, snow) washed down into the ri­vers. Some mining has been and is done but until 18^th century the most common method was to collect the pieces of nefrit-jade in the riverbed – and so is today too.

 

Nefrit-jade also exists in Russia in the mountains west of lake Baikal. This Siberian jade is mostly dark ”spinach” green with darker black spots. From the end of 18^th century also this jade was imported to China.

 

Jadeite-jade (natriumaluminiumsilikat, pyroxen)

Jadeit has a grainy structure and is harder than nefrit but not as tenacious. Polished jadeit get a shiny glass-like lustre. Also jadeit can be transparent or opaque. Like nefrit ”pure” jadeit is white but usually has impurities, of e.g. crome, and comes in a wide range of colours, often much stronger shades than nefrit. Common colours are white, grey, yellow, redbrown, shades of green, lavendelblue and black. Most valuable and wanted are the emeraldgreen ”imperial” jade and the applegreen one. This king of jade is mostly used to jewelry and precious orna­ments.

 

Main deposit of jadeit lie in Myanmar (Burma) in the mountains next to the Chinese province of Yunnan. Jadeit was first gathered mainly in the riverbed and banks of river Uru but also later mined. In the end of 19^th century large deposits of jadeit was discovered in the Tawmaw-plateau which is the main source of jadeit today. Jadeit was evidently imported into China al­ready during Ming but in greater extent after year 1784 when friendly ties were established between Myanmar and imperial China.

 

Jade - yu

Chinese name for jade is yu but yu has a broader meaning than just jade. Yu can also mean jewel or gem though mainly used for jade. During bronze age yu could mean a variety of sto­nes that could be polished and get a nice finish. Later yu became to mean first and foremost nefrit-jade. When jadeit was first imported into China it was called feicui which originally meant the bright bluegreen feathers of the bird kingfisher. When jadeit became popular in the 18^th century, it was then also named yu even though the older term feicui is still used. In order to distinguish between the two minerals nefrit and jadeit, they were called ”soft jade” for nefrit and ”hard jade” for jadeit. Sometimes is nefrit called ”real jade” (zhenyu) because historically nefrit is jade in China.

 

Even later the term yu is used quite freely to several minerals and stones like crystal, agat, la­pis lazuli, turquoise etc. There is also in the market several harder and softer minerals sold as ”jade” like ”Beijing jade” and ”New jade” but are serpentin or rdodonit or whatever.

 

Jade and junzi

During Eastern Zhou the estetic qualities of jade were combined with moralistic undertones of Confucian ethics. According to old texts jade has five to nine different qualities associated with Confucian virtues. The hardness of jade represents intellectual acuity, the shining finish is purity, the edges which seem sharp but don´t cut is justice, the colour is loyalty, the transpa­rency is honesty etc. The Confucian noble, junzi, was also resembled with jade. Wearing jade became a symbol to the scholar. He should always wear his jade and take it off only of special reason. This jade was usually a jadejewel hanging in the belt and clinking when walking. This relation between jade and moral principals lived long in China but the associated virtues worth most sthiving to were modified by time. Later became jade more to symbolize spiritual rising than the special virtues of junzi.

 

Already 2500 BC can we find the two most important ritual objects of jade in China – bi and cong. The ring bi is a round disc of jade with a circelround hole in the center. Cong is a kind of tube of a rectangular block of jade that is carved hollow and a circel shape pipe goes through the block from one side to the other and up to down making a kind of cylinder collar in both ends. These two represent heaven and earth and were used in different ceremonies till 1911 but are still manufactured.

 

One of the most spectacular pieces of jade art is a landscape work from Qianlong-period and kept in Palace Museum in Beijing, and made by artist in Yangzhou. It is 2.2 m high and 90 cm wide and weights 4500 kg. This sculpture shows how the Great Yu managed to controll the rivers and stop flooding. It was completed 1787 after seven years of work.

 

Real jade?

Main method to check if the piece is jade is to scratch with a sharp knife. No object of steel can make a mark on jade. If You see a mark of knife on the stone – it is not jade but ”soap-stone”, serpentine or bowenite. You cannot identify jade undoubtetly only by looking. There may be in jade deviant parts of other softer minerals that can be scratched.

 

Ancient works of jade might be identified by checking the drilled holes and the edges of the piece. If the piece is more than 100 years old the hole diameter should be larger by the surface than inside. Also check the finish round the hole. The rounder, softer the edges are, they should not be sharp, the better chance the piece is older than 100 years.

 

Tea – liquid jade