The Chinese woman ran happily in the street after her friends under the watchful eyes of her tender grandmother. Suddenly she tripped and fell head first. The grandmother rushed to help the crying boy, but, finding no serious harm, comforted the girl and sent her back to play. A curious circumstance witnessed this family episode: Grandma seemed immensely pleased that the two small green bracelets the young man was wearing, one on each wrist, had been irreparably broken.

Why your satisfaction? Well, the little decorations were made of jade and she made sure that her granddaughter used them to protect herself. In fact, many Chinese believe that if a person uses jade and is involved in any kind of accident, the jade breaks, but the user benefits from the protection. No wonder this grandmother noticed this apparent confirmation of her superstition with this "I told you so" attitude!

This story helps us understand why, for the Chinese, jade is "the epitome of heaven and earth," "the most precious gemstone," even superior to diamonds.

The Chinese saw jade as a supernatural origin and therefore as something that could be used to promote relationships with heaven and promote heavenly powers. Traditionally, they associate it with its five cardinal virtues: charity, modesty, courage, justice and wisdom. Philosophers taught that jade, swallowed under the right conditions, would give it the ability to live for thousands of years, the power to become invisible, and the ability to fly.

Of course, there are few people who continue to hold these beliefs, but they serve to indicate the high esteem for which jade has been held for centuries among the Orientals. But, in addition to the jade-related superstitions, it is in fact one of the most beautiful stones. In most of Southeast Asia, if you see Chinese or Vietnamese women dressed in the best possible way, you will rarely see them without jade decorations anywhere.

What is jade?

There are two distinct stones with this name: jade, magnesium and calcium silicate and jadeite or Chinese jade, sodium and aluminum silicate. Interestingly, this name "jade" from the Greek word "kidney" reflects the idea that ground jade is a remedy for kidney disease. The difference between jadeite and jade is only really important for collectors. In general, jadeite is brighter and has a higher luster and the jade appears more oily than shiny.

Although China is an empire of jade art, this natural material is rarely found in China. It was imported from other countries, especially from Turkestan. But now jade comes mainly from New Zealand and jadeite is mainly found in Japan, Burma and California. Jade is often found in river beds, where it has been dragged through the mountains. It is also used in the mountains, but the Chinese prefer jade from the riverbed.

We usually think of jade as the bright green color of spinach. However, it is available in a variety of colors, from pure white to yellow, red, blue and black.

Authentic jade identification

Since there are a lot of stones that are very similar to jade, how do we know when we have the real thing? If you want to buy a piece of jade and don't pretend to be authentic, the easiest way is to find an expert to determine the problem. Two things make Jade unique: its density and its hardness. Its specific gravity or gravity refers to the proportion between its weight and the same volume of water. Jadeite has a density of 3.4 or slightly lower and jade is around 3.0. Therefore, a piece of jade weighing three ounces will have the same volume as an ounce of water.

The hardness test is based on the simple principle that a harder material will scratch a softer material and never vice versa. So to control a piece of jade, we need, for example, topaz. If it made no impression on the stone, it should be real jade.

Something simpler is to take a razor or a steel pin and scratch or poke a stone. Therefore, it is impossible to impress the Jade King, but most imitations, such as soapstone, will be noticed. Obviously, it is not advisable to blindly scratch or stab other people's art. However, if you really have a reason to use this test, there is usually an inconspicuous place, for example, on the back or on the base of the object, where you can check it and whether it is real jade, there will be no damage. finished. Glass can also be treated to look like jade, but a piece of glass weighs much less than jade of the same volume.

Jade value

The price of jade varies greatly. This is more than the intrinsic value of a coin. Color, shape, quality and, above all, age and history play an important role. In 1960, a piece of carved Chinese jade was sold at auction for more than $ 16,000. In 1860, a British expedition to Beijing ransacked the emperor’s summer palace and took away many of his magnificent jades. If today we see an object marked with the Beijing Summer Palace, we will have excellent quality if the label is telling the truth.

Prices also vary worldwide. In Hong Kong, jade is available for only $ 4. But in Europe and America, the highest prices usually prevail. A well-known Hong Kong jade maker said that if the stone is too dark, say green moss, or too light with too much yellow, this is a sign of bedrock. High-quality jade, he said, is lush and vibrant green with great luster. It should not be seen; almost translucent

How does jade work?

Jade work is a long, slow and painstaking task, from which the Chinese are recognized as teachers. At a workshop in Beijing, artisans worked continuously in teams day and night, and it took many years to create the work. For at least two centuries, their methods have not changed. But how do they do their job?

The first thing we should know is that jade is not carved. On the contrary, it is perforated and polished. Jade stones are cut into pieces of a suitable size with a saw. Due to the hardness of jade, its surface must be constantly coated with an abrasive moistened with a harder material than it is. So really, abrasive cuts, not saws.

The stones are first sawn from above, then from below, but the skill of the workers is such that the junction of the two sections is practically invisible. From now on, the method used depends on the object being produced. Holes are made using a primitive diamond hand drill. A hollow steel pipe is used to shape vessels; The abrasive and water are reintroduced and the pipe rotates to the desired depth. Then the unwanted section in the center of the bottle gets a smart touch to make it go away. If an undetected jade defect causes destruction of the central trunk in the desired position, the remaining stump should be drilled.

Some vases are modeled with a side handle, and from this handle you can hang another jade ring, more like an earring on a pierced ear. Initially, this ring was made in one piece with a vase and pierced by the master before hanging. Sometimes whole chains of these rings are made of one stone.

The cups are emptied, making a series of vertical incisions parallel to a solid piece of jade, leaving a row of raised leaves that have cracked. Glass is ground by steel disks and a usual abrasive. Final polishing is done with rotating wooden or leather discs and special powder.

Use of jade

Emperor Chien Lung ordered its conversion into greenish white jade, weighing 140 kilograms, which was to be represented as a mountainous landscape. The work was completed in 1874: a magnificent work of art, a mountain with streams, trees, pavilions, bamboo groves inhabited by scholars of literature from the 4th century. Even larger scenes were performed by the masters of Beijing. However, this one can be seen by Westerners, as it is currently housed at the Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis, possibly the largest piece of processed jade in the United States.

Countless other objects were made of jade: thrones, beds, pillows, lampshades, chopsticks, teapots, plates, books (with inscriptions written in gold on jade frames covered with brocade and stored in wooden boxes of sandalwood), statues of Buddha and other prominent figures. , flowers, combs, chess pieces, fans, toys, opium tubes and various decorations. Since jadeite was even used to make tools, but the appearance of the metal made it more efficient.

Jade crickets are often placed in the eyes and mouth of the deceased. Many were removed from the graves, although contact with the body in many cases resulted in partial destruction of the stones. This superstition is based on the idea that the cricket symbolizes reincarnation: life begins like a larva on earth and ends with wings flying in the sky. The stone, buried three times in this way, is much appreciated by many Chinese.