Jade's role in history, culture and religion.
This section of JewelrySupplier.com is intended to uncover references in history to gems, gemstones, minerals, crystals, precious metals and semi-precious stones and to investigate the role they played in the development of the cultures in which they were utilized. We believe examples of royal jewelry and ancient jewelry from anthropology, sociology and archaeology from the ancient societies of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and especially the work of Pre-Columbian American cultures of the North American Indians, Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans to be of craftsmanship that has not been equaled since. Where possible in our history of jewelry, we’ve tried to include methods of manufacture, materials and technology. From the bible, commerce, celestial beliefs to modern crystal collecting.
General
Jadeite and Nephrite, the two stones known as Jade, have been called
several names throughout history. The Chinese used Nephrite long before
they were exposed to Jadeite and called Nephrite yu. Europeans originally
called Jadeite fei-ts’ui but that name disappeared as Jade use waned
(see Prehistory below). When contact with other continents grew, the other
cultures reintroduced Europe to the stone. Nephrite gets its name from the
Greek word for Kidney and jade comes from the French word for the region
of the loins on the body. Both of these word origins come from the New
World inhabitants’ view that Jade could heal ailments of the kidneys.
Prehistory
As mentioned above, Neolithic
Europeans called Jade fei-ts’ui and used it extensively in the creation
of tools and weapons. The stone’s toughness made it ideal for these
purposes. Most of the tools found from this period were Jadeite, which
makes the European use of Jadeite one of the earliest. Archaeologists
debate whether the Jadeite came from Asia or from sources within the
European continent.
15th
Century
As part of the Spanish rape and pillage of the new world, European lust
for jade grew.
19th
Century
In 1863 Damour, a French professor determined that Europeans were calling
two different stones. Several Nephrite deposits were discovered in Europe
during this century. Westerners first brought back accounts of the great
Burmese Jade mines around the middle 1830s.
20th
Century
In the early part of the 20th century, geologists discovered
European Jadeite sources.
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