gems, agate

Jade is the eighth in a series of gem books written and photographed by Fred Ward and Charlotte Ward, who updated this edition. Each book Rubies and Sapphires, Emeralds, Diamonds, Opals, Pearls, Gem Care, and Phenomenal Gems is part of a continuing global search into the history, geology, lore, and sources of these priceless treasures. Mr. Ward personally visited the sites and artifacts displayed here to provide authentic and timely information. His original articles on all those topics, except opals and gem phenomena, first appeared in National Geographic Magazine. Glamour, intrigue, romance, the quest for treasure those are all vital aspects of humankind s eternal search and love for gemstones. As long as people have roamed the world, they have placed extraordinary value on our gifts from the land and sea. The Wards capture the gem world in captivating, expert detail with an emphasis on the international contemporary scene.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, geology, Broken Bangle

Jadeitite is a relatively rare, very tough rock composed predominantly of jadeite and typically found associated with tectonic blocks of high-pressure/low-temperature metabasaltic rocks (e.g., eclogite, blueschist) in exhumed serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Studies over the past ?20 years have interpreted jadeitite either as the direct hydrous fluid precipitate from subduction channel dewatering into the overlying mantle wedge or as the metasomatic replacement by such fluids of oceanic plagiogranite, graywacke, or metabasite along the channel margin. Thus, jadeitites directly sample and record fluid transport in the subduction factory and provide a window into this geochemical process that is critical to a major process in the Earth system. They record the remarkable transport of large ion lithophile elements, such as Li, Ba, Sr, and Pb, as well as elements generally considered more refractory, such as U, Th, Zr, and Hf. Jadeitite is also the precious form of jade, utilized since antiquity in the form of tools, adornments, and symbols of prestige.

jade, nephrite, Xinjiang, Khotan, Hetian, China, Canada, British Columbia, Russia, gems

The Chinese character “Yu” is equivalent to the English term “jade,” but the term’s meaning has broadened to include both nephrite and jadeite jade. Some even use the word to refer to all beautiful rocks, demonstrating the significance of jade in the Chinese culture. Record-setting prices for jadeite jade jewelry have been in the industry news spotlight for the past 30 years. However, nephrite jade has been an important part of China’s jade culture for more than 5,000 years. And nephrite’s history on other continents goes back 4,000 to 5,000 years.The name jade had always applied to nephrite until jadeite jade was imported into China about 200 to 250 years ago. In China, jade symbolizes a connection between the living and the dead as well as power, wealth, and social class. Also used to fashion tools, jade is a part of every aspect of people’s lives.To display their pride in jade culture, the Chinese mounted nephrite jade into the award medals used in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It was the first time that gem materials were used on Olympic medals and it reignited an awareness of, and love for, nephrite jade.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, jade trade, jade treatments, gems

gems, gem testing, gemology, jade, jadeite, fei cui, nephrite, ruby, sapphire, beryl, emerald, visual optics

From Nathan Renfro (GIA): Although several books on gem testing have been previously published, this particularly comprehensive volume by renowned gemmologist Alan Hodgkinson will certainly be a welcome addition to members of the field. This book is geared towards a general audience from beginners to career gemmologists. It is saturated with information, yet isn’t so technical to be impractical. The numerous chapters are organised in broad categories relating to particular physical properties. From acid testing of gem materials to the correct application of ultraviolet light, there is little that Hodgkinson does not cover. This book is well written with great detail. In its 552 pages, the reader will be pleased to find numerous images and diagrams that, while not generally glamorous, are very adequate for aiding the reader in understanding the concepts discussed. Scattered throughout the volume are a number of tips and tricks that the practicing gemmologist may find useful as a way to gain information while testing an unknown gem, such as using top lighting to observe pleochroism with a refractometer. Many of the methods require readily available and inexpensive materials, which many gemmologists will appreciate; the use of “visual optics” to measure refractive indices with an elongate paper as an indexed scale is one example. The book is clad in a plain blue hard cover, with silver lettering on the front cover and spine. A ribbon is included for marking one’s place as the reader navigates the pages. The overall quality of the paper, printing and binding appear to be very good. Overall, this book serves as a great reference for gemmologists. The decades of experience by the author are apparent when reading through this book. Surely this will be a highly sought-after publication from which hobbyists and professional gemmologists alike can benefit.

gems, jade, nephrite, Hetian jade, Mughal jade carving

This bilingual catalogue is published in conjunction with the exhibition Heavenly Crafted: Selected Mughal Jades from the Palace Museum" jointly organized by the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Palace Museum, Beijing. The catalogue features forty extraordinary pieces of Mughal jades from the Palace Museum collection in full colour images. It also includes essays written by Dr. Xu Xiaodong, Associate Director of the Art Museum, Mr. Zhang Linjie and Ms. Huang Ying from the Palace Museum and Ms. Hu Tingting, Ph.D Candidate of Department of Fine Arts, CUHK respectively. It will provide an excellent opportunity for readers to learn more about the Mughal jades."

gems, jade, nephrite, archaic jade, Chinese jade, Chinese jade carving

Chinese archaic jades are not only artworks but also the physical evidences of the records of Chinese history. The content of the Chinese Archaic Jades study covers the areas of jade authentication, jade appreciation & jade appraisal. The jade’s authentication method consists of three aspects: 1. Jade antiquity authentication, 2. Material composition authentication and 3. Jade periods verification. The jade’s authentication method described in this handbook is the scientific method which has been recognized in recent years by industry, government and academia in Taiwan. This handbook attempts to provide a comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of the Chinese archaic jade’s authentication, appreciation & appraisal methodologies. In order to describe these fundamentals in more detail, I have use my own collection of Chinese archaic jades of various periods from Hongshan Cultures (3500 B.C.–2200 B.C.) to the Ming & Qing Dynasties((1368 A.D.–1911 A.D.) as examples. With the aim to facilitate the readers to examine the details of antiquity evidences of these items in mind, detailed microscopic images with full explanations are provided. The knowledge and information provided in this handbook are the result of the author‘s years experiencs of Chinese archaic jade collection process, including five year’s teaching Chinese archaic jades authenication and appraisal courses at univerisities and many years practicing autentication services to many antiquity jades dealers and private collectors in Taiwan. I hope the readers of this handbook will be enjoyed reading the material provided here, and most importantly, will discover useful knowledge on the authentication, appreciation & appraisal methodologies of the Chinese archaic jades.

jade, nephrite, archaic jade, Chinese jade, Hotien, gems

A passion for jade has been an enduring hallmark of Chinese civilization for millennia. A rare, semi-precious hardstone, jade is made up of interlocking mineral fibers that make it notoriously difficult to work. Like the interwoven mineral strands of jade itself, the history of jade and jade collecting create an intricate story in which American collectors and museums are inextricably linked with ancient Chinese jades.

jade, nephrite, Xinjiang, Khotan, Hotan, China, Chinese jade, poetry, Japanese poetry, gems

Two poems dv the venerable Shingon priest and oilgrim Kukai figure prominently in Bupposo" ([Bird of] the Three Treasures), whicn is the fifth tale in Ueda Akinari's (1734—1809) collection Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain, 1776). One of them, a seven-character Chinese quatrain about the bupposo, an exquisite songbird known in English as the dollarbird {eurystomus orientalis), gives the tale its title.2 Its protagonist recites this along with several other poems on the same topic during a visit to the Okunoin, Kukai's tomb at the temple complex located on Mt. Koya. Toward the end of the tale, the characters turn to a second poem by Kukai, the above-cited tanka about the Tamagawa (translated as the Jeweled Stream) that transects the area. In a brief exchange, they puzzle over the poem's accompanying gloss (kotobagaki), which explains that Kukai intended it as a warning to visitors of poisonous insects (dokumushi). One of the tale's characters (the ghost of the renga poet Satomura Joha, 1525-1602) disputes this interpretation, insisting that an auspicious name like Tamagawa would never have been attached to the river had its waters been contaminated. Ergo, he concludes, the preface and perhaps even the poem itself were forged by unnamed devotees intent on "honoring the Buddha" at the expense of etymological common sen"

jade, jadeite, fei cui, jade trade, Burma, China, gems