Jade Bibliography
Explore books, articles and historical sources on jade in Four Treasures, the Lotus Gemology reference database. This bibliography brings together matching records from the collection, with publication details, abstracts and cover images where available.
Jade References
The list below matches the terms jade, jadeite, nephrite or Fei Cui in the database's searchable fields. Some references discuss these materials as part of a broader subject.
Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters
说文解字
Book
Xu, S. (121 CE; Eastern Han) Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters. [说文解字]
Record No. 16544 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | Language: in Chinese | not seen
The Shuowen Jiezi [說文解字; Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters], compiled by Xu Shen during the Eastern Han dynasty and presented to the imperial court in 121 CE, is the earliest surviving systematic dictionary of Chinese characters and a fundamental source for the historical study of Chinese writing. The work analyzes approximately 9,350 characters, with more than 1,100 variant forms, arranging them under 540 graphic radicals and explaining their forms, meanings, and, where appropriate, pronunciations. Xu Shen classified characters according to traditional principles of character formation and frequently drew upon ancient scripts and early textual usage. Of particular interest to gemologists is the extensive treatment of characters associated with jade, minerals, stones, metals, colors, and other natural substances, particularly those grouped under the jade radical 玉. These definitions provide important evidence for the terminology, classification, and perceived properties of jade and related materials in early China and are invaluable for interpreting mineralogical and gemological terms occurring in ancient Chinese texts.
Rites of Zhou
周礼 Zhou Li
Book
Zhou, G.D., et al. (5th century BCE) Rites of Zhou. [周礼 Zhou Li]
Record No. 16541 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | Language: in Chinese | not seen
The Zhou Li [周禮; Rites of Zhou] is an ancient Chinese ritual and administrative text traditionally attributed to the Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gongdan), although the surviving work is generally considered to have been compiled considerably later. It presents an idealized system of Zhou government through detailed descriptions of official offices, responsibilities, ceremonies, crafts, taxation, agriculture, and the management of natural resources. Of particular interest to gemologists are passages concerning jade and other valued materials, including the classification, manufacture, ceremonial use, and official control of jade objects. The text describes different forms of ritual jade associated with rank, sacrifice, court ceremony, and cosmological symbolism and provides important early terminology for jade objects and their functions. It is consequently a major source for understanding the institutional, ritual, and symbolic importance of jade in early China.
The Diamond Sutra
Ancient Text
Anonymous (868 CE) The Diamond Sutra. Dunhuang, China:, 5–meter long scroll.
Record No. 16332 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | seen
A copy of the Tang dynasty–Chinese version of the Diamond Sūtra was found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 by Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu and sold to Aurel Stein in 1907. This is considered the earliest printed book, predating Gutenberg by over 500 years. The woodblock-printed copy of the Diamond Sutra in the British Library which is not the earliest example of block printing, but is the earliest example which bears an actual date.
De natura rerum
On the Nature of Things
Book
Isidore of Seville (637 CE) De natura rerum. [On the Nature of Things]
Record No. 7494 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | Language: in Latin | seen
An encyclopedic treatise by Isidore of Seville on the structure and phenomena of the natural world, written in the early seventh century. De natura rerum discusses cosmology, astronomy, time, the calendar, the heavens, atmospheric phenomena, the earth, seas and other aspects of nature, drawing heavily on classical and late-antique authorities. Unlike Isidore’s Etymologiae, it is not a major lapidary or mineralogical source, and gemstones are not a principal subject. Its importance lies chiefly in the transmission of ancient natural philosophy into the medieval Latin scholarly tradition.
Report on the Jade Mines Area in Myitkyina District
Unpublished Work
Kelley, H.K. (n.d.) Report on the Jade Mines Area in Myitkyina District. unpublished report.
Record No. 4411 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | not seen
Cited by Khin Maung Nyunt (2004) History of Myanmar Jade Trade till 1938
Jades of the T.B. Walker Collection at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Book
Walker Art Center (n.d., ca. 1950) Jades of the T.B. Walker Collection at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis, Walker Art Center, 96 pp.
Record No. 3978 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | not seen
Jade mines affairs
Report
Deputy Commissioner Myitkyina District (n.d.) Jade mines affairs. Myitkyina District Gazetteer, Myitkyina’s Political Dept.,
Record No. 2246 | ISBN/ISSN: File No. C.–12 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | not seen
An administrative file concerning affairs in the Jade Mines Tract of Myitkyina District, presumably dealing with the government and regulation of the mines and relations between the colonial administration, local Kachin authorities, miners, and traders.
Jade: Werkstoff der Urzeit, Schmuckstein der Neuzeit
Prehistoric Tool Material, Present-day Gem Material
Film or Broadcast
Gübelin, E.J. (n.d.) Jade: Werkstoff der Urzeit, Schmuckstein der Neuzeit. [Prehistoric Tool Material, Present-day Gem Material]
Record No. 2203 | Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB | Language: in French & German | not seen
A German- and French-language film by Eduard J. Gübelin examining jade’s transition from a material used for tools and implements in prehistoric times to a prized ornamental gemstone in the modern era. The film is recorded in the archives of the Cinémathèque suisse under the title Jade, Werkstoff der Urzeit – moderner Schmuckstein. It is a 16 mm production measuring 452 meters, tentatively dated to approximately 1970.
Exploring the Literature of Jade
Jade literature spans gemology, mineralogy, archaeology, art history, mining, carving and connoisseurship, and includes works on both jadeite and nephrite from around the world.
For an introduction to collecting books on this subject, read Hidden Treasure — Collecting the Literature of Jade.
About Four Treasures
Four Treasures is Lotus Gemology's freely accessible gemological reference database. Use the full database to search by author, title or keyword and explore literature on gemology, mineralogy, jewelry and related fields. Where available, hyperlinks on titles may lead directly to the full publication.