jade, jadeite, fei cui, nephrite, Guatemala, Switzerland, gems, Europe, Fischer-Other

Rudler reviews the controversy concerning the sources of the nephrite and jadeite from which ancient implements in Europe and America were made. He discusses the earlier view that European jade objects necessarily represented material imported from Asia and considers geological discoveries and mineralogical investigations that increasingly suggested possible European sources. Attention is given to the distinction between nephrite and jadeite, the geographical distribution of implements, and the difficulty of establishing provenance solely from their physical or mineralogical characters. Rudler also considers the abundant jade objects of Mexico and Central America, where the absence of a then-known geological source had similarly encouraged theories of long-distance importation. He emphasizes that the occurrence of jade artifacts cannot by itself establish their geographical origin or demonstrate prehistoric migration and trade, and argues that the problem must ultimately be resolved through the discovery and mineralogical comparison of natural deposits with the materials used in ancient implements.