gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology

Jade, among both the highland and lowland Maya, was a highly prized stone, often subject to artistic embellishment. Considerable diversity is present in the raw material, which constitutes forms of jadeite, diopside-jadeite, and chloromelanite. In addition, various jade-like minerals were sometimes fashioned into objects similar to those made of jade. Nevertheless, jade itself was normally used in the finest carvings, indicating that greater intrinsic value was placed on this hard, often lustrous gemstone.