Chinese nephrite

  • Book | Broken Bangle | Jade Nomenclature Order Page

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature | Cover image

    Introducing…

    Broken Bangle • The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature

    by

    Liu Shang-i ('Edward')  |  Richard W. Hughes
    Zhou Zhengyu ('Adam')  |  Kaylan Khourie


    Sponsored by

    Zhuang Qingfang
    The Gemmological Association of Hong Kong
    On Tung Jewellery
    Junhao Gemology
    Pinde Xuan
    Lotus Gemology

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature takes readers through the entire tortuous history of jade nomenclature, detailing how the current monikers were based on misinformation and misunderstanding of the gems’ true natures. Thus, the Chinese gem yù (amphibole jade) was named “nephrite” by French mineralogist Alexis Damour in the mistaken belief it was the same as the Mesoamerican pyroxene jade that a 16th Century Spanish doctor himself misinterpreted as being used to treat kidney disease (‘nephritus’). Later, Damour created a mineral species he called “jadeite” for what was actually a gem rock already known in China as fei cui.

    But this gemological whodunit is much more than a dry recitation of jade nomenclature. It includes a detailed section on the occurrence and mineralogy of both yù (nephrite) and fei cui. Because jade is so intimately connected with Chinese culture, much of the Middle Kingdom’s fascinating history is also woven through its pages.

    Did we mention the illustrations? Broken Bangle features dozens of color images of both historical documents and spectacular photos of contemporary jade and stone carving in China. For those whose mental picture of jade sculpture is a cliché Chinese goddess statue, prepare to have your minds blown.

    Lead author Liu Shang-i summed up the book’s major aim:

    Our understanding of the world is deeply influenced by the names we assign to things. As history, culture, and scientific inquiry evolve, it becomes essential to assign accurate and fitting names to these unique types of jade that embody Chinese heritage. This nomenclature should reflect its cultural significance and resonate with both historical context and contemporary understanding.

    Co-author Zhou Zhengyu added:

    There is an ancient saying in China termed “casting a brick to attract jade.” Any book or article is only a stage of understanding, and this understanding, if it can be better than before, is progress. Our work is certainly not the last word on the subject, but we hope it will help improve people’s understanding of this gem’s fascinating history and inspire others to research the subject further. Not unlike a brick thrown in the hopes of attracting jade.

    This edition of Broken Bangle is limited to just 600 copies. Don’t miss this chance to enjoy not just superb scholarship, but also extraordinary examples of China’s modern jade culture.

    Comments from reviewers…

    A readable work of art…John Koivula, Gemological Institute of America
    This book [is] not only a work of scholarship but of art…Anne Carroll Marshall, Journal of the Gemmological Association of Hong Kong
    Beautifully illustrated and a pleasure to read… a valuable contribution not only for the gemologist, but for all who deal with jade jewelry.Eric Hoffman, Hoffmanjade.com
    Whether you are a hardcore gemologist or just a garden-variety jade lover, Broken Bangle is the book for you. Buy it, read it yourself, and give it away. I enthusiastically give Broken Bangle two thumbs up!Jeffery Bergman, International Gem Society
    …a splendid bookJohn Saul, geologist and author
    Wow, beautifully done, a must have to expand one's knowledge of jade.Georg Schmerholz, master jade carver and author
     

    Hardcover  |  Published September 2024
    THB2100 (~US$60)

    120 pages; 240 x 280 mm (9.45 x 11 inches), 1 kg (2.2 lb)
    Full Color Throughout

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    Title Page & Table of Contents

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature contents page

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Authors

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature sponsors

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature preface

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature | Jade in China 

    Sample Interior Spreads 

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 1

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 2

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 3

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 3

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 4

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 5

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 5

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature Chapter 5

    Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature | Chapter 6 | References

     Broken Bangle 114 115

     

  • Book | Jade | A Gemologist's Guide | Limited Edition Order Page

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Cover small

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  • Book | Jade | A Gemologist's Guide | Order Page

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Cover small

    Introducing…

    Jade • A Gemologist's Guide

    edited by

    Richard W. Hughes

    featuring contributions from…

    Ahmadjan Abduriyim • Dale Blankenship • George E. Harlow • Eric J. Hoffman • E. Billie Hughes • Richard W. Hughes • Jiang “Chris” Chenglong • John I. Koivula • Nikolai Kouznetsov • Liu Yicen • Kirk Makepeace • Jeff Mason • Dominic W.K. Mok • Qi Lijian • Mary Lou Ridinger • Donn Salt • Roland Schluessel • Andrew Shaw • Shi Guanghai • Susan Stronge • Wang Mingying • Stewart Young • Zhou "Adam" Zhengyu
    with…
    Rudolph I. Estrada • Tao Hsu • Jason C.H. Kao • Michael S. Krzemnicki • William F. Larson • Wim Vertriest


    Sponsored by the Houston Museum of Natural Science

     

    The study of jade is unlike that of any other gem, trespassing across conventional boundaries, particularly those of the gemological and mineralogical realm. Despite the march of mineralogical orthodoxy and conformity, the word “jade” is a fist in the air of protest, crying out not for further reduction and definition, but an expansion of the mineralogical canon to include the cultural aspects of human civilization and life. Because jade is so much more than a simple census of atoms, valence states, and places of residence. Jade is a lexicon liberator.

    While the literature on jade is vast, perhaps greater than any other gem, there is a distinct lack of a volume in English that treats jade as a gemological material. This book is designed to fill that gap, with extensive information on the history, sources, appraisal and identification of both treated and imitation jades. All of this is together in a single volume for the first time, making it a must-have for collectors, dealers, gemologists, appraisers, curators and anyone else with an interest in this fascinating gem.

    An understanding of jade is not limited to the technical or exacting; it also incorporates a feeling for the cultural, textural, and ephemeral qualities that make the study of this gem unlike any other. This volume will not just fill the “traditional gemological” gap, but will open readers’ eyes to a world beyond. Because jade is so much more…

    Publishing: 2022

    Standard Edition Hardcover with Dust Jacket
    US$200

    534 pages; 240 x 280 mm (9.45 x 11 inches), 2.75 kg (6 lb)
    Full Color Throughout

    Special Limited Edition of 100 Signed and Numbered Copies Bound in Thai Silk with Slipcase
    US$300 (Sold Out)

    Standard & Limited Editions: Sold Out

    Check out our coffee-table style book Inside Out.

     


     

    Title Page & Table of Contents

    Jade A Gemologists Guide title page

    Jade A Gemologists Guide table of contents

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Authors

    Sample Interior Spreads

     Jade A Gemologists Guide Conundrum

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Conundrum3

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Introduction

    Jade A Gemologists Guide History in China

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Geology

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Hetian

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Myanmar

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Mayan

    Jade A Gemologists Guide New Zealand

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Mughal

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Canada

    Jade A Gemologists Guide USA

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Russia

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Japan

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Archaic Identification

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Nephrite ID

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Jadeite ID

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Inclusions

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Jadeite Quality

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Auctions

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Carving History

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Modern Carving

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Symbolism Color

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Books

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Glossary

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Bibliography

    Jade A Gemologists Guide Index 

     

     

     

  • Guangzhou Jade Market Puzzle | A Chinese Jade Box

    The Chinese Box  |  A Guangzhou Jade Market Puzzle  |  Lotus Gemology

    An investigation into nephrite and imitation nephrite pebbles purchased in Guangzhou, China's Hualin Street jade market.

  • Jade | A Lifetime In Search of Heaven

    The story of Richard Hughes' four-decade adventure with jade, from Burma's jadeite mines to China's classic mutton-fat nephrite deposit at Hetian, Xinjiang Province. The work of China's modern jade carving masters is also discussed.

  • Lecture | Jade | China's Gift to the World | Hong Kong | 16 September 2024

    Jade | China's Gift to the World

    Richard Hughes examines the historical sources of jade, along with the remarkable renaissance in Chinese jade carving that has occured since the 1990s.