corundum, ruby, Burma.12, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, gems

An account of the economic resources, arts, manufactures, and commerce of the Shan territories north and east of Ava in Burma (Myanmar), based on Captain S. F. Hannay’s travels and observations, including his visit to Bhamo in January 1836. Hannay describes local products, industries, trade routes, and the important commerce between Bhamo, China, and the lower Irrawaddy. Of particular gemological interest is the reference on p. 11 to precious stones and mineral products among the commodities and resources of the region. The paper provides valuable firsthand evidence for nineteenth-century trade networks linking the mineral- and gem-producing regions of northern Burma with China and the wider Burmese economy.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, gems, Fischer-Book, Broken Bangle

Extremely important article on the first scientific analysis of nephrite jade from China. Reports Damour’s chemical analysis of Oriental jade and his conclusion that the material is mineralogically a compact variety of tremolite. He compares its chemical composition and physical properties with tremolite and discusses the evidence for uniting the two substances rather than treating jade as a separate mineral species. The paper is important in the history of jade mineralogy because it established the tremolitic nature of what would later be termed nephrite and formed an essential precursor to Damour’s subsequent recognition that another type of jade, jadeite, was a chemically and mineralogically distinct material.

gems, jade

Ming Wilson mentions this catalog in her 2024 lecture to the Oriental Ceramic Society, where the word “jad” appears, the first known reference to “jade” in the English language. The second part was entitled: A Catalogue of the Remaining Part of a Valuable Collection of Curiosities… (24 May 1819)

gems, jade, amphibole jade, nephrite, China, Chinese jade, archaic jade

This voluminous book was purportedly claimed to be a catalogue of jades from the imperial collection of the Emperor Xiaozong 孝宗 (1127-1194) of the Southern Song dynasty, but it is considered by scholars as a forgery published by Jiang Chun 江春 in 1779. Although this multi-volume set contains some incorrect information, it includes a detailed description for each object and thus is still regarded as a useful reference book for the study of Chinese jades.

gems, jade, pyroxene jade, jadeite, fei cui, omphacite, kosmochlor, Japan

An important early Japanese work on stones, minerals, fossils and related natural objects by Kiuchi Sekitei (木内石亭, 1725–1808), one of Japan’s pioneering students and collectors of minerals. Unkonshi (雲根志, literally “Records of Cloud Roots,” an old literary expression for stones) describes and classifies a wide variety of stones collected or reported from Japan, combining direct observation with information from Chinese and Japanese literature, folklore and traditional natural history. The work records physical characteristics, localities, names, uses and unusual properties of stones and includes gemstones and ornamental materials among its subjects. Issued in successive parts beginning in 1773 and eventually comprising 15 books, Unkonshi is a major source for the history of Japanese mineralogy and stone collecting before the introduction of modern Western mineralogical classification. Contains the first mention of worked jade in Japan.

gems, jade, ruby, sapphire, spinel, Burma, Myanmar

Xu Jiong’s Shi Dian Zaji [使滇雜記; Miscellaneous Notes on a Mission to Yunnan] is a short record compiled from observations made during his official journey to Yunnan in 1687–1688 during the early Qing dynasty. The single-juan work records places, routes, local customs, products, natural resources, and other matters encountered during the mission, providing a contemporary view of Yunnan and its connections with regions farther southwest. It is of particular interest to the history of gems because Yunnan, especially the routes through Tengyue toward Burma, subsequently became the principal Chinese gateway for Burmese jadeite and other precious materials. The work is therefore useful as an early Qing source for the geographical and commercial setting in which the Yunnan–Burma gem trade developed. Sun Licheng: Contains a brief comment on gems produced in Burma. Xu Jiong was sent by the Qing emperor to Yunnan in 1687–1688. The Shi Dian Zaji is a compilation of his travel notes.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Lapis nephriticus, von dem edlen Griesstein seiner wunderbaren Art, Kraft, Würkung und Gebrauch is a seventeenth-century German treatise devoted to the nephritic or “kidney stone,” describing its nature, remarkable properties, effects, and use. The work concerns the stone known in early modern Europe as lapis nephriticus, valued principally for its supposed ability to prevent or relieve kidney stones and other disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract, often through being worn against the body rather than administered internally. It belongs to the medical and lapidary tradition that associated particular stones with specific organs and diseases. The treatise is of particular importance to the history of jade because lapis nephriticus became closely associated with the material later mineralogically defined as nephrite, and its reputed action on the kidneys ultimately gave nephrite its modern name.

gems, jade, China, Chinese jade carving, Chinese lapidary arts, archaic jades, ancient texts

Lü Dalin’s Kao ku t’u [考古圖; Illustrated Investigations of Antiquity], compiled in 1092 during the Northern Song dynasty, is one of the earliest surviving systematic catalogues of ancient Chinese objects. It records more than 200 antiquities, principally ritual bronzes but also jade objects, drawn from imperial and private collections. Individual entries generally provide an illustration, dimensions, inscriptions where present, provenance or ownership information, and discussion of the object’s identification and historical significance. Of particular interest to gemologists and historians of jade are its records and illustrations of archaic jade objects, which document how such objects were classified and interpreted by Chinese scholars in the eleventh century. The work was highly influential in the development of Chinese antiquarian studies, combining close examination of physical objects with evidence from inscriptions and transmitted texts. Sinkankas: LU TA-LIN K’ao ku t’u “Investigations of antiquities with Illustrations.” Laufer, Jade, 8, gives “in 10 chapters, first published during the Sung Dynasty in 1092, and re-edited by Huang Sheng in 1753 as an appendix to Wang Fu’s Po ku t’u. In Chapter 8, a small collection of jades in the possession of Li Po-shih from Lu-kiang is figured, but without investigation.” S.H. Hansford, Chinese Jade Carving, 134 (no. 92) includes this work but also notes an edition of 1752 entitled San ku t’u.

gems, jade, China, Adam, Chinese jade books, jade lore, Fischer-Chinese

As a classic historical text, “Shi Ji” records the use of jade in ancient imperial sacrifices and national ceremonies. Completed before 91 B.C., these accounts indicate that the Sichuan-Yunnan-Burma-India overland trade route was already in use as early as (and probably before) the 2nd century B.C.

gems, jade, China, Adam, Chinese jade books, jade lore, Fischer-Chinese

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.