gems, jade, nephrite, China, archaic jade

This superbly illustrated exhibition catalogue presents the jade culture of Shijiahe, one of the most distinctive late Neolithic traditions of the middle Yangtze region, with particular emphasis on the remarkable small jade carvings associated with the culture. Drawing upon archaeological discoveries from the Shijiahe cultural sphere, the volume examines jade forms, manufacturing techniques, imagery, ritual functions, and their archaeological contexts. Special attention is given to anthropomorphic and zoomorphic carvings—including human and deity-like faces, birds, cicadas, tigers and other animals—as well as the highly stylized motifs that distinguish Shijiahe jade from contemporary traditions elsewhere in China. The catalogue considers the relationship between jade objects and concepts of ritual, supernatural power, ancestry, and social status, while discussing technological and stylistic connections with earlier and later Chinese jade traditions. Richly illustrated with excavated objects and detailed photographs, the volume provides an important survey of Shijiahe jade and its place in the development of prehistoric Chinese jade-working and religious imagery.

gems, jade, Central Asia, nephrite, Khotan, Hetian

One of the most intriguing products in history is jade. This very rare stone was not only an expensive luxury item but also used in rituals and medical treatments. Taken by rulers as tribute and tax, it was considered the most valuable trade commodity. The fact that jade, which spread from China to Europe in the early period, is a product of Turkestan is still not properly understood. Throughout the history of ancient Asia and Europe, East Turkestan, especially Khoten, was the source of authentic—and highest quality—jade. However, records also exist in the oldest primary sources describing other regions. In my article, I will try to examine the course of jade in Turkish history based mainly on Chinese sources.

gems, jade, fei cui, pyroxene jade, history of fei cui, jade trade in Burma

Fascinating article by Richard Lee about the cutting and trading of Burmese fei cui. He reveals a hidden world rarely written about as he discusses pieces his family have been involved with. Highly recommended.

gems, jade, amphibole jade, nephrite, Wyoming, USA

In 2019–2020, pods of extremely fine-grained, pure monomineralic nephrite jade were found in situ in central Wyoming, USA. Here referred to as type 1 nephrite, this jade occurs as ‘olive’ green open-space fillings of mineralogically pure tremolite that are hosted by shear zones and fractures within broad zones of massive quartz-clinozoisite/epidote alteration that overprint Archean-age gneisses. This unusual geological setting is characterised by the absence of associated serpentinite or dolomite that typically are seen in other known jade belts worldwide. The main occurrence described here, named the Sky Zone, is associated with a >400-m-long nephrite-bearing zone consisting mostly of coarse-grained, metasomatically altered and recrystallised mafic/ultramafic units hosted by mafic and quartzofeldspathic gneisses. Jade from these metasomatic units—here referred to as type 2 nephrite—consists of mottled dark green, mineralogically impure, medium-grained material. The physical and chemical properties of both nephrite types are consistent with those published in the literature for nephrite jade. Mineralogical, textural and chemical evidence indicates that the fine-grained type 1 nephrite formed through direct precipita- tion of tremolite from hydrothermal fluids within fractures extending outwards from a well-defined shear zone in close association with felsic intrusive bodies.

gems, jade, archaic jade, nephrite, China, Chinese jade, fei cui, jadeite, pyroxene jade, amphibole jade, Chinese jade carving

Catalogue of a stunning exhibition showing 98 exhibits of superb Qing dynasty jades of the highest quality and workmanship made for the Chinese imperial court. Imperial seals, jade books and tablets, Buddhist ritual implements, an extensive and varied array of exquisite small objects, bowls, teapots and vases. All illustrated in colour and often in multiple views including close-up detail. An additional feature of this marvellous catalogue is that as many of the items as possible are illustrated life-size. Illustrated throughout in colour. Text in Chinese. Ancient Chinese jade culture has a long and continuous history, tracing back nearly ten thousand years to the Neolithic period. Among its many achievements, jade artifacts from the Qing dynasty—especially those from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor—represent the pinnacle of Chinese jade carving artistry. In the 24th year of Qianlong’s reign (1759), following the consolidation of China’s northern and southern frontiers, the government assumed control over the mining and distribution of jade from Xinjiang. This jade was sent in steady tribute to the imperial court. As a symbol of territorial expansion spanning 20,000 li, jade carving flourished under Qianlong’s personal patronage and advocacy. Jade production was entrusted to various royal institutions including the Imperial Workshop (Zaoban Chu), the Ruyi Hall (Ruyiguan), and departments under the Imperial Household such as the Three Weaving Offices, the Salt Administration, and Huai Customs. The Qianlong Emperor personally oversaw and participated in the entire process of jade design and manufacture, using his refinement, scholarship, and taste to guide artistic creation at court. This gave rise to a distinct and majestic style known as the “Respectfully Made in the Inner Court”—a style that stood apart from folk traditions. Qing dynasty jade works—particularly those from the Qianlong period—are renowned for their superb materials, harmonious forms, ingenious designs, refined aesthetic concepts, and exquisite craftsmanship. The continuous emergence of innovative pieces during this time surpassed the achievements of all previous dynasties. The Palace Museum houses the world’s largest and finest collection of Ming and Qing imperial jades. This exhibition presents 100 carefully selected masterpieces from nearly 19,000 Qing dynasty jade objects in the collection. Organized into six thematic sections—“Mandate of Heaven,” “Buddha Forms and Sacred Sounds,” “Jade Always at Hand,” “Elegant Companions of the Qing Court,” “Refined Leisure Moments,” and “Gathered Essence, Savored Beauty”—the exhibition uses the function of jade objects as its main thread, interwoven with considerations of material, technique, form, decoration, symbolism, and presentation. It offers a multidimensional view of the artistic heights achieved in Qing jade carving, while also inviting visitors to reflect on the deep origins and unbroken continuity of Chinese jade culture.

gems, minerals, mineral collecting, Rome, jade, Fischer-Book

This work is a critical edition of the catalog of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II’s mineralogical collection. The unpublished volume, preserved in the Historical Archives of the University of Firenze Museum System, dates back to 1765 and describes 242 mineralogical specimens, primarily from the Slovak-Hungarian mining district. The edition includes a transcription of the original German manuscript alongside its English translation, complemented by an organized system of notation. This system illustrates the complex history of the text, characterizes the mineralogical species, and identifies the geographical locations of the extraction sites. To date, this is the only published catalog of a mineralogical collection owned by a member of the Habsburg-Lorraine family.

gems, jade, nephrite, China, Fischer-Chinese

The volume introduces the history and origins of Hetian jade, illustrating its formation and traditional and modern methods of extraction with photographs of representative specimens. Drawing on geology, gemology, and materials science, it examines the jade’s principal varieties, geographical distribution, modes of occurrence, physical characteristics, and classification, and explains methods of scientific identification and quality evaluation. A concluding section presents works by more than ten leading Chinese jade carvers, demonstrating how contemporary artists reinterpret the techniques and aesthetics of earlier dynasties while giving traditional Chinese jade culture a distinctly modern expression. The author is one of China's top experts on Hetian yu.

gems, jade, New Zealand, nephrite, pounamu, Fischer-Other

Ferdinand von Hochstetter visited New Zealand in 1858–1859 and undertook an extensive survey in the central North Island and northernmost part of the South Island. He also took great interest in the Māori people and culture, including their descriptive vocabulary relating to geological phenomena and materials. He developed a special fascination with pounamu (nephrite jade) and the way it was used for the manufacture of ornaments, tools and weapons. After his return to Vienna a small selection of specimens formed the basis for early mineralogical analyses. In 1876 he was appointed the founding director of the Viennese Natural History Museum. One of the identified gaps in the collection was a mere pounamu and through Julius von Haast, Director of Canterbury Museum, and the Reverend James West Stack, he was able to purchase one of a pair of mere traditionally manufactured by hand using stone tools by Tamati Tikao of Ngāi Tahu who lived at Wainui, on Akaroa Harbour. The other mere was purchased by the natural history museum in Dresden under the direction of Adolf Bernhard Meyer. This paper presents for the first time an annotated English translation of Hochstetter’s original descriptive paper on the mere, published in 1884 and explores the provenance of the two mere held in the museum collections in Vienna and Dresden. Much of the information used by Hochstetter in his paper was provided by Reverend Stack, communicated through Julius von Haast.

gems, jade, amphibole jade, nephrite, China, geology, actinolite, tremolite

The nephrite jade deposits of different tectonic units in China exert significant commercial quality, which have attracted wide attention. However, these deposits have not been systematically summarized to date. Here, we investigate the major nephrite jade deposits in China to decipher their gemological and mineralogical characteristics, spatial-temporal distribution, and mineralization processes as well as to identify their geological settings and gemological properties, via integrating published geochronology, major and trace elements as well as H-O isotopes. The compiled data suggest that the major nephrite jade deposits in China can also be generally divided into green jade-type (GJ-type) and white jade-type (WJ-type) which covers different species, but most of them belong to the latter. The GJ-type nephrite deposits predominantly occur in ophiolite/ophiolitic mélange suites or are embedded into ultramafic serpentine jade orebodies. This type of nephrite jade mainly formed through the late auto-metamorphic metasomatism of serpentine or the spontaneous crystallization/precipitation along suture/shear zones that acted as pathways to migrate Ca-rich fluids during orogeny. In contrast, the orebodies of WJ-type nephrite jade are usually hosted at the contact zones between the dolomitic marbles and intermediate-felsic or mafic intrusive rocks, which were produced through metamorphism-metasomatism during post continent-continent collision, such as the Kunlun orogenic belt with about ∼1,300 km Hetian nephrite belt, and the eastern nephrite jade deposits along the Pacific Ocean. Our study highlights that the nephrite jade deposits in China originally formed during multiple tectonic stages related to the interactions between hydrothermal fluids and metamorphism under subduction accretion- and collision orogenesis-related settings. In addition, this study also provides insights into the genetic discrimination, mineral exploration, and occurrence characteristics of nephrite jade deposits as well as the evaluation and identification of nephrite jade quality.

gems, jade, amphibole jade, nephrite, Khotan, Hetian, China, Xinjiang

It is not an exaggeration to describe it as the 'Encyclopedia of Hetian Jade Knowledge in Xinjiang, China'." Recently, Lu Zhaoyin, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, commented on China's Xinjiang Hetian Yu (Volume I and II) published by China Science and Technology Publishing Media Co., Ltd. (Science Publishing House) in October 2023. This cultural monograph was compiled by dozens of domestic units, nearly 100 experts and scholars, such as Peking University, China University of Geosciences, the Palace Museum and Xinjiang Hetian Jade Industry Association, and under the leadership of the famous domestic jade expert and Professor Wang Shiqi of Peking University. Through the four parts of jade, technology, art and history, a total of 14 chapters, the Hetian jade in Xinjiang is systematically discussed in detail, from the name and classification of the material itself, the geology of the deposit, the identification of true and false, the identification of origin, and the study of the function, to the mining history, the carving process, the art and culture of mankind. The situation of the former industry has been explained and interpreted in detail, which is of great value for the research of Hetian jade in Xinjiang. The Hetian jade mine in Xinjiang is distributed on Kunlun Mountain. The field investigation road is difficult and the climate is complex. The elderly Professor Wang Shiqi and the writing expert team are not afraid of difficulties and have carried out many field investigations, which makes the historical documents involved in this set of books quite fresh and unique. A large number of experts' on-site inspection photos of the Jade Mine in Kunlun Mountain. As a fresh first-hand information, it not only truly shows the geographical appearance and natural environment of the Hetian jade production area, but also makes people understand the hardships of jade mining and transportation. Lu Zhaoyin said: "As an important carrier of jade culture and the material expression of Chinese culture, Xinjiang Hetian jade has always attracted much attention. This heavy work, which focuses on the creation of Hetian jade in Xinjiang, China, systematically and discusses Hetian jade in Xinjiang from the perspective of multiple disciplines, covering all aspects of the current research on jade culture. With its detailed content and unique insights, it provides readers with a key to open the door to the world of Hetian jade in China." Zhang Yun, a researcher at the Key Laboratory of Sustainable Development of Xinjiang History and Cultural Tourism at Xinjiang University, is a senior fan of Hetianyu in Xinjiang and the author of the essay collection Yujian. She said: "Hetianyu, Xinjiang, China, introduces the latest and most comprehensive knowledge of Hetianyu in Xinjiang, China, to readers, reflecting multi-study and scientific research. The research results is a rare and valuable resource."