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Jade Through The Ages
One of the semi precious stones is Jade.It gets its name from the Spanish phrase “piedra de ijada” which means loin stone.Jade is believed to cure kidney and loin related disases, and hence the name.Infact, the term “nephrite” in relation to kidneys, is derieved from the name of one of the types of jade, that was used to cure kidney ailments.Jade is usually green in color.In certain countries, jade is also known as Greenstone.The Chinese refer to it as “yu” or the royal stone.Inspite of green being the primary color, jade is also found in creamy white, black, gray, orange, yellow, lavender, mauve-pink and emerald green colors.
There are 2 chemical varieties of Jade.Nephrite is the first variety and jadeite, the second.When it comes to hardness, appearance, etc; both are nearly alike.They differ in terms of chemical composition.Nephrite is formed from chemicals of calcium, magnesium and iron whereas, jadeite is formed from chemcials of sodium and aluminium.Nephrite usually has a brilliant green color.Jadeite is more expensive as it is rarer than nephrite.Once polished, nephrite courts a resinous surface, whereas jadeite surfaces tend to shine like mirror.
Large amount of jade deposits are found in China, New Zealand, Russia, Canada, Gautemala and the Swiss Alps.Burma is known as the producer of the highest quality of jade stones.Jade traders ought to be careful when buying unprocessed jade as the final quality and color of jade is determined only after the processing and cutting has been done.There is no way to determine, at the time of buying, how the raw jade is going to turn out. The actual quality and the luster of the final product can be understood only once the polishing and processing work finishes.
Carbonundum and diamond powder are used to process raw jade.Quartz, garnet sand, bamboo or ground jade can be used to work raw jade, as the hardness of jade varies between 5.0 to 7.0 Mohs hardness.In olden days, weapons and tools were made from jade.Soon it made its use felt in the field of art and culture with many sculptures and cult figures being carved in jade.
The Chinese royal family has been particularly partial to the use of Jade in jewelry and other royal finery.In the ancient Americas, the tribal’s would value jade higher than gold.Egyptians believed jade to be a stone of love.Overall, irrespective of the culture, the ancient world regards jade as a protective stone.Apart from this, in current times, Jade is used as a precious stone for engraving it in different forms of jewellery, thus providing the jewels with the contrasting tints.
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