About Jade

Jade, or Jadeite, to be precise, has long been revered by Asians as symbol of good luck, good health, and power to resist evil spirit. Besides the very mythical nature of the stone, and despite the much misconception of what can be called by that term, Jade, with its pearly luster and tough and resistant nature, continues to be treasured by the value-conscious and the status conscious alike. Despite the fact that the Chinese have had a love affair with Jade for the last several thousand years, the most important Jadeite deposits are not in China, but in upper Burma, which exports raw jade to china, and Hong Kong in particular, for further processing. Color of the Jade: green, also white, brown, blackish, violet, reddish, yellow, often spotted.

Jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone, "Yu" for 5,000 years. The character for jade resembles a capital I with a line across the middle: the top represents the heavens, the bottom the earth, and the center section; mankind. The word "Yu" is used in Chinese to call something precious, as in English we use gold. Jade was thought to preserve the body after death and can be found in emperors' tombs from thousands of years ago. One tomb contained an entire suit made out of jade, to assure the physical immortality of its owner. For thousands of years, jade was a symbol of love and virtue as well as a status symbol.