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HOME :
Decorative Arts :
Sculptures : Lavender Jade Powder Box
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Lavender Jade Powder Box - SP.619
Origin: China
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Collection: Cosmetic Accessories
Medium: Jade
Condition: Extra Fine
Additional Information: K
£3,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
An ornamental stone, jade is applied to two
different rocks that are made up of different
silicate minerals. Nephrite jade consists of
the calcium- and magnesium-rich amphibole
mineral actinolite (aggregates of which also
make up one form of asbestos). The rock
called jadeitite consists almost entirely of
jadeite, a sodium- and aluminium-rich
pyroxene.
The English word 'jade' is derived from the
Spanish term piedra de ijada (first recorded
in 1565) or 'loin stone', from its reputed
efficacy in curing ailments of the loins and
kidneys. 'Nephrite' is derived from lapis
nephriticus, the Latin version of the Spanish
piedra de ijada.[1]
Because both were used by Stone and
Bronze Age cultures for similar purposes,
and they are both about as hard as quartz,
exceptionally tough, beautifully coloured and
can be delicately shaped, it was not until the
19th century that a French mineralogist
determined that "jade" was in fact two
different materials.
During the Stone Age of many cultures, jade
was used for axe heads, knives, and other
weapons. As metal-working technologies
became available, jade's beauty made it
valuable for ornaments and decorative
objects. Jade has a Mohs hardness of
between 6.5 and 7.0 [1], so it can be worked
with quartz or garnet sand, and polished
with bamboo or even ground jade.
Nephrite can be found in a creamy white
form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade)
as well as in a variety of green colours,
whereas jadeitite shows more colour
variations, including dazzling blue, lavender-
mauve, pink and emerald-green colours. Of
the two, jadeitite is rarer, documented in less
than 12 places worldwide. Translucent
emerald-green jadeitite is the most prized
variety, both now and historically. As
"quetzal" jade, bright green jadeitite from
Guatemala was treasured by Mesoamerican
cultures, and as "kingfisher" jade, vivid green
rocks from Burma became the preferred
stone of post-1800 Chinese imperial
scholars and rulers. Burma (Myanmar) and
Guatemala are the principal sources of
modern gem jadeitite, and Canada of
modern lapidary nephrite. Nephrite jade was
used mostly in pre-1800 China as well as in
New Zealand, the Pacific Coast and Atlantic
Coasts of North America, Neolithic Europe,
and southeast Asia. In addition to
Mesoamerica, jadeitite was used by
Neolithic Japanese and European cultures.
- (SP.619)
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