Jade Jewellery

This is a stone to invest in. Since four years ago, necklaces have doubled in value. Purchasing a necklace, you can design the earrings you want to go with it: drop with silver, studs ... Just send us a picture. 18" necklaces cost $200 today ... Do not wait until Christmas - they will be $250 by then (if there is availability ...) It took us one year to chase up a new supply last time we ran out ...

The History of Jade

Since at least 2,950BC, jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone, yu.  the character for jade.  Yu 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.   The history of jade in europe is not quite as distinguished.  although prehistoric axes and blades carved from jade have been found by archaeologists, most europeans were unfamiliar with jade as a gemstone for jewelery use until the sixteenth centure when jade objects were imported from china and, later, central america.  The portuguese, who brought home jade pieces from their settlements in canton, china, called jade "piedre de ilharga" - or stone of the loins, because they believed it to be strong medicine for kidney ailments.  Jade objects brought back to spain from the new world were called by the spanish version of this phrase "piedra de hijada".  This became the french "ejade" and then, finally, jade.  Today it is jadeite jade that is considered the real jade, commanding prices much higher than nephrite because it comes in much more vivid green colors and finer translucency than nephrite jade.  Jadeite jade is produced in Burma which is now known as myanmar.   Every year, the state-owned myanmar gems enterprise holds the myanma gems, jade and pearls emporium where boulders are sold by tender tothe top jade dealers from around the world.  Jadeite dealers must be some of the world's biggest gamblers because of the way they buy.  Boulders are sold intact, with only a tiny window cut in the side to expose a small section of the interior.  The buyer has no idea what lies inside:  valuable green jadeite or perhaps only white or brown-stained inexpensive material.  He has only his instinct and on that basis, he pays hundreds of thousands of dollars for what may turn out to be the deal of the year or a huge loss. Jadeite jade is most treasured for its vivid greens but it also comes in lavender, pink, yellow and white.  nephrite is found in less intense dark spinach greens, white, browns and black. Both jadeite and nephrite are very durable and tough, although jadeite is slightly harder than nephirite due to its microcrystalline structure. With best compliments and enjoy your jade purchase, from SK Jewellery, Bahrain.