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HOME :
Decorative Arts :
Sculptures : Lavender Jade Powder Box
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Lavender Jade Powder Box - SP.618
Origin: China
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
3" (7.6cm) high
Collection: Decorative Arts
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.618)
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