Because jade has been valued around the world as part of religious ceremonies, and for its healing properties, you can find many different objects made out of jade. Jade has been used for so many things throughout the years that you might be surprised at the wide variety of antique and vintage jade items that are available. Only in museums are you likely to find a jade ax from the Olmec people or a Jade burial suit from the Han Dynasty of China. Since then, jade has been fashioned into a great many valuables and collectibles that you are likely to find.
Jewelry is probably the most common type of jade item, taking the form of bracelets, pins, pendants, charms, earrings, rings, harpins, and brooches. The list of jade antiques and valuables you might find include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Talismans
- Totems
- Incense Burners
- Altars
- Sculptures
- Art
- Urns
- Bowls
- Vases
- Handles on Handheld Mirrors
- Hairbrushes and Combs
- Chess Sets and Pieces
- Tea Sets
- Pipes
- Ink Stones
- Dishware
- Clocks
- Picture Frames
Color and Luster Make Jade A Prize
As with most semiprecious and precious gemstones, the value of jade is determined by its color, cut, clarity and carat weight. Jade’s value in particular depends a lot on its color. The color and hue of the stone are determined by the iron and manganese deposits where it is found.
Jade is most commonly known for its beautiful green shades, and the most desirable color is a pure forest green hue of jadeite. In terms of quality, this color is known as Imperial Jade because it was so prized by the Chinese Emperors. Jadeite can also be found in a plethora of colors that range from red and pink and violet to brown and white and black.
Nephrite doesn’t have as wide of a color scale as jadeite. Nephritis’ color scale includes creamy white, slightly yellow, grey, green, a smokey brown, red, and black.
Jade can be translucent enough to see the various veins of color that are sometimes part of it, or it can be completely opaque, but in either version there is a depth of color to jade that makes people fall in love with it. One of the things that make jade so prized is its glossy luster, which gives it an alluring brilliance, with a smooth even texture. True jade doesn’t become fully translucent until it is thinly carved, and it is very versatile when it comes to carving and shaping it. On a hardness scale jade ranks at a 6.5 to 7, which means it is not easily scratched, while still being tough, not brittle. In fact, Jade is known as one of the most robust stones around which is why it has been carved into so many useable objects from combs to massage rollers. Not many gemstones have the flexibility and versatility jade does. Visit Judy’s Antique and Estate Jewelry, Fort Myers, FL.
