Minerals in the mountains are like trees that have their roots, trunks, branches, and lots of leaves…
Girolamo Cardano
A precious stone that strongly marked ancient Chinese culture with its magical beauty and exceptional properties, and was equally valued in Egypt and among the people of Central America, was jade.
When Spanish conquerors started bringing immense wealth from the New World to their homeland during the time of the Conquest, they also brought along this marvelous green stone. As according to the belief of the people of Central America, this stone cured kidney diseases, the Spaniards called it piedra de ijada or “stone of the loins”, and it was mistakenly transcribed as le jade in France. The other name for this green stone, nephrite, originated from the Latin lapis nephriticus, kidney stone.
It was not until the beginning of systematic scientific study of minerals in 1863 that it was revealed that there are actually two different minerals hidden under the name jade. Namely, the French scientist Alexis Damour noticed that… Some of the splendid, green specimens of minerals from Burma look somewhat different from those incorporated into old Chinese handicrafts. He discovered that their chemical structures are also different. He named the mineral from Burma, which contains sodium and aluminum in addition to silicon dioxide, jadeite, and gave the name nephrite to the mineral from which old Chinese objects were made and which contains calcium and magnesium.
Nephrite, especially jadeite, are rare minerals formed from metamorphic rocks. Their colors are usually various shades of green and white, but due to the presence of other elements, brown jade with a reddish hue can occur, all the way to completely black. Although both minerals are known for their incredible hardness and toughness, jadeite is slightly heavier and harder than nephrite.
CHINA
The Chinese name for jade, yu, means “any stone worth shaping,” which is why about thirty species of minerals in China are called yu. Thus, there are lao-yu, old jade, pai-yu, inome linom. Također su pronađeni i razni predmeti kao što su ogrlice, naušnice, prstenje i slično, izrađeni od prekrasnih komada žada.
U drevnoj Kini, žad je bio simbol ljepote, luksuza i duhovnosti. Smatralo se da ima moć da donosi sreću, zaštitu i dugovječnost svojim vlasnicima. Stoga je žad često korišten za izradu amuleta, privjesaka i talismana.
Danas se tradicija obrade žada nastavlja u Kini i diljem svijeta. Žad se i dalje cijeni kao prekrasan dragi kamen koji simbolizira snagu, ljepotu i zdravlje. Mnogi umjetnici i obrtnici posvećuju se izradi raznih predmeta od žada, kao što su nakit, figurice, vaze i još mnogo toga. Ova drevna vještina i dalje očarava ljude svojom jedinstvenom ljepotom i simbolikom. They put a jade cicada in the mouth of the deceased. The book Chou li describes the role of religious ritual masters and states: “He creates six objects of jade to worship Heaven and Earth, as well as the four cardinal directions. By using a round jade disk of bluish or greenish color, he shows respect to Heaven. By using a yellow jade tube tsung, he shows respect to Earth. By using a green jade plaque kuei, he shows respect to the East. By using a red jade plaque chang, he shows respect to the South. By using a white jade plaque in the form of a tiger hu, he shows respect to the West.” Archaeological findings confirm that jade objects were most commonly used for religious purposes, as funerary amulets during various ceremonies. These included tablets with ancient inscriptions, rings with depictions of dragons and tigers, large pi rings, ceremonial axes, animal-shaped amulets, cylindrical tsung vessels, and sometimes even the coffins themselves were made of jade. Numerous funerary ritual objects have been found in tombs, the most common being a jade cicada placed in the mouth of the deceased. “With a black piece of jade, semi-circular in shape, Huang pays tribute to the Northern region…”
Ring of Heaven
One of the oldest Chinese ritual objects made of jade was pi, in the form of a thin loop or ring, often adorned with dragon and tiger figures.
Jade Dragons
According to an old Chinese legend, Great Yu, The first blacksmith and later the Lord of Floods, and then the great ruler of the first Chinese dynasty Hsia, was born in the form of a winged dragon. While still a great blacksmith, he was summoned by Emperor Shun (the last of the great “Five Emperors”) to control the floods that ruled the land. Yu went to Heaven and prayed to Yu Huang Ta Ti, the “Supreme Jade Emperor,” to help him. The Emperor heard his prayers and ordered the Heavenly Dragon to transform into a jade axe. With it, Yu carved channels to direct the water into the riverbeds and pierced tunnels through the mountains so that the waters could flow into the sea… By saving the land from floods, Yu the Great became the ruler of the first Chinese dynasty.
In ancient China, dragons, as symbols of natural renewal, were depicted on many jade objects. Imperial dragons live in crystal underwater palaces, guarding treasure and feeding on precious stones and pearls. Once a year, they rise to Heaven where they report to the highest ruler of the Heavens, the “Supreme Jade Emperor,” who resides in the celestial gates. Once again, they dive into the crystal underwater depths… During a discussion about jade, a student asked Confucius, “Why is jade more valued than serpentine? Is it because jade is rare, while serpentine is abundant?” Confucius replied, “No, it is because people in ancient times considered it a symbol of virtue…” Jade is a symbol of the wise, one who has united the highest virtues within their being.
Symbol of immortality and imperial virtues
There are numerous legends and mythological stories associated with jade as a miraculous elixir of immortality. There is mention of the “miraculous type of jade” called yu ying or “perfection of jade,” which ensured eternal life. According to mythological stories, the abodes of the immortals are located on the sacred mountain Kunlun, the Jade Mountain. Their food is heavenly dew and the “liquid jade” from the Lake of Green Jade.
Until 1912, in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Son of Heaven addressed the “Exalted Emperor of Jade” to confirm the mandate to rule over China. The handing over of the imperial jade seal symbolized the continuity of the imperial power. During the transfer of power, the royal scepter, made up of an axe and a pi-shaped ring, was the symbol of the highest royal authority.
In later periods, jade became a symbol of status. The most precious, white jade, also known as “tiger jade,” was reserved for kings. Green jade, resembling mountains, was dedicated to first and second-ranking princes, while water-blue jade was meant for high prefects, and multicolored jade was chosen for various purposes.
Following the development of yu, jade, a sacred stone worth shaping, we come to the concept of yu, a noble person.
The yu symbol consists of three parallel horizontal lines connected by a vertical stem. The horizontal lines represent the sky, man, and earth, while the vertical line represents the king, the one “who connects the three.” The symbol of the yu ideogram was three pierced jade artifacts connected by a single thread.
CENTRAL AMERICA
The Aztecs, Maya, and other pre-Columbian peoples of Mexico and Central America used jade to create ceremonial objects, ornaments. and amulets. The Aztecs particularly valued emerald green jade. Jade was also a symbol of renewed life in ancient Mexico because of its green-blue color and transparency. Priests offered water containing small pieces of jade or jade powder to the gods of rain and food. The elder sister of the god Tlaloc, “The One who induces growth,” was Chalchiuhtlicue, “Goddess with the nephrite skirt,” adorned with a necklace made of green stone. She was the protector of fresh, clean waters, rivers, and lakes.
From green nephrite, a great deity of the Mesoamerican people, Quetzalcoatl, is born. He is born from the Great Mother after she has swallowed this green stone. Through various trials and battles, he defeats the demons of the underworld and emerges as a feathered serpent of nephrite color.
On the other side of the world, until the arrival of Europeans in the XVIII century, the Maori from New Zealand had no knowledge of metals at all, and the most highly regarded crafted stone was nephrite, from which they made axes, knives, and other tools. Of nephrite, especially beautiful in color. Or they crafted swords with jade, or some other distinctive feature, for their tribal leaders. These jade swords served not only as weapons but also as symbols of power.