Some jadeite knowledge that you may interested in
Jadeite in China and Burma. Objects made of minerals classified generally as jade have been
used in China for a very long time.2 Durant (1954: 737) notes that "Jade is as old as Chinese
history, for it is found in the most ancient graves." Jade was a symbol for the official state worship
of the Heaven, Earth, and the Four Quarters. However, only a very small percentage of this jade was
jadeite. In the past, the Chinese used the term yü for jade in general and only occasionally bothered
to distinguish between chên yu, which was used for nephrite, and fei-ts'ui, which was used for
jadeite. While much is made in writing about the Chinese reverence for jade, until recently this
reverence was primarily for objects made of nephrite and generally not jadeite.
Initially the primary source for ancient jade by the Chinese was the K'un Lun Mountains of
southeastern Turkestan and the adjacent Karakash or Black Jade River and Yurungash or White
Jade River in the vicinity of the oasis of Khotan (Dohrenwend 1971: 10). Marco Polo is said to
have passed through this area in 1472 and to have seen what he thought was jasper and chalcedony,
but what was later considered to be jade, being collected for export to China (Palmer 1967: 11;
Wills 1972: 19). Most, if not all, of what was mined at this site was nephrite jade. Some authors assert
that there was at least some jadeite obtained by the Chinese from these sources. Thus, Norman
Lewis (1952: 210) recounts: "In the original quarries in Turkestan a certain small amount of green
jadeite was also found. By virtue of its rarity this green stone became practically priceless." Others,
however, are skeptical. Dohrenwend (1971: 11), for instance, states categorically that "there is no
evidence for jadeite in China in such early times, nor was the colder, harder stone ever loved there in
the way that nephrite was." Likewise, Whitlock and Ehrmann (1949: 21) state that "for twenty a
2 I was not able to obtain a copy of the recently published book by Levy and Scott-Clark (2001),
which provides new material on the history of jadeite in Burma and China, prior to completing the
present paper. Their book is revied by Edmond Chin (2001), who notes that while the authors
include some new material, there are also numerous errors in the book, especially in their treatment
of Chinese history.
centuries... nephrite was the only jade known to Chinese lapidaries" and Wills (1972: 21) says that
"at present there is no evidence that it jadeite jade was known or used in China prior to the mid-
eighteenth century."
Hansford (1968: 28) agrees that jadeite does not appear to have been imported to China until
the eighteenth century, when it began to be brought to China from Burma via Yunnan. Significantly,
he notes that "a contemporary Chinese writer regarded it as having merely 'usurped the name of yü',
but the brilliant emerald-green colour of some of the finer specimens soon earned it a place in
public esteem as high as that of nephrite." Hansford adds (1968: 28-29) that "an old name, jei-ts'ui,
'plummage of the kingfisher', which had been applied at least as early as the eleventh century to
certain fine green nephrites but had passed out of currency, was revived to distinguish the new
material. This is the name by which it is still known throughout China. The belief that Burmese
jadeite was carved in China in much earlier times appears to rest on a confusion of the two uses of
the term jei-ts'ui" (this point is discussed by Hansford earlier in a 1948 article). He supports this
argument for the absence of jadeite prior to the eighteenth century by drawing attention to use of
nephrite rather than jadeite in the crown of the empress Wan-li, who was buried in 1620. Only later
was jadeite used in such royal regalia, when it largely supplanted nephrite.
A variety of sources provide illustrations of examples of Chinese jadeite. Boda (1991: 171172)
discusses and illustrates a jadeite box from the Qing court in the shape of a fish. He describes
the piece in one place as "white mingled with blue in colour" and elsewhere as having a "greenwhite
tone", but from the photograph the piece appears to be a light lavender. Bernstein
(www.bernsteinjadeart.com) illustrates and describes a pair of crouching boys carved of jadeite and
used as pillows (Ref. #2737). The pieces are said to date from 1780-1820. He mentions a similar
pair os jadeite bangle featured in a Sotheby's auction (2 December 1976, lot 726) in Hong Kong
and again in a Christie's auction (2 October 1991) in Hong Kong. According to Bartholomew
(1999: 42), "the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco holds one of the world's most comprehensive
and best collections of Chinese jades."3 The collection is comprised largely of pieces collected by
Avery Brundage (1887-1975). While most of the pieces in the colection are made of nephrite, a few
are made of jadeite. The relative lack of jadeite pieces in the collection would appear to reflect the
fact that "Mr Brundage was not interested in personal adornment in jades" (1999: 47), which is the
most common use of jadeite. Bartholomew illustrates a few of the jadeite pieces in her article.
used in China for a very long time.2 Durant (1954: 737) notes that "Jade is as old as Chinese
history, for it is found in the most ancient graves." Jade was a symbol for the official state worship
of the Heaven, Earth, and the Four Quarters. However, only a very small percentage of this jade was
jadeite. In the past, the Chinese used the term yü for jade in general and only occasionally bothered
to distinguish between chên yu, which was used for nephrite, and fei-ts'ui, which was used for
jadeite. While much is made in writing about the Chinese reverence for jade, until recently this
reverence was primarily for objects made of nephrite and generally not jadeite.
Initially the primary source for ancient jade by the Chinese was the K'un Lun Mountains of
southeastern Turkestan and the adjacent Karakash or Black Jade River and Yurungash or White
Jade River in the vicinity of the oasis of Khotan (Dohrenwend 1971: 10). Marco Polo is said to
have passed through this area in 1472 and to have seen what he thought was jasper and chalcedony,
but what was later considered to be jade, being collected for export to China (Palmer 1967: 11;
Wills 1972: 19). Most, if not all, of what was mined at this site was nephrite jade. Some authors assert
that there was at least some jadeite obtained by the Chinese from these sources. Thus, Norman
Lewis (1952: 210) recounts: "In the original quarries in Turkestan a certain small amount of green
jadeite was also found. By virtue of its rarity this green stone became practically priceless." Others,
however, are skeptical. Dohrenwend (1971: 11), for instance, states categorically that "there is no
evidence for jadeite in China in such early times, nor was the colder, harder stone ever loved there in
the way that nephrite was." Likewise, Whitlock and Ehrmann (1949: 21) state that "for twenty a
2 I was not able to obtain a copy of the recently published book by Levy and Scott-Clark (2001),
which provides new material on the history of jadeite in Burma and China, prior to completing the
present paper. Their book is revied by Edmond Chin (2001), who notes that while the authors
include some new material, there are also numerous errors in the book, especially in their treatment
of Chinese history.
centuries... nephrite was the only jade known to Chinese lapidaries" and Wills (1972: 21) says that
"at present there is no evidence that it jadeite jade was known or used in China prior to the mid-
eighteenth century."
Hansford (1968: 28) agrees that jadeite does not appear to have been imported to China until
the eighteenth century, when it began to be brought to China from Burma via Yunnan. Significantly,
he notes that "a contemporary Chinese writer regarded it as having merely 'usurped the name of yü',
but the brilliant emerald-green colour of some of the finer specimens soon earned it a place in
public esteem as high as that of nephrite." Hansford adds (1968: 28-29) that "an old name, jei-ts'ui,
'plummage of the kingfisher', which had been applied at least as early as the eleventh century to
certain fine green nephrites but had passed out of currency, was revived to distinguish the new
material. This is the name by which it is still known throughout China. The belief that Burmese
jadeite was carved in China in much earlier times appears to rest on a confusion of the two uses of
the term jei-ts'ui" (this point is discussed by Hansford earlier in a 1948 article). He supports this
argument for the absence of jadeite prior to the eighteenth century by drawing attention to use of
nephrite rather than jadeite in the crown of the empress Wan-li, who was buried in 1620. Only later
was jadeite used in such royal regalia, when it largely supplanted nephrite.
A variety of sources provide illustrations of examples of Chinese jadeite. Boda (1991: 171172)
discusses and illustrates a jadeite box from the Qing court in the shape of a fish. He describes
the piece in one place as "white mingled with blue in colour" and elsewhere as having a "greenwhite
tone", but from the photograph the piece appears to be a light lavender. Bernstein
(www.bernsteinjadeart.com) illustrates and describes a pair of crouching boys carved of jadeite and
used as pillows (Ref. #2737). The pieces are said to date from 1780-1820. He mentions a similar
pair os jadeite bangle featured in a Sotheby's auction (2 December 1976, lot 726) in Hong Kong
and again in a Christie's auction (2 October 1991) in Hong Kong. According to Bartholomew
(1999: 42), "the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco holds one of the world's most comprehensive
and best collections of Chinese jades."3 The collection is comprised largely of pieces collected by
Avery Brundage (1887-1975). While most of the pieces in the colection are made of nephrite, a few
are made of jadeite. The relative lack of jadeite pieces in the collection would appear to reflect the
fact that "Mr Brundage was not interested in personal adornment in jades" (1999: 47), which is the
most common use of jadeite. Bartholomew illustrates a few of the jadeite pieces in her article.
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