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Jade
Jewelry
can be found in emperor's tombs from thousands of years ago. Because
of its smooth even texture, jade has long been a preferred material for
carving, and also used for making beautiful jade jewelry with gold and
other precious metals. The most common shape is the
flat donut-shaped disc called a pi, which is commonly worn as a necklace.
The Emerald Buddha, the sacred image that
is enshrined at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, Thailand, is actually beautiful green jadeite.
Jadeite jade comes in lavender, pink, yellow, and white.
While jadeite is mined today primarily in
Myanmar, small quantities can be found in Guatemala. Jade is mined in Canada, Australia,
the United States, and Taiwan.
Jade is most often sold by the piece
rather than per carat.
Although the overall color is the most
important value factor, attention is also paid to translucency, texture, and also to
pattern. Certain patterns, including moss in snow, are highly valued.
Both jadeite and nephrite are very durable
and tough, although jadeite is slightly harder than nephrite due to its microcrystalline
structure.
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