Jade, Tremendous Folklore And History
Jade has been known for thousands of years. Like most historically known gems, jade gathered a lot of folklore and traditional beliefs - some of these are believed and followed even today. Jade is closely linked to Chinese culture and this means that it has always been assigned high meaning and significance. The Chinese are willing to pay big amounts for fine quality jade and interestingly, much of that jade comes from Burma. Jade as a gemstone is defined to include both nephrite and jadeite. Western nations have been impressed by the beauty of the gem and also the mystique that surrounds it. Chinese mythology claimed that, jade had the power to protect the body and soul of the living and the dead. This belief is strong even today and is one of the reasons why, high quality jade has a ready market in modern China. It is reported that one carved jade piece in China was made more than 10,000 years ago. Many centuries ago, jade ornaments were worn in China to denote status and social rank. Jade bangles and beaded chains are worn to be protected from evil. Parents give jade ornaments to their children to keep the children free from danger and evil temptations.
It is no surprise that the Chinese practice of feng shui assigned a prominent role to gemstones, especially jade. As feng shui practice became known across the world, additional powers and positive effects were attributed to jade. The gemstone came to be connected to love and virtue and this lead it to be called 'the stone of fidelity'. Another interesting belief was that, jade helped a person remember his or her dreams more clearly and this, got it labelled as the 'dream stone'. Followers of crystal theraphy often claim that, this gem helps promote peace and harmony and also helps in preparing the mind to solve problems.
Without getting very technical we would like to explain an interesting fact related to jade. This gemstone is very physically very tough by virtue of it's internal structure. Excavations in ancient Europe revealed that people often carved jade to make hand tools or even arrow heads. It's use as a gemstone happened much later but, not many details exist to link jade to any traditional folklore in ancient Europe.
The hunger for quality jade in China never seems to saturate, this has resulted in prolonged pressure on price levels. Medium to good quality jade has today become very expensive. Casual jewelry lovers who wish to wear a good looking jade jewel at a moderate price find it nearly impossible to do so. Fortunately, gem manufacturers have been able to dye natural jade that is not of a very high quality into gorgeous looking pieces. The Claddagh Jade Ring shown on this page is crafted in gold or 925 silver with a dyed green jade gemstone. You can get this gorgeous silver jewel for under 250 U.S$ but, if you insisted on a similar looking piece of natural green jade that has not been dyed - expect to pay at least 1,500 U.S$ to 2,000 U.S$ for the ring.
It is no surprise that the Chinese practice of feng shui assigned a prominent role to gemstones, especially jade. As feng shui practice became known across the world, additional powers and positive effects were attributed to jade. The gemstone came to be connected to love and virtue and this lead it to be called 'the stone of fidelity'. Another interesting belief was that, jade helped a person remember his or her dreams more clearly and this, got it labelled as the 'dream stone'. Followers of crystal theraphy often claim that, this gem helps promote peace and harmony and also helps in preparing the mind to solve problems.
Without getting very technical we would like to explain an interesting fact related to jade. This gemstone is very physically very tough by virtue of it's internal structure. Excavations in ancient Europe revealed that people often carved jade to make hand tools or even arrow heads. It's use as a gemstone happened much later but, not many details exist to link jade to any traditional folklore in ancient Europe.
The hunger for quality jade in China never seems to saturate, this has resulted in prolonged pressure on price levels. Medium to good quality jade has today become very expensive. Casual jewelry lovers who wish to wear a good looking jade jewel at a moderate price find it nearly impossible to do so. Fortunately, gem manufacturers have been able to dye natural jade that is not of a very high quality into gorgeous looking pieces. The Claddagh Jade Ring shown on this page is crafted in gold or 925 silver with a dyed green jade gemstone. You can get this gorgeous silver jewel for under 250 U.S$ but, if you insisted on a similar looking piece of natural green jade that has not been dyed - expect to pay at least 1,500 U.S$ to 2,000 U.S$ for the ring.