Intermediates
Gallantry and accessories
Green jade - the sonorous "essence of love"
Green jadeite is often confused with emerald, malachite and jade. However, it is a specific and distinctive mineral with a long and remarkable history behind it. Carrying it around with you in the form of jewelry or other ornaments once made great sense to many cultures of the world. Ancient stonecutters have valued the smoothness and versatility of jade for years. Why? Well, when struck against the stone, its thin pieces produced sonorous, extremely pure sounds. Not surprisingly, jade symbolism to this day revolves around harmony, purity and eternity.
In the past, craftsmen used to create various types of bells and gongs from the melodiously sonorous jade. However, they were intended not only for pleasant listening to them. Some used these instruments, for example, to produce "heavenly" tones for ritual practices. Chinese poets even compared the melodious sound of green jade to the voice of... a loved one. They therefore called jade "the essence of love." Later, however, they gave it a much loftier name.
Hei-tiki, the jade jewelry of the Maori people
The Maori, an indigenous ethnic group of New Zealand, have for centuries benefited from the extraordinary strength of green jade. They created tools, weapons and ornaments from it, which they then passed down from generation to generation. The hei-tiki pendants became the most famous and treasured heirlooms. They were carved from green stones, which the Maori called pounamu. When a family needed a new hei-tiki, they would then engage a tohung, or wizard, to locate raw jade with the help of his rituals. The sorcerer was allegedly assisted in the rituals by ancestral spirits - the family's task was to name the jade they found after the spirit that pointed out the location of the stone. After a successful ritual, the tohunga would lead the family to the area where they would find the green jade.
The natural shape of the stone largely determined the final form of the hei-tiki pendants. The Maori guarded the jewelry and passed it on from generation to generation, believing it would protect them from all evil. When an entire family died out, the last male member of the family was buried with the hei-tiki, so that the pendant would protect the family from an evil and unknown force on the other side. The jade pendants would forever hold the wisdom of the ancestors, guiding the deceased to the good and bright side.
Green jade in the Han Dynasty
In China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), mourners often placed jade jewelry in the hands of the deceased. They used it as a symbol of resurrection and also as amulets to protect the bodies of the dead from decay. During the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC), Chinese rulers, on the other hand, used a three-legged wine vessel made of jade, called a jue. With its help, they made offerings to ancestral spirits. Various figurines made of green jade were also placed in tombs to protect the dead from evil spirits.
Interestingly, in ancient China, a healing cult even developed around jade. This is because people believed that by mixing powdered jade with water one could obtain an antidote that strengthened the body and prolonged life. When a person consumed such a mixture shortly before death, the concoction could delay the decay of his body. Xu Shen, who was an ancient Chinese scholar, described five qualities of green jade, attributing to the stone beneficence, righteousness, wisdom, courage and justice. Thus, to this day, jade jewelry is referred to by some as a "heavenly stone" or a "jewel from heaven."
Does the magic of green jade jewelry still work?
Historically, jade was designed to protect owners from evil forces. Today the stone serves mainly an ornamental function, although many people still believe in its magical properties. For the current production of jewelry, the largest amount of jadeite, which comes from Myanmar, is used - as much as 90% of the stock.
What properties are attributed to jade jewelry? Well, it is supposed to help treat anorexia, as well as support young mothers during pregnancy, remove negative thoughts, calm the mind and attract positive energy. Wearing jade ornaments is also supposed to facilitate faster sleep, ensure wealth and a happy life. Do you want to achieve something specific in life that you have been planning for a long time? Then it's worth getting green jade jewelry. Because why not help yourself achieve your goal with a pinch of... magic?
