Jade—the precious gem known as the “stone of heaven”—has been cherished for millennia. It’s considered pure and enduring enough to inspire the wearer’s highest spiritual aspirations, yet sensuous and luxurious enough to satisfy down-to-earth cravings. Asian consumers have never lost their fascination for jade, and today, non-Asian buyers are drawn to jade as well. All are attracted by its rich heritage as much as by its beauty, durability, and rarity.
The jade bangle, first carved in China from nephrite, is a style thought to date back at least four thousand years. A smooth circle of bright jade wrapping the wrist is thought, even today, to bring peace and protection to its wearer. Jade bangles can be highly important pieces of jewelry. A smooth, translucent, Imperial green jadeite bangle, 8.36 mm thick, was sold at the Christie’s Hong Kong auction in November 1999 for USD $2,576,600.
A jade bangle’s durability is important for two major reasons. First, the fact that it’s worn on the wrist makes it vulnerable to damage and breakage. Second, because of jade’s natural properties and traditional symbolism, people expect it to stay intact. To some jade lovers, a broken bangle is not simply a misfortune—it might even predict disaster.
Some bangles are hololiths. When a cutter fashions a bangle from a single piece of rough, a great deal of weight loss results. For this reason, hololith bangles cost more than hinged bangles that consist of several pieces joined together by precious-metal hinges.
Words extracted from GIA-COLORED STONE-JADE
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