Description
The stone in this pendant is Australian Black Jade. Set in Sterling Silver, his measures approximately 35mm x 20mm. It hangs on a fully adjustable 22″ sterling silver chain.
The true emperor of Chinese jewelry, Jade was also prized in Aztec, Maori, Mayan, Native American, Olmec, and Toltec cultures. Aurstralian Black Jade is from on eof the world’s largest Nephrite Jade deposits, situated at Cowell on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
Jade has two different varieties, but prior to 1863 it was a blanket term covering Jadeite (pyroxene group), Nephrite (amphibole group), and other similar minerals. The name ‘Jade’ originates from the Spanish conquest of the Americas, being derived from ‘piedra de hijada’ (colic stone), which was coined around 1565. Another Spanish name for the gem is ‘piedra de los rinones’ (kidney stone), which when translated into Latin, Lapis Nephriticus, gives us the name, Nephrite. Not incredibly romantic, these names came from Spaniards making a tenuous curative connection between the shapes of polished Jade pebbles and kidneys. In 1863, the French mineralogist, Alexis Damour established that some Chinese Jade (Nephrite) and Burmese Jade (which he named ‘Jadeite’) are different minerals with a similar appearance and properties. Nephrite comes in blacks, browns, greens, greys, yellows, and whites. It is quite “ok” to title any variety of Jade as “Jade”.
I do most of my own lapidary work, sourcing my stones as close to the miner as possible. I create all the sterling silver settings from flat metal or wire.
Hand-crafted art/jewelry are one-of-a-kind pieces and generally are not duplicated exactly. Stones vary, measurements vary. I can collaborate with you if you would like to have a piece made for you or for someone else. Sterling silver may be polished with any number of good silver cleaner/polish products. Natural stones are fragile and may break if dropped, heated directly, stepped on, etc. Care should be taken.
