Discussion of Jade II

More than any other material, jade permeated the lives of the influential scholar class, and it represented the highest qualities of worldly achievement and attainment to the nobility. It was the ultimate symbol of perfection. Jade had the distinction of being tougher than steel. Though diamonds and rubies were harder than jade, they were brittle and were not tough. Ancient texts such as the Li Ji (Book of Rites) expounded the importance of jade to a gentleman whose wearing of jade pendants had a moral and aesthetic reason. Confucius said of jade, "In ancient times, men found the likenesses of all excellent qualities in jade. Soft, smooth, and glossy, it appeared to them like benevolence. Fine, compact and strong, like intelligence; angular, but not shard and cutting, like righteousness. (See Homepage) Lao Tze, the founder of Taoism, also attributed the highest qualities to jade. (See Homepage)

Pao Putzu, a Taoist philosopher once said that jade originally flowed from the mountains as a liquid. Ten thousand years after, it crystallized into a substance as clear as crystal. If the right herb is added to jade, it would again revert back to a liquid. Drinking this liquid would then confer the gift of long life to the drinker. Whatever the reason, High grade Jade gems and pieces of jade are often sold at prices that exceed diamonds. When Jadeite reaches sufficiently high levels of color, clarity and translucence, it sells at prices that can exceed $250,000 USD.