The Missing Jade Link

“If you take a hammer and hit a diamond, the diamond will shatter into pieces. Hit a piece of quartz and it'll split in two. However, if you hit a piece of jade, it'll ring like a bell.” a quote by Fara Braid

Jade, also named Nephrite, varies in color and transparency. Jade has been divided into two distinct minerals, so the former jade mineral has the name “jadeite”, and the latter one has its scientific name “nephrite”. Nephrite being a harder stone, Romans and Greeks are said to have used jade to prevent Ophthalmia and Epilepsy; furthermore, the word nephrite was derived from the Greek word of "kidney", emphasizing the belief that jade was a prescription for kidney disease. The Chinese prize jade carved into the figures of the Butterfly, Phoenix, and Unicorn as talisman for success. Thus, fine-quality jade known as kingfisher-green is found in China; however, jade can also be found in New Zealand, Mexico, and Turkmenistan. Jade has formerly been worn by authorities as a talisman for witchcraft, accidents, and unexpected injuries. When struck as rumor says, the sound of jade evokes the essence of love — a sound like the voices of ones loved. The words han-yu in Chinese referred to what's today at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called tomb-jade. The use of jade extended outside the Orient to the New World where jade was called chalchihuitl and placed in the mouths of dead nobles. Among the others of ancient Mexico, jade was called texaxoctli, a smaller gemstone also placed in the mouth after death. Jade not only signified the rank of a person yet symbolized the heart of the freed both fresh and green. In ancient Egypt, jade was placed on a mummy as a symbol of the decedent’s heart as instructed by The Book Of The Dead; however, no mention of jade was ever made by English translator Wallis Budge. However, further research has found the heart scarab in chapter 30, in reference to the weighting of the heart. The heart scarab was used as a replacement if the deceased lost his own during the afterlife.

Amulets made from jade were believed in the Middle Ages to prevent diseases of the kidneys, hence, the Spanish term for this semi-opaque stone is piedra de hijada C. W. King found one reference to jade by Pliny the Elder as the Syrian stone or “kidney of Adonis”. Legends say, Conradi Gesneri in 1565 reported how the natives of Brazil wore green, cylindrical oripenduli made of jade that were removed before eating. Sailors returning to Spain sought to enhance the value of Brazilian jade with superstitions about the lapis nephrite being worn by the natives as a cure for kidney problems. Sir Walter Raleigh, it was said, reported that the Amazones of Guiana exchanged gold for the Piedras Hijadas worn for kidney and stomach troubles, thus, jade was by trade a great jewel. Voltaire received a bracelet from a patron made of l’ejade as a remedy for colic. The Maori of New Zealand regarded jade as the green-stone, punamu, by the aid of a tohunga, a wizard. So, it's no surprise to jade-seekers, it's the gemstone of New Zealand. Before looking for punamu, the tohunga would induce a trace so a spirit could direct him to where the green-stone was to be found. Invariably, smaller or larger pieces of jade were found at the site chosen by the spirit. A name was given to the green-stone by the wizard — the name of the spirit who revealed the location. Talisman and tikis from New Zealand are "invariably carved" in jade, according to Heinrich Fischer. Hei-tikis are grotesque human figures with the head bent either to the left or right, are handed down from father to son, are regarded as religious figurines, and are meant to be worn around the shoulders and neck. A novel practice regarding tikis is the exhumation of the head of the family which was done by the nearest male relative to retrieve the tiki. Hence, tribal feuds could occur should it fall into the hands of strangers, so it may be concluded, their use as protection from witchcraft was precious.