In these days, there is a lot of events going on, from the fashion weeks in Paris and Milan to more happenings more specifically related to jewelry, such as Gem Génève or Roma Jewelry Week.
Also, these are the days for auction houses to have their specific events, and in the field of jewelry there’s plenty of choices.
Navigating through the internet and the social media I have been intrigued by a very impressive Magnificent Jewels Auction, which will be held by Sotheby’s tomorrow, in Hong Kong.
Amongst the several (more than) marvelous lots, my heart beat faster for some outstanding pieces where Fei cui (翡翠), a very rare and exquisite kind of Jade, is taking the center of the stage.
It could be called by different names, depending on the context. Type II is mostly technical, while Jadeite Jade, Jade or the suggestive Imperial Jade are terms used for more commercial purposes.
It is a fact that this incredible stone, shining with a very typical emerald glossy green, is harder than diamonds.
More tenacious, to be precise, since hardness refers to the resistance to scratches, while tenacity indicates the resistance to breaks.
That is one of the reasons why, in China it is a tradition to give jade bracelets to newborns, in order to protect them against perils.
The Jadeite Jade was actually introduced to China during the XVIIIth century, although the country already had a long tradition of using another kind of Jade, the Nephrite. This mineral, which was used in several contexts of the daily life of the Chinese empire, most of them religious or ritual, has a different shade of green, a little matte, and, in certain cases, a yellow or grey hue, from light to deep.
Back to my beloved Jadeite, it has another quality that makes it unique to my eyes (and to those of many others): it goes beautifully along with diamonds.