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If you are visiting Antigua Guatemala or live here, you will soon discover that Jade is mined right here in Guatemala and beautifully crafted by local artisans. Not only that, but it is surprisingly affordable and rich in history. The article below is a brief history and information about Jade provided by Mary Lou Ridinger who re-discovered Jade in Guatemala in 1974.
Something Old… Something New…Something Green… Something Blue…
These Worlds describe “JADE”: ancient jade quarries with stones 250 million years old… abandoned over 1,000 years ago… re-discovered by American archaeologist, Mary Lou Ridinger in Guatemala’s Motagua river valley in 1974.
From 1200 B.C. until 1541 A.D. Jade was the most precious gem of the people of Mesoamerica; a region that shared a common culture for 3000 years before the arrival of Columbus.
Few people realize that the word “Jade” comes from the Spanish term: “Piedra de Hijada”. Europeans were unfamiliar with Jade, and they had no word for it. At the time of the conquest, the Aztecs told the Spaniards that Jade would miraculously cure illnesses of the loins or kidneys, so “piedra de hijada” was introduced to Europe and all the words for jade in European languages are derived from Spanish.
The ancients ascribed the concept of immortality to the stone because jade is so hard and dense that it was felt to be indestructible. So jade became the symbol of eternity. The Maya Kings were buried with Jade burial masks as their passport to immortality.
“Jade” is a generic term for two different stones that are both considered jade. The correct mineralogical terms for these stones are “Jadeite” and “Nephrite”. The rarer and more valuable of the two is Jadeite which is considered to be a semi precious or precious stone. White nephrite is considered to be a carving quality stone and is seldom used in fine jewelry.
All pure jade, whether nephrite or jadeite is white and all colors of jade are caused by inclusions of other minerals. If you have inclusions of copper, you will get dark green jade, if you have inclusions of cobalt, you will get bluish jade, inclusions of iron, manganese and titanium produce purple jade and inclusions of manganese and ferrous iron will produce black jade.
The world’s most brilliant and expensive gemstone is chromium colored imperial jadeite green jade, which is so brilliant that emeralds pale beside it.
Seven sources of Jadeite Jade have now been located along the Motagua fault zone area and in the Sierra de Las Minas in Guatemala where two tectonic plates come together and where the jade is produced by a process called “subduction faulting”.
For three thousand years the jade was traded to chiefdoms and empires in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize and Mexico, until all was abandoned and forgotten at the decline of the Maya empire and more so at the time of the Spanish conquest.
Jades, S.A. brought back the jade industry which is now as strong as it was in the past. For 34 years, they have taught the descendents of the Mayas to carve jade into masterpieces like those found in Museums around the world. Jades,S.A. now has branches and franchises in Belize, Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras, recreating the original Mayan trade routes and tying it into local archaeological sites.
They have been featured in National Geographic magazine and on the Discovery Channel.
Visit our artisans and store in Antigua Guatemala at the Jades S.A. Jade Factory and Museum. Guided tours are free and include information about ancient Mayan use of Jade as well as a look at its modern day re-discovery in Guatemala and craftsmanship. The Jades S.A. Factory and Museum is located at 4ª. Calle oriente No. 34.
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