been
worked for more than two thousand years. Nephrite is found in eastern
Siberia, Silesia, Germany, and in New Zealand. Both nephrite and
jadeite, carved into weapons and ornaments, have been found in all the
Americas; the occurrence of nephrite in Alaska has been well
established, and it is a possibility that much of the carved material
found far south of Alaska originated there.
The
Chinese name for jade is " Yu," or " Yu-Shih " (Yu stone), and the
Chinese do not seem to distinguish between jadeite and nephrite. In the
western world jade is used but to a limited extent for jewelry,
excepting as an artistic fancy or fad, by those who have visited the
Orient, or become interested in it through visiting the " Chinatown "
colonies of the immigrant Cantonese in American cities. A demand for
jade bracelets as souvenirs of visits has grown up, these Oriental
ornaments being especially appreciated by the artistic. Outside the
realm of jewelry, very high prices are paid in Europe and the United
States by connoisseurs and collectors for beautiful examples of
Chinese art, not for the intrinsic value of the mineral, but because of
the wondrous workmanship displayed by the patient and skilful Chinese
artisans.
