Myanmar — Jadeite Pendant, Ice Green

Jadeite is not the same stone as nephrite.

Jadeite (Pyroxene jadeite) forms under extreme pressure — higher than nephrite, deeper in the earth, in conditions that exist in only a handful of places on the planet. Myanmar’s Kachin State contains the world’s most significant jadeite deposits, producing material that ranges from opaque grey to the translucent, intensely saturated green that the Chinese market calls imperial green. The ice variety — bingzhong — is translucent without strong colour: the stone appears to glow from within, like light passing through shallow water. It is valued for clarity rather than saturation.

The jade trade between Myanmar and China is over a thousand years old. The Burmese kings controlled the mines; the Chinese merchants controlled the market. The stone crossed the border raw and returned carved. The route between Mandalay and Yunnan is one of the oldest continuous trade relationships in Asia. The pendant form — flat, worn against the body — is the oldest Chinese jade form still in daily use.

This pendant is cut from ice-variety jadeite — the translucency visible when held to light, the green present but not dominant. The surface is polished to a high finish. The stone is cool to the touch and warms slowly. The cord hole is drilled at the natural top of the piece.

Origin: Kachin State, Myanmar
Material: Natural jadeite, ice variety
Type: Pendant

One piece only. What you see is what ships.