The series of articles on minerals continues the story of jade. For a long time, it has been valued all over the world as one of the best ornamental stones. No wonder: the jade jewelry will turn out to be too heavy, and the incrustation will be plain. Well, this is in my opinion an amateur stone-lover, so the opinion is quite amenable to criticism and dispute. But as a raw material for the manufacture of amazingly beautiful figures and household items, jade is irreplaceable. A strong, beautiful stone was also endowed with the energy of unprecedented strength. For nothing, perhaps, the Chinese have published a treatise on jade, which consists of a good hundred thick volumes? As a person who has never "mimocrocodile" in any kind of writing, I involuntarily bow before the masters (you can't call it anything else) who inflated information about the stone into a hundred books. I'm far from themso I will try to keep within the usual framework.
Emperor's Stone
The subtitle contains the name by which any Chinese person will immediately guess the subject in question. The Chinese are generally very sensitive to jade, and, as jasper is prized in Japan and is considered a gift of the goddess Amaterasu, in the Celestial Empire its brother is listed in the list of gifts from heaven, and in the literal sense. When the gods decided to celebrate the merits of one of the emperors, whom everyone recognized as a very pious, righteous man and generally a goody, they gave him jade. This was done in a rather peculiar way: the inhabitants of heaven did not waste their time, and at the same time arranged a test for the human cub. Jade poured down on the city of the emperor in the form of an endless stream of large minerals. For three days the capital was covered with jade, people were afraid to take to the streets. It is not surprising - if you get such a bun and without a sweep on the head,all the same it will not seem a little. And then there's the force of inertia from flight. So, without options - someone is a reward, and who is not hiding - here, as they say, “I'm not to blame,” lethal outcome is like from a bush, and not a single doctor will help.
The Emperor wept quietly, sitting on a gilded throne. It would seem, well, why did the gods send such a disaster to his city, because he is a darling, and his subjects are not the most trash, you can live. And go and guess - is it really a punishment, or a test that was sent and forgotten to stop. And, as you know from the myths and legends of different peoples, celestials in general by nature are quite vindictive creatures, and just gape - you will be punished. And if you don't remind yourself of yourself, they won't bother with you over a pile of ambrosia. Well, the emperor somehow managed to give the gods a sign - they say, a test - a test, but have a conscience! And the jade hail stopped. The people were still at home, rationally not sticking out their unprotected tops under the open sky. The emperor himself was the first to pluck up the courage to go out into the street. He stoodlooked at the city littered with jade, raised one pebble … And at that moment, according to legend, jade revealed to him all its hidden properties. And there were so many of them that the mourning for the crippled subjects and the almost destroyed capital quickly gave way to glee. Those who could move were sent to clear the rubble. Every single mineral was meticulously collected and transported to the secret palace rooms. Jade became one of the symbols of the imperial power, and was now called not just anything, but “the stone of the emperor”. Every single mineral was meticulously collected and transported to the secret palace rooms. Jade became one of the symbols of the imperial power, and was now called not just anything, but “the stone of the emperor”. Every single mineral was meticulously collected and transported to the secret palace rooms. Jade became one of the symbols of the imperial power, and was now called not just anything, but “the stone of the emperor”.
Since this mineral, like many others, the range of colors does not end with the usual greenish one, it is no wonder that one of the rarest - milky white - became the prerogative of the Chinese imperial family, and acquired state status. The personal ambassadors of the emperor always had a plaque from this variety, which automatically confirmed their authority and gave them the right to speak with the rulers of other countries and the heads of the strongest families of China on behalf of the emperor. And if someone came to an audience with His Imperial Majesty, he could only speak with a jade plate near his mouth. I don’t think that the Chinese ignored hygiene standards, but brushing teeth was apparently difficult there: the plate should be near the speaker’s mouth in order toso that with his stinking lips / speeches he does not in any way defile the refined scent of the Son of Heaven. So that. The highest sense of smell is above all.
The simpler people also did not shy away from jade. What is beautiful and durable cannot remain aloof from the attention of the masters, and until dishes and objects from porcelain appeared, they were successfully replaced by jade. It was even believed that if you store food in a jade bowl, then it can retain its nutritional properties for a very long time and will never deteriorate. It would be interesting to check. In addition to other areas in which the mineral was used, it was also used as a monetary unit - well, you know, as in Russia skins of fur-bearing animals were in use, so in the Celestial Empire a jade medallion, which was valued no less than ordinary coins, went for money. And when the Chinese woman entered marriageable age, the parents had to lie down with bones, but provide the precious child with at least one pin or belt decorated with jade. It's difficult to imagine,what profits were raised by the mineral traders on the beliefs that a girl cannot see good luck in family life if she is not decorated with a jade trinket during the marriage ceremony.
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However, jade was appreciated not only in the Celestial Empire. The stone was loved and loved all over the world, objects made of it entirely or inlaid with jade have been and continue to be found in the most unexpected places on the planet. Maori, New Zealand - created a kind of their own double, carving a small human figure out of jade. The Maori believed that this amulet would protect the owner from the influence of evil forces, and that the older he is, the stronger. Therefore, the jade man was passed from father to son, and if suddenly the clan was suppressed without leaving an heir in the male line, then the figure was buried together with the last representative of the family. On the American continents, jade was also used for ritual purposes: the Aztecs made ritual knives from it, and in some tribes a piece of jade was placed in the graves of the deceased, in the hope thatthat they will return to this world as soon as possible.
A stone stronger than steel
I don’t know how it is called in other languages, but the word “jade” itself came from the Greek “nephros” - “kidney”. This is due to the fact that the stone was originally found in rivers. Nature itself gave the mineral a shape, giving it a “river” cut, thanks to which the stone over the years took on a characteristic rounded shape, very distantly, but still resembling a kidney. But not so many representatives of "kidney stone" were found in the rivers: most often its deposits are found in places where magma met with sedimentary rocks, therefore jade is found in the composition of shale rocks, and in marble blocks.
It is noteworthy that the stone is considered not too hard, but, at the same time, it has an amazing combination of properties such as toughness and strength. Due to its fine-fibered structure, jade is very difficult to influence the environment, and can wait indefinitely in a piece of some rock or under a layer of water until it is discovered and dragged out into the light of day. The combination of characteristics gives an interesting result: the stone is five times stronger than granite, and twice as strong as steel. According to legend, an attempt to split a jade nugget on an anvil led to disastrous consequences for the blacksmith: he had to look for new equipment, since the anvil was split. It is possible that the legend is based on real events, only the question of the quality of the metal used to create the anvil arises.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, the most common is the green, herbal tint of the stone, and 90% of the world's population is sure that jade is just that. But no. Yes, the color scale of the stone is not as rich as, say, that of the same jasper or opal, but it is quite enough to surprise the layman. Bright green and gray with an admixture of malachite, brown speckled with brown, incredibly rare black, from which the tomb of Tamerlane was carved, no less rare blue (aka dianite), and even red - a kind of cherry on the cake, which mineralogists recognize as a shade of jade, the least common in nature. As with other stones, the final shade of jade determines the amount and ratio of iron, magnesium and manganese impurities in the mineral. And no one knows how Mother Nature will mix them there. It remains only to examine the result with amazement.
… Inside the mausoleum, in the middle, there was a large sarcophagus of Tamerlane himself, all of dark green jade, with ornaments and sayings from the Koran carved on it, and on the sides of it there were two smaller sarcophagi of white marble - Tamerlane's favorite wives.
From the memoirs of Prince Vasilchikov, who visited Samarkand.
Color is not the only criterion by which mineralogists determine the value of a nugget. The color of the stone plays an important role here. The more homogeneous it is, the more expensive the piece, the fewer spots and sharply outlined lines on it, the better. The uniform color gives the best transparency, which is especially appreciated by stonecutters. Among them, we respect spotted jade (as they say - from one extreme to another), the variegated natural pattern of which makes it possible to create incredibly beautiful boxes, vases and other items intended for interior decoration.
As for the deposits, they are found literally all over the world - in the Polar Urals and the USA, in Tuva and New Zealand, Canada and Kazakhstan, and many other places. There are two types: river placers, thanks to which jade was compared to a kidney, and underground veins. In the first there are small pebbles, from which the craftsmen rivet with buckets all kinds of amulets and jewelry. Secondly, there is a great chance to stumble upon a hefty-sized layer, which is not shameful to revet the room.
Jade in lithotherapy and occultism
Than only the people are not treated! I remember a phrase from my favorite book: "First you smear yourself with all sorts of rubbish, and then heal you for me." Figuratively, of course, but quite applicable. Jade was used in lithotherapy even when there was no such word in sight. Colleagues of modern Aztec dentists managed to put jade fillings on their patients. Ancient Greeks and Romans used jade in the form of powders and mixtures, considering it a real elixir of life and calling it a divine stone. Modern luminaries of lithotherapy point to nephritis as an excellent remedy for combating lingering migraines and eye diseases, and water infused with this mineral is recommended to drink as a means to cleanse the blood and strengthen bones and muscles. Different colored jade helps in different areas: for example, red is used to restore the heart rate,and white - for liver diseases. But the most important thing for the treatment of which nephritis is used most often is kidney disease. Maybe the translator once made a mistake, and the stone was called kidney not at all because of its shape, but precisely because of its healing qualities? Inflamed kidneys are treated by lithotherapists with massage, gently rolling small stones over the body, and completing the procedure by warming up with a jade plate.
As for the role of the stone in esotericism, jade is valued as a powerful talisman, but only with constant wearing. Periodic will not give any result. However, there is a small clarification: this stone is useful only for a person aimed at self-development, but cannot make a choice. Jade will help to get on the right path only if something positive, good is planned in the end. The negative at the end of the tunnel will lead to the destruction of the stone, and with it - the health of the owner.
Jade as a work of art
Thanks to the reverent attitude of the Chinese, most of the art objects created from jade were found in this country. Museums, depositories, private collections - everything is replete with antiquities, the oldest of which is recognized as a jade jug, displayed for all to see in Beihai Park. The vessel is carved from a single piece of mineral, weighs 3.5 tons and is about 5 meters in diameter. According to legend (where without him), Kublai Khan drank from this jug, he is also Khubilai - one of the Mongol khans. The ruler himself drank and watered the courtiers - given the scale of the "drinker", it is scary to imagine the scope and consequences of such feasts.
In 1968, during excavations, Liu Sheng's grave was discovered. Once he was a noble nobleman, and therefore a man was buried in a skillfully made jade suit, consisting of many thousands of jade scales. During the time of Liu Shen, the Chinese believed that such a measure would allow the body to avoid decay.
When Qianlong's subjects came across a nugget about 2.5 meters in height, they brought it to the capital from the province where it was discovered for three years. Skilled craftsmen worked on the stone for several years, and eventually created a monument to Yu, one of the heroes of the Chinese epic.
Modern finds include a 50-year-old nugget. It weighed about 8 tons: the jade block after processing by the craftsmen turned into a 6-meter statue of Buddha.