Fantastic & Unusual Chinese Hand Carved Water Buffalo

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Fantastic & Unusual Chinese Hand Carved Water Buffalo

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Sold Date: 02/06/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

You are bidding on ITEM: JADE-Water Buffalo A Genuine and Important Hand Carved Water Buffalo. A must for any serious Jade Collector... . Call for shipping Quote

J ade is the gem name for mineral aggregates composed of either or both of two different minerals, Jadeite and Nephrite . Jadeite is a sodium-rich aluminous pyroxene; nephrite is a fine-grained, calcium-rich, magnesium, iron, aluminous amphibole. All jade is composed of fine-grained, highly intergrown, interlocking ("matted" or "felted" texture, like asbestos or felt) crystals of one or both of these minerals. Though neither mineral is very hard (6-7), jade is one of the toughest gem minerals known because of the intergrown nature of the individual crystals.

Most jade on the market is composed of nephrite; jadeite jade is quite rare and in its emerald-green, translucent form is referred to as Imperial Jade or "gem jade". A small amount of Cr in jadeite accounts for the color of imperial jade. Other color-based names for jadeite jade are Yunan Jade , for a uniquely appearing dark green, semitranslucent jade, Apple Jade for apple (yellowish green) green jade, and Moss-in-Snow for white jade with vivid green spots and streaks.

Nephrite and jadeite jade ranges in color from a somewhat greasy-appearing, white ("mutton fat jade") to dark and light shades of green , gray, blue-green, lavender, yellow, orange, brown, reddish-brown, and black. An important dark green variety of nephrite is sometimes known as "spinach jade". The chromophore in all nephrite jades is usually Fe. Nephrite jade is usually opaque to translucent in thinner pieces.

The name jade has been, and continues to be, applied to a variety of materials that superficially or closely resemble jade but are not composed of either jadeite or nephrite. F.T.C. regulations in this country deem such usage unlawful, yet the practice persists, either through ignorance or otherwise. Some of the problem can undoubtedly be traced to cultural and historical differences in word usage. In China, for example, the word jade has traditionally been applied not only to nephrite and jadeite jade, but to green serpentine and soapstone (talc) whose appearance closely resemble true jade. Common misnomers and the materials they represent are: "Korean" Jade for serpentine or gem serpentine (bowenite), "Indian" Jade for aventurine, "Mexican Jade" for green-dyed calcite, "Transvaal Jade" for green hydrogrossular garnet, "Amazon or Colorado Jade" for amazonite (blue-green or green) feldspar and "Oregon or Swiss Jade" for green chalcedony.

Jadite General

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