The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-05-27
JADE COMES FROM CHINA
INTENTIONALLY PRICED AS THE
STONE PAR EXCELLENCE.

Every Woman In the Celestial King
dom Wears at Least One Jade orna-
ment-Powdered Jade Used for
Stomachic Trouble.
With Chinese, jade has been priced
from time immemorial as the stone
par excellence. 1t may be fairly stat
ell that every woman in China wears
at least one jade ornament, which, II
not the genuine article. is at least
good imitation. What the bamboo is
to the ordinary Chinaman. providing
him as it does with almost every tmag-
Unable article required by the social
conditions of China, that jade is to the
cCnnoisseur and man of refinement, II
within somewhat narrower limits. 1t
has been made into snuff-boXes, cups,
plates, bowls, bracelets, earrings,
vases, boxes, inkstones, flutes, pestles
and mortars, seals, ear-stoppers, scep-
tiers (so-called), pillows, boats, hair
pins, rings, head ornaments, paper
weights, Buddhas, human figures,
beasts, birds, fishes, ETC., etc.
quently heard since the siege of the le-
cations at Picking. Here is Chinese
answer: Jade is the uuintessence OF
heaven and earth. 1t is marked with
the dark hues of the hills, with the
blue tints of streams. 1t is white as
sliced lard, red as cocks comb, black
as pure lacquer, and yellow as cook
ed chestnut" Some writer's add
fifth color, crimson as rouge" Near
er, perhaps, to the mark for western
readers will be the following details,
gathered from conversation with Prof.
Lewis of Cambridge. The term jade,
as popularity employed, includes two
minerals, jadeite and nephrite. The
specific gravity of jadeite is about 81;
that of nephrite 90. The fusing point
OF iadeite is much lower than that OF
nephrite. BY the mere process OF
handling and inspection it is impossi-
bic to tell one from the other.
The Chinese, who until recent times
have known nothing of specific gray
ity, test jade by it's hardness; Jade is
hard and fine and steel can do it no
injury" Again, -. your jade is white
as pigs lard, and rings when struck
then it is genuine There are so
many substances which resemble jade
that it is necessary to discriminate
carefully.
Genuine jade is soft looking and
glossy, as though stepped in some kind
of fat. On being struck it gives forth
clear, ringing sound, like bell, which
seems to stop and then goes on again,
dying away in the distance and gradu-
ally" The Chinese classify jade ac-
cording to color and provenance: The
best kind of jade" says one writer, is
orange yellow; the second best is the
color of mutton fat; the next best is
yellow, which is not easy to obtain;
then comes white Among the rest
is a stone, called by the Chinese
fe ts' vi, from it's resemblance in col.
o. to the plumage of the kingfsher
which, appears to be chrysoprase, and
is now very highly priced. White jade
with black or smokelike streaks also
commands fancy prices; though, OF
course, all really depends upon the
treatment by the artist of well-selected
material.
Everything in China of any rarity
whatever is quite certain to be dragged
into the pharmacopoeia of the Chinese
physician. Jade is no exception to the
rule. 1t may be swallowed as a poev-
der or in little pieces the size of hemp
seed, for various stomachic complaints,
even pock-marks and scars may be
by being daily rubbed with
a piece of pure jade. 1t is also consid-
cred to be of very moist nature, and
we read of an imperial favorite of the
eighth century, who was cured of eX-
ces sive thirst by holding fish-shaped |
piece of jade in her mouth. And so
when the tomb of the great command
was opened two hundred years after
his death, among the usual objects |
found in such circumstances was a
large silver bowl full of water. That
the water had not dried UP was ac-
counted for by the presence in the
bowl of a jade figure three feet in
height.
Jade is chiefly brought from the
X un-un or Koulkun range, between
the desert of Cobb and Thibet; from
Kboten or Ilchi, in Yarkland; and
from Lan-t'ien, on the Belurtagh noun
tains, and still further to the west.
This Lan-t'ien mas been confused by
Chinese writer's with another Lan-tien
ii the province of Shensi, near the city
IF Hsian. whittier the Chinese court