Antiques -> Asian -> Chinese
Chinese antique jade isn’t just beautiful in its own right, but carries a deep cultural significance for the Chinese people. Historically, it was used for jewelry, in religious ceremonies, culturally, monetarily, and was believed to hold great mystical and healing powers. Today, it’s still an important stone for the Chinese people, whether used in jewelry or in a traditional jade carving.
Its beauty is admired worldwide, and often jade appears without any link to China or its history at all, in jewelry and other mediums. While most people think all jade is green, that’s merely the most popular color. Jade actually comes in a variety of hues. The Chinese had several different stories about the origins of jade, with one of the most popular holding that when the Mongols invaded China, dragons cried for the people. Their tears became Chinese antique jade.
Jade was revered above all other stones and minerals in ancient times. It was given as an award for the winners of contests of skill, intelligence and strength. The nobility owned jade, and often carved seals and symbols were passed down through the ages, much like a crown or sceptre, as a sign of rank and honor. When someone died, jade might have been given to the grieving family and then placed in the tomb. It was a valuable stone for much more than its beauty. The Chinese people believed that there were certain qualities inherent in the stone that made it desirable. If you find Chinese antique jade, the story behind it, one you’ll likely never know, could be fascinating.
A truly ancient piece of jade could have been used in marriage, birth, death, fertility, healing or other ceremonies. It could have been an amulet used to bring luck, or keep bad luck away. It might have belonged to someone of high rank or great importance. Those who collect Chinese antique jade do so in part because of the rich history of the pieces, even if one can only guess at the true purpose of a piece. When you find a piece that speaks to you, whether anyone knows its history or not, then that’s the perfect piece for your collection.
Often you’ll find Chinese antique jade in the form of carvings. While there won’t be a date or any other outward sign of the actual age of a carving, most carvings were relatively small figures until the advent of Buddhism, when the carvings expanded in size a bit to encompass landscapes and larger scenes, including large statues of Buddha. Statues of dragons, flowers and animals were some of the most popular. If you find a rare antique jade that’s a creamy white color, it’s probably much older than the green jade.
When collecting Chinese antique jade, you may want to specialize in a particular type of jade, like carvings of a certain type, or pieces from a certain period. Places like eBay are great for looking at a variety of pieces, but find a knowledgeable dealer so you know you’re getting genuine jade.
Originally posted 2008-11-11 06:17:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Collecting Antique Teddy Bears Are you wondering why you might want to go into collecting antique teddy bears? It really is a matter of taste when it comes to collecting antique teddy bears. It is quite possible for you to collect these bears on a wide variety of different levels. You can collect all...... -
Antique Books Antiques -> Books and Manuscripts -> American If you are interested in finding a collectible that has a true story to tell, antique books are the ideal choice. These offer the ability to collect something that has value, not only in the actual worth of the item, but in the...... -
Antique Chinese Parrot Antiques -> Asian -> Chinese If you are interested in a unique Asian collectible that is sure to get plenty of discussions going, antique Chinese parrots are an excellent choice. These delightful decorative collectibles come in many different shapes and styles and many are vibrantly colored and well designed. Most...... -
Antique Bench Antiques -> Furniture -> Benches, Stools: 1800-1899, 1900-1950, Post 1950 One great way to add function and beauty to any home is by purchasing a unique antique bench. There are many different types of collectible benches that can be found in antique stores around the world, but it is important...... -
Antique Mirrors Antiques -> Decorative Arts -> Mirrors Antique mirrors are a highly collectible item, with many of the frames boasting decorative carving and detail much like elaborate, wooden picture frames of old. A mirror itself is little more than glass covering a reflective surface and not very impressive—many of us carry......
Related Websites -
32 Nifty Ways to Build Links, and Drive Traffic! Image via CrunchBase Link building is an essential necessity for all bloggers, unless you don't want to be indexed by google and drive a ton of traffic to your blog, then by all means - skip right past this blog post. Here is a definitive - simple list of...... -
Collecting Rare Stamps Online You may already have started up your own stamp collection, but how are you going to set your stamp collection apart from other people and their stamp collections? You are going to need to know where to look and shop around in order to find the best rare stamps, and...... -
Collectible Bottles Collectibles -> Bottles and Insulators -> Bottles-> Antique (Pre-1930) One of the most unique forms of collectibles are bottles and you’d be surprised at just how many you can find. Ranging from antiques that were produced in the 1900’s, to ones that are just rolling off the assembly line right...... -
Be Happy Together What to do if a situation in a family develops in the adverse image, or it is already close to a destructive stage, or already is in this stage? And what do we usually do in this case? Traditionally — we follow council to close people, members of families, friends,...... -
Different Country Garden Landscapes There are a wide variety of different types of gardens, many of which follow the same theme as country garden landscapes. There are so many different types of gardens that it can seem daunting to determine which type is going to best suit your needs. Let us start with the......
