Jade has been appreciated for thousands of years, all over the world. Stone Age humans in China and Europe worked tough Nephrite Jade into weapons, art pieces, and ritualistic tools. Their art showed their interest in heaven, earth, life, and death. On the other side of the world, the Mayans and Aztecs prized Jadeite Jade, using the stone for similar uses, as well as medicinal.

The name “Jade” comes from the Spanish expression, piedra de ijada, meaning “stone of the pain in the side”. This expression came about after early Spanish exploders saw natives holding pieces of Jade to their sides to cure and relieve various aches and pains.

The gem-carving tradition of Jade was already thousands of years old in China by the time Spanish settlers named the pale green stone, Jade. When Jadeite was introduced to the Chinese market via Burma in the late 1700’s, its popularity soared and became an important artistic medium. Masterpiece carvings of Jadeite from the late eighteenths and early nineteenth century are still unsurpassed in concept, design, and technical execution.