Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone. The term jade is applied to two different stones Nephrite jade and Jadeitite. Both Nephrite and Jadeite are tough, but Nephrite is tougher than Jadeite. It has strength greater than quartz and can be delicately shaped.  Nephrite can be found in a creamy white as well as in a variety of green colors, whereas jadeite shows more color variations, including blue, lavender-mauve, pink, and emerald-green colors. Of the two, Jadeite is rarer, documented in fewer than 12 places worldwide. Translucent emerald-green Jadeite is the most prized variety, both now and historically. Jade is found all over the world and was used by prehistoric people for axes, knives and weapons.

Jade is known as a “dream stone” and as a “stone of fidelity”, bringing realizations to ones potential and devotion to ones purpose.  It improves one remembering of dreams and assists in “dream-solving”.  It is used to release suppressed emotions via the dream process; for this activity, a piece of Jade is placed under the pillow prior to sleep.

Jadeite has the qualities of jade and was exalted by the Mayan and Aztec cultures as a “stone of magic”, bringing to fruition, in times of need, the protective forces of the ethers.  It represented status and was possessed only by the elite of the realm.  It was also carved in the form of deities, representing aspects of protections and favorable fortunes.