May, 19 IS 
27 
given the name Pi yii, a division of “dark green 
jade,” as the Chinese name signifies, which 
bears resemblance to deep green serpentine, 
nephrite that comes from around Lake Baikal 
and from the Sungari, also jadeite of the tint 
from the Western Yunnan mountains. 
To the third Chinese division of jade is 
given the name Fei ts’ui. Originally this name 
appears to have been confined to the emerald 
green jadeites, but later came to be applied to 
nearly all other jadeites, excepting those in¬ 
cluded in the Pi yii division. Nearly all the 
Fei ts’ui come from Burma. 
Nephrite and Jadeite 
When pure both nephrite and jadeite are 
theoretically white, but nature endows them 
with an extensive variety of colors and shades, 
sometimes throughout or parti-colored. Sea- 
green, grass-green, lettuce-green, grey-green 
and dark greens of varying intensity are 
nephrite’s usual tints. Then there are the 
greenish-yellow nephrites and the bluish-grey 
and the reddish-grey nephrites. Reds and 
browns are probably natural stains and not 
essential colors when found in nephrites. In¬ 
clusions of chromic iron produce the black 
nephrite, a jade least esteemed 
in color by the Chinese. On 
the other hand the mutton- 
white nephrites are highly 
praised and valued by Chinese 
connoisseurs. 
Jadeite presents no immedi¬ 
ate visual difference from 
nephrite, though its coloring is 
more bright and it presents 
(when not partially crystal¬ 
lized), more translucency than 
does nephrite. Bright apple- 
green and uniform lavender 
distinguish many jadeites. 
Says Dr. Bushell in “Chinese 
Art." a volume in which the 
collector of oriental objets d’art 
will find much pleasure, “The 
most precious jadeite of all is 
white strewn with more or less sharply defined 
spots of brilliant emerald green. The spots 
and veining which often accompany the vari¬ 
ously tinted grounds are due to the presence of 
a small amount of chromium distributed ir¬ 
regularly through the mass—the element which 
gives its color to the true emerald. The 
emerald green jadeite is the typical Chinese 
Fei ts’ui, an archer’s thumb ring or bracelet of 
which may be worth many ounces of silver.” 
The Color and Sound of Jade 
The two qualities that the oriental considers 
in jade above others are sonorousness and the 
A jade cup and saucer of the Ch'ien Lung 
Period, exquisite in form and coloring 
color. As to sonorousness the Chinese con¬ 
sider that nothing is sweeter to the ear than 
tones struck from pieces of jade. Confucius, 
we are told, resorted to the quieting influence 
of the mellifluous music sounded forth when he 
played on the musical stone. Chinese poets 
have compared it to the voice of a lover and 
“. . . . concord great 
Which the sonorous gem doth regulate!” 
is to be found in the first of the Sacrificial 
Odes of Shang. 
As to color, a native Manchu author writing 
of Chinese Turkestan in 1777, said of the jade 
pebbles found in Yarkand: “There are many 
different colors, among which are snow white, 
kingfisher-feather green, beeswax yellow, cin¬ 
nabar red, and ink black, are all considered 
valuable; but the most difficult to find of all 
are pieces of pure mutton fat texture with ver¬ 
milion spots, and others of bright spinach 
green, flecked with shining points of gold, so 
that these two varieties rank as the rarest and 
most precious of jades.” 
Jade objects were employed in the ritual of 
the old imperial worship of heaven, earth and 
the four points of the compass. The perforated 
round symbol called Pi, used 
in the worship of heaven, was 
of bluish jade, the octagonal 
symbol called Tsung was used 
in the worship of earth and 
was of yellow jade, the oblong 
pointed tablet-shaped symbol 
called Kuei was of green jade 
for the East, the half-tablet 
shaped Chang symbol of red 
jade was for the south, the 
tiger-shaped Hu symbol of 
white jade was for the west 
and the semi-circular Huang 
symbol of black jade was for 
the north. 
The collector of jade or the 
possessor of even a single piece 
will find the study of the color 
(Continued on page 68) 
Dish of jadeite 
filled with fruits, 
blossoms and 
leaves. Jadeite is 
. more bright in 
coloring than 
jade. Bright ap¬ 
ple green and 
lavender distin¬ 
guish much of it 
Lotus vase of 
jade ( nephrite ) 
from the Kang 
H s i Period 
( 1 622 - 1 722). 
N ephrite and 
jadeite comprise 
the two minerals 
most highly 
prized by the 
Orientals for 
carving 
Another jadeite 
plate of fruit. 
The most pre¬ 
cious jadeite is 
white strewn 
with more or less 
sharply defined 
spots and vein- 
in gs of brilliant 
emerald green 
A Taoist moun¬ 
tain scene cut 
from jade. Ch’ien 
Lung Period. 
Advantage is 
taken of color 
spots to give 
reality to the 
foliage and the 
faces of the two 
figures 
A bowl of white jade from the Imperial Summer 
Palace. It dates from the Ming Period (1368-1644) 
