TIMELESS JADE

Han White Jade Bi With In-Situ Iron DepositsA tremendous in-situ example of an early Han Dynasty Bi showing degraded iron deposits from surrounding burial artifacts that have adhered to the original Translucent White Nephrite Jade. Unlike modern reproductions that are most often made of chalcedony and soaked for an extended period in rusty buckets of water to leave a thin residue of iron, this original Western Han Dynasty Bi was made of true nephrite jade. The iron has degraded over such a long period of time that the iron deposits have degraded to such a point as to form almost perfect spheres of natural hematite over most of the surface of the Jade.Hematite Spheres - Canon EOS XSI At 25X Through Microscope

In the photo above we can clearly see the nephritic fibers of the the original degraded White Jade in the spiral, or tadpole, portion cut into the typically thin and convex (from string saw cutting) Western Han Bi. The hematite spheres start to show up very clear and defined at this 2,000 plus year period of burial as the iron has naturally degraded and started to return to its original components of hematite and iron oxides. Bronze artifacts under burial conditions do exactly the same as they return back to their original mineral components of mainly Malachite, Cerusite, Azurite, Cuprite, Tin Oxide and Lead. In approximately 1,000 year old Song Dynasty pieces we have seen the hematite spheres starting to form inside the ‘iron slime’ (but do not protrude outward as far as we have seen), which start to occur fairly rapidly under moist burial conditions.

Spheres With Canon EOS XSI Using Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f28 at 3X

With this photo we show a close up view using a Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f28 1-5X at only the 3X setting. Upon acquiring this wonderful in-situ Bi years ago I first soaked it in a strong solution of soap and water as a first test, for aliphatic cement (water/milk based glues) to see if the iron was in fact an application method I had not seen before under microscopic conditions. After three weeks in the soapy solution no glue residuals were found and no separation effects were noticed, even after a hard scrubbing with a stiff brush. The iron particles still appeared to be adhering to the jade, viewing as high as 45X under the microscope. Following this testing I further soaked the Jade Bi in pure Acetone for another three weeks to see if any petroleum based adhesives had been used. After the three week period and a further scrubbing the white jade bi in these pictures is what you see. Even at 90X under the microscope there was no appearance of prior glue adhesion, or even the almost obligatory wax used on all Jades and simulates, regardless of age.  This remain a 100% in-situ Translucent White Khotan Nephrite Jade, minus a bit of loose dirt that came off during the cleaning.

Original Tooling Marks and Spheres-Canon EOS XSi at 25X Microscopic

In this Picture we see a wonderful view of the original tooling marks that have naturally degraded over time; both smooth and rounded, with natural pitting in the ‘damage zones’ caused when fresh cutting grit was applied and the resulting deeper grooves were made in the spiraled, bifurcated tail of the central dragon figure inside the Bi. When fresh cutting grit was added, these deeper groves are caused and if not entirely polished out by successive lighter grits will leave, what modern artists call, “the damage zone”. This is best visualized as an abrasive actually shattering the micro-structure under the surface of the nephrite itself. If the damage zone is not completely removed this results in more aggressive organic and mineral penetration under long periods of burial, and along with freezing, thawing, and tectonic movements can cause the grooves in the damage zone to be further accentuated than if they had been finer polished. Please notice also, the ‘iron slime’ in the lower right hand corner of the picture with the hematite spheres protruding.

Hematite Spheres - Tooling Marks With Canon EOS XSi at 25X Under Microscope

This picture shows the approximate same area as the above photo under brighter conditions using Photoshop Lightroom 2 to adjust the lights and darks only. This created a wonderfully clear shot of the spheres in their in-situ condition while highlighting the tooling marks on the translucent white nephrite. This brighter aspect washes out a bit of the more loess soil intrusion look (which is a natural intrusion in many lighter colored nephrite jade Hongshan pieces found on the famous Loess Plateau), and is to be seen as a “yellowish color” in the jade (see the first photograph of this article). It also clearly authenticates that no modern tooling marks are to be found on the surface of the jade itself, and along with the natural pitting which occurred during extended burial, assures us this is not a re-polished, re-surfaced and iron oxided jade Bi; but rather an exquisite example of the finest Western Han Dynasty jade carvers tradition.

Measurements of Bi not including the Dragon on Top or Feng Huang (Phoenix) on Bottom  - 132mm Diameter X 5mm Depth

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

Botryoidal Specimen With Pseudomorph

This Phenomenal Specimen was submitted to us for publication by Sam Gitchel of River Blossom Jade in California. Sam is one of the most knowledgeable men on the planet when it comes to his supreme passion and specialty of Botryoidal Nephrite Jade. His credentials are impeccable and his knowledge and passion unsurpassed. Sam  has had mining claims in Northern California for years, and is best known for his harrowing helicoptering of these remarkable Botryoidal specimens from remote areas. He runs his operation with his lovely partner Heron and his sons Tim, Sam Jr. and Andy as ’helpers’. Their Botryoidal Jades have been featured in Arts of Asia Magazine, Lapidary Journal and various other  publications. Several renowned Geologists and Museum Curators have helicoptered to his remote location mines for in-situ examinations of his extraordinary botryoidal nephrite claims, and is known as a man of high integrity with abundant ‘hands-on” knowledge in geology, mining, nephrite jade and testing procedures/laboratories. Due to the lack of abundant rain in the Northern California area in the past 2-3 years, Sam had been working on previously collected  specimens,separating the “bots” from their matrix material. While using his proprietary methods, he happened upon this incredible specimen of two pseudomorphs clearly sticking out of the botryoidal nephrite while stile retaining their crystalline structure. This specimen was found in the Eel River Gorge area of Northern California and has been tested by Sam to be of a Hardness of 5.5 – 6; indicating, as it appears, to be a fully mature pseudomorph. After reading the other pseudomorph posts here on TimelessJade.com.  Sam (who has only shown this specimen to a few other close friends) decided to share it with all of us who love Nephrite Jade and the many anomalies it supports.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…