Archaic Mastery Of Nephrite Jade

Carving

This Zhao Dynastic Nephrite Jade anthrozoomorphic small figurine-pendant, at first glance looks like what a famous New York auction house termed ‘imaginary figure’, upon initial viewing. However, given the fact that they only touched the figure and turned it around in their hands, inspecting it without even the use of a loupe before rejecting the figure, seems a bit on the hasty side. Granted, it is quite a fantastic figure and certainly not a common motif, with a mixture of Neolithic, Shang period and Zhou period designs, but such items have been created for millennium, and do show up in the oddest of places. In the old days, we also had been told that a certain piece couldn’t be real because the person viewing had never seen that particular design before. Thinking rationally on this, one will certainly realize that literally millions of hectares of land have never been archeologically examined, and it is but a small leap to think that more items are buried under at least some of that land, and not every piece or design created has been seen by every ‘professional’. When we first examined the piece, the weight was right and the ‘feel’ of the stone seemed correct. It was really then a matter of determining whether the “Owl Man’ was a modern replication or just an unusually rare artifact, based more on science than on guess-work. Coming from the Chernysh Estate Collection of Naples, Florida, and originally having been purchased along with an unrestored, exquisite white jade belt buckle of definitive 18Th Century vintage from an older Naples Estate collection, gave us further reason to investigate this ‘strange’ jade figure.

Despite this figure being subjected to two weeks of acetone soaking, a light oxalic acid bath (to loosen any baked-on dyes), and an additional overnight soaking in bleach (to remove any recent dyes), the figure remained in its original condition with no loose modern polishing compound detected even in the bi-conically drilled suspension hole. It had also been ‘shot’ with our high pressure spray gun and still retained all of its integrity, except minor loss at the very top of the figure where the black portion of the nephrite, containing more iron than the the rest of the originally green stone, was starting to oxidize, as can be seen in the top photograph as the reddened area mixed in with the blacker parts. This is a definite sign of natural deterioration of the stone, and not a condition we would associate with intentional acidic aging, as strong acid baths tend to effect the entire nephrite stone, and when used on more modern simulant stones, exposes flaking plates over the entire stone and is easily identified on most modern fakes today. This acidic treatment, after thorough cleaning, also causes a very whitened surface devoid of natural soil penetration and extreme loss of natural coloration, which was not the case in the original ‘cut marks’ of the ‘Owl Man’.

Above Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

Above Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSI Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens

In the top photo above we can see just how finely the original artist depicted the ‘feathering’ and the epaulet-like shoulder feather in his creation. Similar to all the structural features of this magnificent work of period art, from the beaked face to the amazing musculature, right down to the rare anatomically correct genitalia, this unknown master shows traces of artistic Chinese design that truly extend from the Late Neolithic Period, with aspects of finer Shang Period pieces and those of both the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou periods. In the anthrozoomorphic motif we find the Neolithic. In the false relief and the bi-conically drilled, vertical suspension hole, we find the Periods of Shang and Western Zhou (indeed, the bi-conically drilled holes are found all periods). With the deeper true relief, we find the carving agreeing more with the Western and Eastern Zhou periods. Personally, I would put the piece closer to the Shang Period, but done by one of those masters that is found in every age, clear through today. However, that is conjecture as I was not there when it was made, nor when it was buried. The fact that it is at least of stated age I intend to prove in the remainder of the article.

Another possibility, seeing real degradation from burial, had occurred to me, that the ‘Owl Man’ could have been of Ming Dynastic origin because of the black on the top of the head portion, and darker areas as seen inside the crevices in the second photo above (traits well known from the Ming Period in dyeing newly-made pieces to replicate the originals with which the literati of the period were so fascinated – see previous article here on TimelessJade.com). However, after microscopic examination of the totally clean original stone (as will be shown in subsequent photographs), this was ruled out because of the depth and type of degradation found on what by then was obviously a lightly re-polished, much older piece. In the last photograph above we start to see the true remains of iron oxidation of the original green nephrite along with the remnants of old tooling marks and extensive wear from both degradation of the jade and the re-polishing efforts.

Above Photos taken With Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens

I have found over the years that it is only under microscopic analysis that both nephrite jades and jadeites truly start to reveal their inherent qualities, first with the structures of the stones and then second, with the ravages of time. Once again, not all nephrites are created equal, as the old books would have us believe, and there are truly so many variations as to be uncountable. Some parts of the stone are tighter and some are less fibrous, and as a result some parts are less resistant to wear and weathering, no matter what the conditions of extended burial might have been. In the three photos above we can see the same area under three differing microscopic powers, and in each one we go deeper into the mystery of the stone, the creation of an old archaic jade artifact, and the degradation, wear, and light re-working after unearthing of the item. We know now that this is not a Ming or Qing Dynasty reproduction, evidenced by the depth of the natural degradation in places of the original tooling marks, along with areas where the piece was tooled (and chipped during the tooling; this will even be found on in-situ 18th century cut-marks), showing the exact same amount of degradation and smoothed natural wear, and the natural oxidation of the iron following the weakest portions of the what is still considered by most knowledgeable geologists to be the ‘toughest stone’ on the planet. [Note: even being the toughest stone on the planet, nephrite still is not the homogenous mass the old books speak of, as we have had a 78-lb boulder of White Khotan-Hetian Nephrite shipped here to the Tucson, AZ desert, which then lost 10 lbs in water weight in just two weeks]. It is these more porous, ‘weaker’ portions of the stone, and the natural breaking-up of the microstructure from abrasives, along with moisture penetration, that leads to the freezes and thaws, which starts to degrade what appears to be a perfectly polished, totally homogenous creation made from the “Stone Of Heaven”. We also find on a mineral-colored stone (such as the iron which causes the pure white nephrite to be differing shades of  green to black, depending on how much iron is mixed with the pure white nephrite, or Ying Yu), that the iron oxidation will manifest differently under different conditions of burial over time. This degradation effect will also occur on pure white jade, as it still degrades in the weakest areas of the stone first, but the colors change more from exterior penetration than from interior degradation.

In all three of the microscopic photographs above, we can see what was shown in the three Macro photographs previous, but to a greater degree of detail. The ‘brownish’ areas in the naturally degraded tooling marks are deeper degradation with soil penetration. These are portions of the degraded nephrite that have never sloughed off, as has happened in the shinier areas.  The ‘reddish’ areas are from lighter oxidation of the iron in the originally green nephritic stone, and the ‘blacker’ areas are sections of heavier oxidation of the iron, and are to be expected on true archaic jades where iron is present in the original nephrite. Again, some parts of the original stone are more ‘contaminated’ with the iron, and some parts more porous, causing these differing effects, another contradiction of the theory of homogeneity in this type of stone. In the case of a vessel which has stood upright through its burial in a relatively moist environment, where the full surface was not in contact with the soil,  we will find more degradation to the bottom (similar to an archaic bronze which has held water inside); if shifted during burial by tectonic forces, we might find a greater degree of degradation to one of the sides. However, in a small, pendant-sized piece, as the one here from the Chernysh Collection, we would expect a more total coverage of differing magnitudes, which is exactly what is found over this entire amazing creation. Portions of the original tooling marks can still be identified in the grooves of the above six photographs, even with the heavy degradation which has occurred. These show up as more vertical ridges in some of the degraded cut marks and can be seen even under the degradation. In the last photograph above, the nephritic fibers really start to show up in fine detail, flowing much more like the Ogden Mountain nephrite from Kirk Makepeace’s newest mining operation, illustrated in our last article. Older, more tightly-grained, and more homogenous, Black Edwards from Wyoming would appear much differently at the same magnification, as we will show in an upcoming article. This is what makes these studies so much fun and never-ending, as new artifacts and specimen jades are examined.

In both of the above photographs, we find strong evidence for a ‘tighter’ portion of the original nephrite in a cross-section of two of the tooling grooves along the back of the ‘Owl Man’. This same structural quality occurs all the way up the tail, showing less oxidation of the iron and tighter fibering, along with much more visible original tooling marks. Also, the overall total degradation on this portion of the artifact seems to  be less than that of the whole in general, due to the ‘tighter’ structure of this nephritic area. It appears to not have occurred from less corrosive soils or less water penetration, as the original jade was still iron-impregnated green, as is seen in the lighter oxidation.  It was also not a matter of a better re-polishing effort, as will be shown and explained in subsequent photographs. In a nut-shell, the above tooling grooves show no evidence of re-polishing, and this effect of tighter and lesser fibering can be demonstrated (and will be, in subsequent articles) on many other examples of authentic archaic jade artifacts dating easily to the Middle Neolithic Period.

In the above two photographs are the only true remnants for verification of the re-polishing received by this creative masterpiece that I have been able to find, after over two years of on-and-off investigation. It occurs in a slight depression on the top of the head, just to the left of the groove that defines the left ear (this is on the viewer’s right). In the upper left corner of each photograph, we can see the very slight re-polishing marks from a very fine grit. The rest of the piece, not having these marks, tells us that the piece was most likely re-polished many years ago and was subsequently fondled or worn over the years, which removed these fine re-polishing marks from the remainder of the ‘Owl Man’. The fact that even the re-polishing marks are a bit pitted would lead us to believe that the re-working to highlight the carving would have taken place approximately 150-300 years ago. As there is no sign of re-burial degradation, I would personally suggest the lesser dating for the re-polishing.

With these four photographs above, we can again compare the physical structure of the differing parts of the Khotan-Hetian Nephrite used to create this figure. Comparing the four photos above with the two photos just above them – taken on the top of the head where the iron is most prolific – we can easily discern the difference in degradation and structural integrity of the two different areas. In the ‘top of the head’ photos, the degradation is markedly more advanced and easily seen in the lack of original tooling marks there. In the four above photos, the jade is clearly not as iron-rich, and the fibering appears to be slightly tighter, thus leaving markedly more visible original tooling marks with much less degradation. It is important to note this accelerated degradation is not entirely due to the higher iron content in the nephrite, as there are definite darker, oxidized areas showing a higher degree of original tooling marks. As such, we would suggest it is a combination of higher iron and looser fibering which cause the most highly degraded areas. This effect is often extremely easy to identify when viewing specimen slabs under magnification.

All Microscopic Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi

In the two photos above, we can see one of the effects common to bi-conical drilling in that the two holes often do not meet up. While it is a rather common assumption, one that passes for fact, that these types of drilling holes post-date the Neolithic Period, this is simply not the case. We have identified rounded as well as the aforementioned tapered drilling holes in easily identifiable Neolithic Period items. In the advent of the recent verifiable archeological finds pushing the Pottery Age in China back to almost 20,000 BCE, Bronze Age back to the Holocene period, and the Iron Age back to approximately 8,000 BCE, we find no reason to disbelieve that bronze rod drilling technology started in some areas much earlier than was previously thought.

‘Owl Man’ Measurements – 4-1/2cm Height X 4-1/2cm Width X 1-1/2cm Depth

David Fredericks — Yulongwei

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An Incredible Nephrite

From The Great North-West

And Jade Mine

While the world has heard about the famous (and now mostly depleted) “Polar Jade”, a close ‘cousin’ has existed, not far away, since the first finding in 1974 of a massive lens of this exquisite material. Lying on the north face of Ogden Mountain, approximately five kilometers north of the original famed Mount Ogden, British Columbian nephrite found by California school teacher Larry Owen in 1969, was a lens of approximately one thousand tons of high grade nephrite. The lens material consisted of pure nephrite ranging from the once more desirable light, translucent green to the darker green nephrite we will examine in this article. Now, for years, most people were led to believe that the lighter translucent green jade and jadeites were ‘the jades to own’, while other, more unique nephrite jades and jadeites languished, as the buyers abroad and even the carvers themselves set about standardizing the market for nephrite and jadeite, and instead, pigeonholed the market even more. Now, through the efforts of people like Kirk Makepeace of Jade Mine, and the modern carvers of jade who have expanded out of the ‘old school’, they now include in their inventory unique nephrite specimens that are starting to take the world by storm. Indeed, when people come to our “Jade Through The Ages” show, one of the most frequent comments many express is that they can’t believe jades come in so many different colors. Seeing the surprise and then the joy on their faces when they find a rare and unique carving made by one of these fantastic artists, which has turned an uncommonly colored jade or jadeite into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece with a unique rind and varying colors, whether opaque or translucent, shows that the world is starting to wake up again, as it once was in ancient China, to the many possibilities of these fantastic combinations. The incredible nephrite in this article is just such a stone, in a market that for years only demanded green, green, and green, and ignored the fabulous possibilities of other jades and the unique characteristics they each hold.

This wonderful jade from the British Colombian fields proves very difficult to photograph when in its polished state, as it truly takes on a mirror-like shine. The color of the jade also changes with differing light, from black to dark green to an incredible blue-green with astounding translucence, depending on the lighting and the thickness viewed. The flowing rivers of chromium are more like the nephrite indigenous to the Mount Ogden region, and less like the chromium garnet specimens from the Cassiar region. This flowing effect stands out beautifully throughout the stone, and should cause the master carvers much less problems than that with the garnets, as it would seem less prone to the pitting associated with the garnets. The turquoise rind on these specimens is thin and hard, and could well be incorporated into master designs such as the Chinese have mastered for well over 6,000 years, which the great new carvers are incorporating into their designs. The fact that this is such a translucent stone instead of the more opaque green-blues from other regions, should eventually carry this unique stone to heights similar to the famous “Polar Jade”. It has all the wonderful features of ‘Polar’ in its translucence and beautiful flowing grain — all the hardness and beauty but without as many inclusions as is found (and revered) in ‘Polar’. As will be seen in the microscopic photos to follow, the dense and flowing nephritic characteristics are extremely close to that of the most unusual Khotan-Hetian jades from China, and would easily render them an immediate hit with those master carvers in their sculptures of scholar’s rocks, where the true uniqueness of the stone would come alive. Imagine a beautiful scholar’s stone taking in the effect of the dark green and flowing chromium veins in the mountains and streams, while the fine detailed work of faces, trees, and heavenly cranes so finely carved takes advantage of the great translucence and lighter blues and greens form the more thinly carved areas. This jade, being so finely fibered and homogenous, would be a dream for those carvers, as it would be for the great artists the world over who mix their creations from thicker to finer, as the jade would constantly be changing colors according to the changing light. It literally changes in color from room to room, and bright sunlight to dark, so the stone never truly appears the same. An example of this characteristic is seen in the top photograph above, which appears in darker tones as the lens goes out of focus from the rind down toward the leading edge. The iron oxidation also appears on the rind, where the iron which makes the nephrite green has met with surface moisture to lightly oxidize the skin. Florescent lighting, tungsten, daylight fluorescents and natural sunlight all play marvelous ‘tricks’ on this exquisite nephrite, making it truly a carver’s ‘dream stone’.

Above Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using EF  24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

While these specimens were first mined in 1986 by Kirk Makepeace and Jade West, it was not until last summer’s season that mining of the deposit started in earnest. As discussed earlier, the world has been a bit ‘green-crazy’ for years, and only exceptions like the famous Black nephrites of Wyoming and white Siberian nephrites, along with a few others, have made any significant inroads into the world of white and green jade carvings. But it is this author’s opinion that the world is now becoming ripe for the other outstanding nephrite and jadeite discoveries, and indeed, the wonderful blues and other unusual jades that are finally gaining acceptance with both the world’s carvers, and among the aficionados of “The Stone of Heaven”. In this forum you will find a previous article on the unique qualities of Jade Mine’s “Polar Jade”, as it is indeed unique and has proven itself by the test of time to forever be a jade to which all other jades are compared. This ‘newest’ jade, although discovered some time ago, and just now coming onto the market with a splash, will be, in our opinion, another jade that will similarly stand the test of time as it gets out further into the master carvers’ hands. With its hardness, translucency, purity and unique color, it could very well be the next “Polar”, and as a ‘pet name’ of my own I have given it the moniker “Northern Light”, because after seeing it transform under so many conditions, it reminds me of the famous Aurora Borealis I watched as a child, marveling at how the flowing colors danced across the sky. I have asked Kirk to name this wonderful jade, as I believe it deserves its own unique title, as much as does “Polar”. We hope he finds one suitable for his own feelings for this superb nephrite, which we anticipate will soon be in the hands of the master carvers, which surely will produce wonders from this magnificent stone.

Due the amazing shine this exquisite nephrite from Mount Ogden takes on, I found it necessary to use the shadows created under the microscope lighting to best show the fibrous nature of this jade. In the three photos above, we can see at differing powers the fibrous nature of the nephrite. Not only are the fibers densely packed, but they also have a tendency to ‘flow’ much like the fabulous jades of the Khotan-Hetian region of China. While not as densely packed as the famous Black Edwards of Wyoming (the tightest I have ever personally seen), they are still incredibly tight, which allows for very little under-cutting of the jade while being highly polished. We have also found this type of jade to be harder, while not as ‘tough’ as the Edwards. What it does do is transform a mottled and opaque nephrite jade into one with more natural translucence, while retaining all the strength necessary to perform the most intricate of tasks, which only quality nephrite can tolerate and still hold together, to even a greater degree than a fine jadeite. Also, with nephrite, as opposed to jadeite, one never sees the fine ‘dry-lake-bed-like cracks’ after the carving ‘matures’, loses its moisture and gets to the 100 year-old mark (this effect also occurs on sapphires and rubies, but we have never seen it on a old diamond). It is the fibrousness in such fine true nephrites that distinguishes them from all other carving stones on this planet. In the hands of  master polishers the likes of Peter Shilling of Taking Form Jade and Georg Schmerholz of Jade Fine Art, among many others, this stone will see its true potential unleashed in intricate shapes and amazing attention to fine details.

Do to the fact that the rind is so uneven, the microscope photos will be seem to be clear in some places and fuzzy in others. It is partially the unusual color of the rind that intrigues us so much about this particular nephrite specimen. We have seen such color produced in ‘skin’, and it makes this a very peculiar and extremely desirable characteristic in this jade. When incorporated into a fine carving, this rind should enhance the uniqueness of the pendant or sculpture. Not being soft, flakey or powdery, we believe this rind, along with the exquisite coloring, texture and translucence, to be among the most endearing characteristics which make this particular nephrite stand out from the crowd. The entire feel of the stone is one of high quality and uniqueness, and with its shine, strength, translucency and weight, we believe it will reach its place in the fine jades of history, along with many other wonderful jades from the British Colombian area.

All Above Microscopic Photographs Taken Through Canon EOS XSi

Due to the extremely high polish this fabulous translucent nephrite jade achieves, it is very easy to penetrate the jade with the microscopic photographs to see the underlying inclusions. As mentioned before, this jade has far fewer inclusions than its ‘Polar ‘cousin exhibits on the whole, and the ones that are present are of much smaller size. It is the translucency, chromium and deep emerald color of the ‘Polar’ which give it its charm, along with the unusual inclusions for which it is noted. This gorgeous nephrite seems to have the exact characteristics of the ‘Polar’ jade, but with its darker color and unusual blue tinge, we believe it will stand out on its own in the jade world,  unique in its own right, as all the finest jades have always graduated to top of the specimens remembered throughout history. Now, we encourage the great carvers to embrace this previously little-known but extremely promising new star, and realize what a true treasure this nephrite is. When that happens, we will start to see  future carvings that will do justice to this tremendous jade.

David Fredericks – Yulongwei

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