Clear Creek Jadeite From California

An Explanation Why

California Clear Creek Jadeite River-Worn Cobble

Clear Creek Jadeite Cobble From Kirk Brock's Old Claim

Many samples have been seen of California’s Clear Creak Jadeite at the various shows in California, one of which is the Big Sur Jade Festival. The Jadeite has been tested geologically and is mentioned in older, obscure  periodicals, but to walk the area and pick up a piece of pretty colored stone does not necessarily mean one has found a genuine piece of California Jadeite. The stones we will be examining here were sent to us by Mr. Kirk Brock, of Rock Solid Jade, from an old claim he had been working prior to the California State shut-down of the area in which the Jadeite is found. While almost everyone of us Jade and Jadeite aficionados know the Jadeite from Burma-Myanmar and the Jadeite from Guatemala when we run across a good sample, this far less known but equally pure Jadeite from California has some properties shared with both aforementioned Jadeites, but is still unique and stands on its own in purity and  complexity. This article will give us a brief synopsis of what Kirk asked me to provide from examination, and will also be the beginning of a topic on Jadeite and Nephrite that we have never seen written or discussed before – how fractured stones heal themselves. As can be easily discerned in the photographs above, this Jadeite shows it has not only been fractured but was practically decimated one or more times in what had to have been major catastrophic events which literally shattered this amazing deposit of one of the rarest stone in America.

Close-Up of Fractured - Healed & Healing Clear Creek Jadeite

Graph Of Jadeite 'Spikes' On California Crear Creek Jadeite

With such a shattered stone, it was a bit amazing when the stone tested out so pure. Kirk had sent a definitive sample to John Attard from Attard XRD Services for an X-Ray diffraction test, with the results seen above. Seeing such a once-fractured stone, I would have expected it to include many differing minerals, and the healed portions to be less Jadeite than the surrounding Jadeite. However, very much was different from my original assumptions upon first viewing the stone and later seeing the test above. With my own observations under microscopic conditions and a simple Presidium Gem Tester, new discoveries have been made and probably more will follow as it is examined more seriously by others. Now, much has been said about the Presidium from various different camps, and each and everyone who has either used the machine or just assumed an opinion based on cost, should know that I personally have a fair amount of respect for the machine, as we have worn out four of them and are working on our fifth. Having performed well in excess of two million ’stabs’ on different Nephrites and Jadeites, among many other simulants, hemi- and semi-jades, we have found many consistencies and some anomalies in the machine, but even the anomalies are consistent (Steatite and ShouShan stone for some reason always test in the jadeite range, but knowing this, a simple viewing of the stone and a scratch test will verify these stones). While it is a single tool and only shows a piece of the puzzle, it does have its usefulness and is much more portable than hauling million-dollar equipment into the field, and with fairly pure Jadeite I have never seen it fail. All of our final analyses, especially with the differing nephrites, are done under microscopic examination.  It is only when Jadeite falls below the approximate 65% pureness and is thick with other minerals, that the tester falls below the Jadeite mark. With the Clear Creek Jadeite, all areas fall exactly where I would expect, within the Jadeite parameters. With that said, what we found on the specimens of Clear Creek Jadeite under magnification and with the tester both bore each other out, and were perfectly in ’sync’ with the testing results above.

Rough-Sawn Clear Creek Jadeite Slab

'Tumble Polished' Clear Creek Jadeite Large Pebble

In both of the pictures above we can easily see just how shattered these original pieces of Jadeite were, after whatever violent events took place. The amount of fracturing of the original dark blue Jadeite was extensive as can be seen by the many healed and healing fractures criss-crossing throughout. This effect is in all the pieces of Clear Creek Jadeite we have ever seen from differing sources. Some pieces we have handled are bluer, some are blacker and some are lighter, but the fractured qualities are always in every piece we have tested. What was not expected is what the X-Ray Diffraction tests prove out – the white and light blue veining are not only Jadeite but are of a purer nature than the surrounding original stone. As can be seen in the first photo above as the darkest of lines, and in the lower photo above in the more translucent white vertical vein, both contain pure crystals of Jadeite growing from the sides of the fractures in the ‘mother stone’ at varying rates, to in fact “heal the stone”. It is our opinion that these specimens of which we have taken photographs may have seen differing cataclysmic events in their history as some anomalies still remain, like some smaller veins being not totally healed, where other veins are not only healed but are starting to morph back into their original dark blue color from exchanging ions with the mother stone, after first growing to heal the damaged fractures. There are cases (as can be seen above) of older healed fractures running through newer fractures with clear, translucent crystalline growth (shown better in the microscopic photographs to follow) growing towards each other from both side of the fracture. [For those who might think we have gone too far here, please read on as we will also be showing 'witnessed' specimens by some of the finest jade collectors, gemologists, and artists, who work with the stone daily, of this same process in Guatemalan Jadeite, Burmese Jadeite and Wyoming Nephrite, with more promised specimens from other collections being sent for observation and photography, in a future article].

Clear Creek Jadeite Showing Large White Healing of Purer Jadeite

Lighter Colored Healed Fractures in Clear Creek Jadeite

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

In the above two pictures we can clearly see the healed fractures, but what we can not see is the purity of the Jadeite in the fractures. With the Presidium Gem Tester we can easily tell the difference in purity, and subsequent conductivity, in the areas that are white and not contaminated with impurities which color the mother stone. In every case, the lighter the area probed, the higher the reading on the tester. In the case of the whitest areas with the most translucency, this stone will test to the same position on the meter as fine translucent Burmese Jadeite, and the translucent crystalline areas even higher. In the graph from John Attard you will also notice spikes that may correspond to the higher readings from the tester, but to be definitive, separate samples would have to be tested, and would probably be a fun thing to do for those selling this marvelous raw material.

Crystalline Clear Creek Jadeite Healing A Fracture Under 10X Microscopic Power

Surface Showing Particles On Rough-Sawn Slab at 25X Microscopic Power

In the first photograph above, we can again see just how much damage the original Jadeite has endured over time, and the first clear picture of the pure Jadeite crystals growing from both sides of a fracture to ‘heal’ the stone. In the lower left you can see part of the ‘rind’ from the outside surface of the slab where it has been penetrated by surrounding minerals in a damaged area, most likely from tumbling down the river in which it was found. In the second photograph above at 25X microscopic power, we can easily identify the typical ‘graininess’ of the  Jadeite as opposed to the ‘felted’ fibers associated more with nephrite jade (although we have examples of Jadeite showing both the graininess typical to the stone with clear nephritic type fibers right next to each other – so, as with Nephrite, not all Jadeites are created exactly the same).

Pure Jadeite Crystals In Crear Creek Jadeite Under 25X Microscopic Power

California Clear Creak Jadeite Crystals Under 25X Microscopic Power

It from this part of the Clear Creek Jadeite (and other crystalline areas on other samples) where we got the highest Jadeite readings on the Presidium Gem Tester. Every time we probed these areas we found a much higher reading of conductivity than the surrounding bluer areas. The healed whiter and light blue areas also tested higher than the original darker blue matrix jadeite, exactly as the Burmese Jadeite tests with the pure white higher and translucent green emerald lower, because of the contaminants causing the darker colors. In all specimens observed where the crystalline structure could be noted (whether Jadeite or Nephrite), we have seen this exact pattern of growth from both sides towards each other. As we gather the other promised specimens, it should lead to a wonderful article devoted solely to this process of how Jadeites and Nephrites sometimes heal themselves.

Pure Jadeite 'Healing' Crystals Under 35X Microscopic Power

Healed Clear Creek Jadeite Showing Crystalline Structure Inside, Starting To 'Morph', At 35X Microscopic Power (Polished Piece)

Above Six Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Attached To Tri-Port Of Microscope

While the common current accepted theory is that there is no crystalline Jadeite, we do not accept this theory as ‘fact’. Through further and more intensive testing, we believe crystalline Jadeite will be acknowledged in the mainstream of geological knowledge. At the recent Jade Through the Ages Show at our Gallery in Tucson, Antiquities, Plus…, we were strongly encouraged to present this beginning article on this most fascinating of jade-related subjects, by some of the most respected jade people we know, who have seen for themselves what these specimens look like under microscopic conditions. It is only a matter of more definitive testing by those that are truly interested in the ‘final truth’ being known for the right reasons. Knowledge that can be shared freely will almost always lead to further knowledge being uncovered.

In closing, I would like to comment on the workability of this phenomenal Jadeite from the perspective of the carvers working the material. While I personally have limited experience in working this stone, I have found exactly what Kirk Brock of Rock Solid Jade and Peter Schilling of Taking Form Jade have told me of its properties. It is tight, hard, and works marvelously from the roughing stages clear through to the mirror-like polish it takes, even at six-hundred grit. My monolithic diamond tools find a sure surface to work on in the roughing stage, with the only caution needed being in the harder and whiter healed fracture zone, as I find it will skip a bit going over these fractures if not held steady. But overall, it is a wonderful stone to carve intricate shapes into, and with the amazing color variations, it makes a finished product that in the world of Jadeite is unique and beautiful to say the least, with very little undercutting experienced. Choosing the right portion of the Jadeite stone for the purpose intended will lead one to the desired results in a finished product. Also, I wish to thank Mr. Kirk Brock and all the other ‘interested’ parties who made this beginning article possible.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

Part Two; A Comparison Of Original Archaic Period Pieces And The Ming Dynasty Dyed Replications Of The Styles Being Unearthed, Studied And Copied, Out Of Reverence By The Literati Of The Day.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This wonderful example of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) jade dyer’s art shows us the extent to which the Ming Dynasty Masters went to reproduce the exquisite burial examples they were finding from the Archaic Period, and particularly the periods of the Western Han Dynasty up to the end of the Neolithic Period. This Bi is completely free of any enhancements, such as wax or oil, and is in its original hand re-polished state, as it was once a buried item, either funeral or cache, and some natural degradation had occurred. First, we must premise this second half of the article with the fact that in no way do we mean to denigrate the illustrious Smithsonian Institution, nor the pre-eminent Sackler Jade Collection. The Smithsonian Institution and the personnel who work there are held in only the highest of regards by us, and their taking the lead in the diffusionist vs. the separatist  movement, along with all their past, current and on-going research projects, is in our opinion, second to none.  As to the tremendous Sackler collection, housed both there and at Harvard University, as well as other places, we believe it to be one of the most startling collections of all times, their jade collections being held the dearest to our hearts and also of untold millions. However, even in the finest of collections there have been a few mistakes made (and this is not necessarily the case here, but only a possibility), and there are some pieces which are authentic but have been mis-dated, or not throughly understood when first dated. Some extremely famous replications have been acquired by the Louvre’, the great Avery Brundage Collection (see Late Chinese Jades: MingDynasty to Early Twentieth Century by Terese Tse Bartholomew, Michael Knight, He Li), and countless other public and private collections. It is the bane of collecting and happens to everyone who is a true collector. One last thing we must mention before going forward with the article is the fact that we have never, nor will we ever, 100% authenticate or de-authenticate an item from picture alone. We have found in some cases we can give an estimate or a percentage of likelihood of authenticity of an item in a picture, but no more. There are far too many variables which must be taken into consideration for authentication, and both the work of the best replicators and the quality of skills by some tremendous restorers, can not be detected by photograph alone. In our opinion, anyone presenting themselves as an authority on any art form must have the piece in-hand with proper equipment and knowledge to make a correct determination of authenticity. It is solely with this  in mind that we ‘question’  the Sackler Sardine Can-Opener Man, based on anomalies we have seen in the photographs of it over the years, and having been associated so closely with jades and jadeites (both authentic and fake, simulants and dyed items) and especially Chinese jades, Meso-American Jadeites and greenstones for so many years.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The reverse side of the Bi above shows us again the extent of great Masters art of dyeing during the Ming Dynasty period. It was so crucial in fact, that during this period the Master dyer was considered on the exact same level in the jade art hierarchy as the Master Carver — below the top Master designer, with both the Master carver and Master dyer above the lower associates that ‘roughed out’ the design, and from the ‘cutters’ of the original stone, using the Master Designer’s plan, choice of stone, and dimensions. In the pictures above, we can see they had chosen a beautiful ‘creamy’ white nephrite with what is often called a mottled pattern. This mottled pattern is far and away a much cleaner stone than, for instance, most snowflake jades are, in that it is almost 100% pure nephrite with very few trace minerals in it. We know it is dyed black because of the ‘blotter’ look (similar in effect to Ming Dynasty cobalt blue painted onto the raw porcelain bodies of the famous blue & whites of the period), and the lack of dye penetration into the stone in some places, which we see under microscopic analysis. It is interesting to note that in our combined five to six-thousand volume research library, we have never come across any mention of the exact process used in dyeing the jades of the period, and have also never read anywhere exactly what was used to make up these black dyes (although we do expect some walnut pigments were used). It would be nice to see someone ‘take up the torch” on what could well be a fascinating study, and enlighten everyone more on the processes most likely used (though it is my guess many techniques were kept secret by particular families). We have also surmised that this process of dyeing did not just get ‘turned on like a tap’ in 1368 CE, as we have seen pieces that appear older than Ming Dynasty (and could date as early as the Song Dynasty, or before) with what could very well be dye on them, and the practice of using the sacred red iron oxides and cinnabars has been employed since Paleolithic times. The picture on page 94 of Jade – Consultant Editor Roger Keverne, shows the Sacker Sardine Can-Opener Man as a very clean and well-delineated figure with this same type of black ‘blotter effect’ as is seen in the Ming Dynasty Bi pictures above. This is a very peculiar style of appearance when it comes to true nephrite jade, that very rarely comes with the white touching black, but it does occur. The times we have seen this occurrence, the touching lines are mostly sharp and well defined where the high-iron-content black nephrite meets the pure white jade; we will attempt to refer to catalog pictures we know of, and an extremely rare white and black nephrite jade toggle from the Ronald Edwin Prosser collection we are currently in the process of authenticating and assessing (picture to be shown later in this article).

30X Microscopic Photo of Dyed Plaque Above

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi under 30X Microscopic Power

This photo shows us a great close-up of a portion of the black dyed Ming Dynasty plaque above. If one looks upon the edge of the dyed area, we can see the lack of penetration the dye truly has, while from above it can sometimes appear to travel all the way through the jade. One very easy way to tell if a piece has been dyed is simply to turn it over and see if the color shows through to the other side in almost the same area as it was from above (as jade can have a tendency for the colors to meander through the stone). Another is this sideways viewing, and very often it can be seen straight away in the ‘fading’, blotter’ effect that it assumes.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This approximately 75% in-situ Shang Period white nephrite jade (Yingyu) pendant is also from the Ang Collection, and shows us a beautifully executed Fenghuang, or Red Bird of the South. Where the lighter areas appear around the false relief designs, and the toes of the bird, are the only places the pendant has been re-cut with more modern tools. When we first received this pendant for authentication purposes, none of the re-cut marks could be seen as the entire pendant was covered in what was most likely a brown shoe polish that had been baked on, and the piece had been buffed on a wheel. This pendant was soaked in acetone for approximately three weeks and then power-sprayed with our hand- held gun under high pressure. All the remaining intruded ‘yellowish’ discoloration in the pure white nephrite is natural to a degraded Shang Period funereal item, and is associated in part with iron, either as a component in the soil surrounding the funereal item, or accompanying burial accoutrements. The darker areas are almost entirely comprised of natural Manganese growth and original soil adhesion to the jade. It was because of this particular ‘look’ of the archaic pieces, that the Ming Dynasty connoisseurs of Jade ( and those who were replicating for profit alone during this period) desired their newly made pieces to resemble the treasured artifacts of their ancient ancestors.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2,8 1-5X Macro Lens at 1X

This photograph of the wing section of the Fenghuang was chosen for its perfect representation of the ‘Loess’ soil, iron-penetration look, as is seen in the brownish discoloration on the tip, along the edges of the wing of the pendant and on the edges of the false relief designs where the penetration is usually at its peak because of the entrance into the porous nephrite from multiple sides. All white portions in this photograph are natural degradation (calcification), as very little of the original nephrite jade surface has survived intact at this stage of burial, with the whitish area at the viewer’s upper right portion of the wing being a ‘chipped’, or ’sloughed off’ portion of the once more-brownish surface surrounding it. We often see nephrite effected in this manner as we find all different types of structural anomalies occurring with the different types of nephrite jade, even from the same region. Some Khotan White Jades (Yingyu) are more ‘crystalline’, some are more ‘layered’, some are more chatoyant and others are more ‘flakey’, about which we will go into in more depth on our coming article concerning the differing structures and anomalies found in Khotan Nephrite alone. The darkened areas shown here are comprised of Manganese deposits and in-situ burial soil that had adhered to the finished piece during its interrment for thousands of years in a burial environment. In the replications, these ‘deposits’ are now usually glued or waxed onto replicas made from a conglomerate of minerals, with burnt-on sugar or black paint ’specks’, to represent the Manganese, and the obligatory mud slurry that seems to accompany almost all faked items. When one is viewing a true artifact, these deposits are permanently adhered to the surface, as they literally become ‘one’ with the burial object and resist all attempts to remove them, short of re-grinding the jade or stone object.

Shang Period Fenghuang at 35X Microscopic Power

Manganese Crystalline Formations Ang Estate Fenghuang

Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 35X Microscopic Power

In the above two photographs, the 100% in-situ Manganese deposits show up quite clearly at 35X power under the microscope. The tight nephritic fibers of the white Khotan Jade (Yingyu) can also be easily detected, as can some of the now degraded-away tooling marks, to the trained eye. This particular type of Khotan Jade has a very crystalline, fibrous structure and is quite translucent when it is first made and polished, but over the millennia of burial conditions it has now taken on the the intruding iron from the surrounding soils, along with other minerals and organic residues associated with the accompanying soil. It is very easy to detect the lack of modern tool grinding and re-polishing in this same wing area of the Fenghuang, as shown above.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

A marvelous example of the coloration most admired by the great Ming Dynasty artists (which closely resembles the Sardine Can-Opener Man on the cover of Volume 5, The Complete Collection Of Jade Unearthed In China, Gu Fang), is this amazing standing figure of a Royal with his feathered headdress and Taotie-fashioned robe with flowing designs common to the Late Shang- Early Western Zhao Period style. We still see false relief common to the Early Shang, but the degree of mastery with the jade medium is starting to burst forth with the beginnings of true relief, caused by the longer process of removal of surrounding material, which in turn, bring out the design even further. We see during this Period (as we do through-out most of the periods of jade carving encompassing the past 10,000 years) that some workmanship was just far superior to others, and can be easily attributed to differing mastery of the subject material, and not just on specific timelines alone. Through the course of history there have always been, during the exact same time frames, those artists which not only stand above the rest in quality of workmanship, but also in innovation of design, and carrying this design through to the finish product. It is surely the reason we see some much later Warring States Period items (unearthed under exacting archeological standards) resembling much earlier Shang Period works, and some Shang Period Pieces that excel in both design and finish, to the point of taking on a much later period’s look and feel. It is through the more constant clues, such as Period Dress and other stylistic attributes, that we can begin to undertake the arduous task of dating an artifact from viewing alone, assisted by having those tremendous research publications that are of true and exacting archeological nature. This fine figure in the above photograph, we would consider to be approximately in 50% in-situ condition, because of the fact that it has been re-polished by hand in the old manner and not just ‘ground away’ as some of the modern re-cuttings and re-polishings we find in our research. Also the Master that first made the piece was truly that – a Master – one who both knew his medium, and with exacting methodology, worked and polished the piece originally in a true work of genius for the Period.

Both Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM Lens

The photos above show two lively Ming Dynasty  (1368 – 1644 CE) Dragons carved and pierced in deep relief and made of a beautiful ‘mutton fat’ white jade nephrite from the Khotan area. They rest on a smooth platform, the backside of which is a lightly carved archaistic dragon and symbols. Both dragons are carved using archaistic competing designs so as to show their similarity and yet still be a unique sculptural design of their own. We can easily see the blackened areas on both dragons, and even at this lower power, it is quite apparent that the two were dyed to achieve the total archaistic look and feel of a true funereal object of the Han Dynasty Period. While this exquisite example does not have the almost obligatory wax of most ‘displayed’ jades (all wax has been removed for authentication purposes), we see in the coloration much similarity with the Sackler, Sardine Can-Opener Man. The workmanship of the this plaque and the Sackler pieces is almost identical in the sharpness of the lines. Also, with the deeply pierced underarms on the Sacker Sardine Can-Opener Man we find a similarity to the above Ming Dynasty plaque in the deep piercing. Both the Ang Estate’s Sardine Can-Opener Man and the one represented on the cover of Volume 5, The Complete Collection  Of Jade Unearthed In China, Gu Fang, are not pierced and are merely abraded away to give the appearance and illusion of an arm. While the plaque above does not have any wax or other coatings on its surface, we can tell under microscopic condition that is was lightly polished after some period of burial. Minute bits of abrasive powder can still be seen in some of the deeper areas, lying right next to in-situ degradation that had not been re-polished away. The light re-polishing which has occurred mostly on the surface shows itself to be of age, as no modern tooling can be detected on the surface, which itself is a tremendous example of Mid-Ming Dynasty craftsmanship, in that the original tooling marks can barely be detected and the maker was most assuredly following the tradition of this period with the extreme attention to fine polishing even the smallest of areas, like the tight spirals of the dragon with the bifurcated tail.

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Ef 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens

These two photos show a wonderful example of a Ming Dynasty black-dyed sword slide that has seen extensive use, as can be seen in the lower picture with the evident wear from the sword contacting the slide to the viewer’s right (and part of an old re-polished chip on the bottom of the jade slide). On the reverse of this slide we see exact wear to the opposite end of the slide, which would be the case with a true worn item. Please notice the original degradation, still unpolished, on the surface of the inside of the slide itself. The inside of this slide is in 100% in-situ condition, has seen no re-polishing and all the original tool marks from its making are still extremely visible even through the degraded and pitted current condition. All of the outer portion of this sword slide has been hand-re-polished many years ago, as no polishing marks can be seen under microscopic power up to 30X, as will be be shown in the picture to follow. As with the other dyed nephrite photos, we find the same ‘blotter’ effect the dye invariably leaves as its ‘hallmark’, along with the tiny ‘hairlines’ the dye tends to take as it is penetrating the jade. The effect is truly a marvelous one and it is easy to see why the Ming Literati would desire its effect so greatly, considering their well-documented passion for not only collecting the old ancestral items, but in wanting their new ‘treasure’ to resemble those with such an illustrious past.

30X Microscopic View of Dragons Eye: Chernysh Estate Sword Slide

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 30X Microscopic Power

A tremendous photograph allowing us to see the thinness of penetration of the dye used as one can see in the upper left corner and on the top portion, representing the eye which has a photographic anomaly of appearing to go inside, or outside, depending of the perspective. In the upper left of the tooling groove and along the bottom of this same groove at the extreme bottom of the picture, we can see the remnants of the original black lacquer that was used by the Master who finished the slide, to help delineate the eye when the sword slide was first presented to its owner. This black lacquer is an addition applied after the jade had been dyed, and survived all the ravages of time, including use, burial, re-polishing, repeated touching and wearing, waxing again, removal of old wax by soaking in acetone for two weeks, and the pressure of our hand held high pressure sprayer (which will put a hole through skin if left for just a couple of seconds). Some truly defiant little pieces of lacquer, to be sure.

Ming Dynasty True White/Black Nephrite Toggle: Prosser Estate

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens

A true White Nephrite with Black Nephrite Ming Dynasty toggle  most likely from the early portion of the Dynastic period and possibly from the Yuan Dynasty (1279 – 1368 CE), belonging to the Ronald Edwin Prosser Estate. While I could not get the bottom of this extremely pure mutton fat white toggle to darken sufficiently, the peach form that the black nephritic ‘lion’ is posing upon shows us the stark contrast the true black nephrite takes on while adjoining to the white jade (as can be further seen in the two following macro photographs). While this is a very rare example due to the black nephrite jade being so high in iron content and the white nephrite jade lacking all mineral intrusions which color nephrite, it does still occur in nature. (For other fine examples of this phenomena and its use in the Chinese jade workers art, see Sotheby’s, Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works Of Art, Hong Kong, October 8, 2006, page 277, for a marvelous view of an extremely rare white and black jade snuff bottle, exquisitely carved and inscribed). On the top of the lion in this photo, we see how the black runs through the stone and meets at a sharper ‘edge’ on the white jade. Also on the lion, we can see where the white nephrite is more translucent and absorbs the black coloring from the surrounding black nephrite.

Macro Photo at 1X Prosser Estate Toggle

Macro Photo at 1X Prosser Estate Toggle

These two incredible photographs above show us in great detail the nephritic fibers of the white jade (top picture) in the bottom right of the photograph, and the iron-rich, brown degradation to the black nephrite in the lower picture. Both on the peach form mentioned above and on the foot of the lion in the top picture, the nephrite fibers can be seen, as can the slight re-cutting and re-polishing the toggle has undergone after burial. Re-polishing marks can also be seen in the lower photograph on the band of white running through the black, and just to the right on the top of the black, on the left side of the picture. The depth to which the black runs can be clearly seen, as can the more linear effect of true black meeting with the white jade.

In closing we would like to repeat that while we do believe the famous Sackler, Sardine Can-Opener Man is rather a dyed Ming Dynasty replication of a true Shang Period Piece, this conjecture is only from observation of authentic pieces we have been privileged to handle and view under exacting conditions, and we have not had the pleasure of examining the Sackler piece in the same manner. While it would be a honor to view it in person and under microscopic conditions, it is our hope someone will re-examine the piece again and let the world know their findings, as all such great collections, from time to time, need to be re-examined in light of new archeological discoveries and new knowledge in the field. We also wish to thank all the estates involved in the writing of this two-part series, for the opportunity to allow us to authenticate, scrutinize and represent their respective items for the advancement of jade knowledge in general, for the benefit of all.

David Fredericks  –  Yulongwei

Antiquities, Plus…

An Authentic Shang Dynasty “Sardine Can-Opener Man” Early Shang Period (1,700-1,000 BCE) – Height: 5 cm

The First Of A Two Part Series Article

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70  f/2.8L USM Lens

Provenance: Ang Ngo Gan Collection. We are extremely proud to be named the official Authenticators and Curators for the Ang Family of California, and their wondrous grouping of jade artifacts.  All the pieces we are representing were brought into the United States in 1950 by the Grandfather of Marilou Ang; Mr. Ang Ngo Gan, originally from Ching Kang, China, near Amoy, during the ‘Period of Confusion’.  He was a restaurateur and business man in California, and his collection is now represented by Antiquities, Plus… through his granddaughter Marilou Ang and her husband Richard Evangelista.

One of the most phenomenal discoveries we have made in our years of working with jade artifacts is this one small but mighty piece of green nephrite jade, carved in an archaic style that is known world-wide to be one of the strongest indicators of Shang Period vintage, with its plainly visible false-relief design. Any true aficionado of archaic jades will immediately recognize the style of this Shang Period artifact, as it is an almost identical form to one of most famous and published jades of all time, the renowned Shang Dynasty Nephrite Jade ‘Sardine Can-Opener Man’ in the well-known Sackler Collection ( see the book Jade, Consultant Editor Roger Keverne page 94, fig. 8, Height: 7 cm). While this fantastic piece of the jade-worker’s art has been published on numerous occasions, it might not be all that it seems, and in this article we will discuss the possibility of how it could be a later Ming Dynasty replication of the famous piece that is finely represented on the cover of book #5 of The Complete Collection Of Jades Unearthed In China, Gu Fang. This marvelous example of Shang Period workmanship can be found on page 24 of the aforementioned book, and was excavated from the tomb of Fuhao, Anyang, Henan Province (Height: 7 cm) . For those not possessing this great research material, it can be noted here that both it and the Sackler Piece look almost identical;  the exception being that the one on page 24 of The Complete Collection Of Jades Unearthed In China is made from a beautiful green nephrite (as is the Ang piece) and the Sackler item is supposedly made of a white and black nephrite. While we are certain the item is truly made of white nephrite jade, we believe it could also have been black-dyed, an effect much used in the Ming Dynasty to replicate the colors of the burial objects being unearthed, studied and copied by the literati of the period. Both the Sackler item and the piece found in Henan Province are described as late Shang Period, and it is our belief that this stylistically fits the period to perfection, while the Ang example, as we will see, is in a less advanced style and most likely from an earlier period, and not just the creation of a different artist.

Photo Taken with Canon EOX XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

From the above two pictures of the Ang Estate nephrite jade Sardine Can-Opener Man, we can see the same quality green stone that was used in the making of the one from Henan Province, with the major exceptions being between the darkened areas of the two differing stones, and the extreme, natural wear that appears on the Ang piece above. In both the Sackler Sardine Can-Opener Man, and the one from Henan, the false relief lines are much more delineated, as are the fingers and the entire design overall. The hair styles and clothing designs are much more pronounced – the execution of the carver’s art around the eyes, nose, mouth and ears has been refined to a greater degree, and is indicative of later Shang Period pieces, while older Shang Period items seem to be just beginning this transformation towards the realistic, from the exquisite but more stylistic approaches of the Neolithic pieces of the Hongshan and the Liangzhu Cultures in particular. (Please note that our analysis of the other two carved figures is by photograph only). Also, the black that is seen on the Henan piece appears to be more a condition of the nephrite itself, while the blackened areas on the Ang Estate piece, as will be shown in the macro and microscopic picture to follow, are caused by the conditions of environment, and degradation. The darkened areas of the Sackler piece, under photographic analysis alone, appear to differ from both above-mentioned examples, and we will make our best effort to show this reasoning in both regular and close-up photography as we proceed with this back-to-back, two-article series (as we believe that for most folks, this is too much information to be properly absorbed in one long article).

Right Profile View

Left Profile View

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

The above two photographs offer us a wonderful view of the ensuing degradation from long-term burial. This fine example of early Shang Period jade art is a 100% in-situ piece, having only the most minimal of cleanings; meaning it has only been washed of its accompanying tomb dirt, and never re-polished in any manner. The little shine that does occur on the piece comes only from the fondling of a favorite item, where skin oils penetrated the piece. This effect became very apparent early on in our investigation of the item, after it was removed from a three-week soaking in pure acetone. The piece came out of the acetone exactly as it went in, without the presence of new waxes, which turn the surface to a cloudy, whitened appearance.  (By ‘newer’, it should be noted that this would mean ‘during the last decade or so’). [It has been the custom  for hundreds, if not thousands of years, to use various coatings to protect, delineate or accentuate the fine details that have been rubbed with sacred red iron oxides, cinnabar, and/or black and red lacquers, and sometimes, various paints. We find that on older waxed pieces, the tendency is for the wax to remain if  it is at least approximately fifty to one hundred years old; then, repeated soaking and cleaning with our power sprayer may be necessary, if there are indications of even older tool markings or coatings beneath what is visible after the initial soaking and cleaning. Even after three weeks of soaking, the coating is sound and secure.  (It should be noted here that the Chinese replicators, having always possessed the ability to read and discern, have recently returned to a prior practice of darkening a stone with a colorant that defies its removal with acetone).  We have had to revert back to an old learned method of removal by using heated oxalic acid on the particular item for approximately 15 minutes, followed by an hour-long soaking in regular household bleach. It it sometimes necessary to repeat the oxalic acid bath for the approximate amount of time referred to, followed by a second (overnight) soaking in bleach, which will remove the remainder of the colorant. In some instances, the coloring will be removed by the warm oxalic acid bath alone, in a matter of seconds.]

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens

A marvelous close up photograph using only 1X power of the macro lens starts to reveal the natural deposits that are associated with long term burial objects. The original degradation to the green nephrite begins to show us the extent of time in burial, and some of the conditions that were present during this burial. The drilling tool marks, which  begin to show up under this magnification, can be more easily discerned in the hole to the viewer’s right, but even with the fuzziness (due to the field of view of the macro lens), the drill marks (which occur due to the addition of fresh, coarser grit during the drilling, causing the deeper marks as the grit breaks down from the drilling; the higher ridges form until the addition of more coarse grit causes the next deeper groove), can still be discerned in the left side of the conically-drilled suspension hole. The natural manganese left from decomposed vegetative matter can still be seen in the darkened areas, both in the holes and over the surface of the hairdo, or decorated head piece.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1X5 Macro Lens

More of the natural mineral and organic deposits can be seen in this photo, using the macro lens at only 1X of its power range. We can easily see the false relief technique so definitive of the Shang Period, but more importantly, inside the grooves left by the artist, we can now easily identify the fact that the piece is 100% in-situ, with no re-cutting or re-polishing, as the inside of the design carries the exact same original organic and mineral deposits, along with the identical natural degradation, as the outside. The determination that no artificial aging of the stone has occurred, had already been ascertained by the methods mentioned above, and hours under the microscope had revealed other anomalies that are impossible to fake, and will be well-described during the remainder of this article. The following is a short series of photographs taken at the 3x power setting of the macro lens, which the reader may peruse and study at their leisure.

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

As can be seen in the above five photographs, we have deeper close-up views of the degradation to the nephrite jade artifact, and the remaining natural organics, oxidation of the iron in the jade, manganese deposits starting to define themselves, and the introduction to most of our readers of the concept of petrification of organic material on antiquities stemming from specific burial conditions. First found in the early 1990’s under a loupe, while doing investigation on old polishes vs. modern techniques of a quick roughing-out of replications, and the ensuing ways they were polishing, burning, dying, using strong acids and alkalies, re-polishing and waxing the pieces coming out Hong Kong and being sold for 99 cents plus four dollars shipping, we found a most stunning example of an old Fenghuang, or Red Bird of the south (Phoenix), which at the time was suspicious due the fact that it had been lightly dyed, with the accompanying applied obligatory mud. After throughly cleaning the item, and during inspection under a 20 power loupe of every square centimeter (as is always accomplished with every piece we authenticate), I found my first example of full petrification in a perfect portion of a leaf that had, under ideal conditions, totally petrified. Only the veins of the leaf portion had remained, but the most curious part to me at the time was that the cross-hatched veins of the leaf had actually turned into the stone, and were exactly the same color as the stone.  In addition to this, the petrified portions of the leaf were raised above the surface of the stone. Hence, my first encounter with a perfect example of total petrification of organic detritus. This piece was taken to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and verified by Terese Tse Bartholomew, Michael Knight and He Li, when I asked Terese, “How could they (the Chinese) fake this?”, Terese answered, “They can’t.”  At that time, in approximately 2004, both myself and Ms. McIntire were  contributing members to the Asian Art Museum, and I was doing a great deal of research at this wonderful facility, and the entire proceedings were witnessed and taped from their amazing security room in the basement. It was at this point that we started to go into such depths of authentication on our entire collection, and those of others who asked us to verify their pieces. Since this initial encounter, I have found a new world that exists under microscopic conditions, and have identified many more examples of petrified detritus, and today we possess many fine examples, along with other pieces we represent. Also around this time, we started to find the curious tracks that roots make on jade; when other burial conditions exist, the  roots do not just die and adhere to petrify, but rather live so long on the stone that they actually ‘eat’ into the stone in their lifetime, leaving a most defining tree-root track, indicating that it has been eaten away by the roots, and if never re-polished off, leave their indisputable marks of authenticity on both stone objects and pottery. While Archeologists rightfully call any mineralization of organic material ‘petrification’, there are, without a doubt, varying degrees, from early mineralization to full petrification (like agatization), but this fully petrified state, whether in mineralization or a full petrification where the detritus actually becomes the stone, has never been found by us in ground burials younger than the approximate two thousand-year-old age mark. We have many fine example of shipwreck pottery showing mineralized organic roots from the 13Th to 15Th Century, but due to the higher moisture and mineral content of the sea, I have never personally considered them  the same, even though the effect has occurred (with the exception of a piece going all the way into what I would term ‘full petrification’; becoming the stone, and showing the degree of ion transfer such as found in pseudomorphs). Note: Sometimes specimens of  petrified detritus are very hard to photograph, due to the field of vision with the lens used, lighting conditions, and the fact that they become the exact same color, as will be seen when we get to the microscopic photographs. Another word of caution to other authenticators and students of nephrite artifacts: When looking for various, impossible-to-fake aspects under microscopic conditions, one must not let the fibrous nature of true nephrite that shows up on burial items (especially when re-polished, with the softer portions worn away, leaving the toughest fibers to remain above the surface, similar to erosion of earth structures) to be misinterpreted as petrified tree roots. We use extreme caution in verifying by this method, and while we know we have passed over literally thousands of minute portions of true petrified detritus, it is only when the structure shows that the roots are extremely well-defined and much larger and longer than the accompanying nephritic fibers, that we use this tool as proof of authenticity (as in the two pictures above, which take on the unmistakable ‘river delta’ look as the root branches off naturally). It is a very easy trap to fall into, wishing things to be what we want them to be, simply because one has purchased an item, and naturally wants it to be real. We have found it much safer to steer on the side of caution, and to consider all items to be replications; only when we have exhausted every effort to make the item fake does it truly become authentic.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 30X Microscopic Power

This strong photograph shows the inside surface of the left side (viewing straight-on) of the suspension hole in the Ang Estate Sardine Can-Opener Man. It clearly shows the undisturbed, in-situ condition of a true Shang Period drilled hole, with its accompanying varying depths of drilling marks due to the addition of the coarser grits, as mentioned earlier. Also, the iron in the original, all green nephrite jade is extremely oxidized, as evidenced by the reddish portions of the photograph. Please note the natural pitting that occurs inside the grooves of a genuine  artifact. This suspension hole would have been quick to fill up with silt from the burial, and thus it is protected more from the tectonic movements that abrade the outside of a burial object to a greater extent. When we see the acid-etched replications, the suspension holes have that very familiar look of being the same as the outside, and since most common replicators today use a hemi-jade or serpentine, one gets those ‘plates’ of rugged-looking tremolite or actinolite ‘bunches’ that puzzle so many people, and appear so old in the photographs. Another note of caution: On other types of replications, under the view of even a 10X power loupe, the drill hole will appear to be smoother, whiter (from recent tooling), and the grooves not as deep. But, this can also occur on a genuine artifact if it has been re-cut and re-polished in the more modern way, using newer diamond tooling methods; then, extra special care must be taken to find the areas that could not be faked, and sometimes it will be in just one  line or groove, missed when the re-cutting was performed. Even my own carvings show this effect while using mostly monolithic diamond tools that are made entirely of diamonds suspended in a hard medium. Now take into account that the Chinese have learned to mimic the old tooling methods, and started several years ago to use modern diamond tools to ‘rough’ out a piece, and then go back over it with old-style tools to give it that old-tooling look before polishing the piece, in just one manner in which they make them. These can usually be discerned by removing all waxes, which may take up to four separate cleanings, and picking the wax out of the grooves with an acupuncture needle to finally get to the bottom of the groove, and then finding the modern diamond tooling marks there where the old-style tools cannot reach. This is just another of of the more than twenty different ways we have discovered how they replicate, and the techniques are constantly being refined. This is the reason we spend in excess of $20,000 each year just buying the newest, most modern fakes in ‘jade’, pottery and bronze. I will endeavor to keep ‘passing’ along these little secrets as the articles continue.

Above Two Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

The two above photographs show the original, natural and 100% in-situ Manganese deposits, which are in reality, very uncommon from areas of Northern China, and especially the more North and West of Beijing towards the more arid regions approaching Mongolia. On some of our items, we have to get to 45X microscopic power to locate any Manganese deposits. These might be ‘tucked away’ in so little a place as a small section of nephritic material which has been chipped off, and a pocket  with the minute trace of Manganese crystalline growth can be found. When a piece has been re-polished (as most true artifacts are),  there may only be one small spot on an entire artifact, and sometimes there is none at all to be found. As can be ascertained with this fantastic specimen, the tomb conditions were moist, and enough manganese was present in the surrounding soils (both in the organic material that was present in the soil at burial, and that which grew into it at a later date), that not only were the conditions right for the manganese crystal growth to occur, but those ’special’ conditions were present to allow even the petrification of some of the organic material. One very important aspect of the above two pictures is the nephritic fibers which are showing up quite nicely at this magnification and can be easily compared to the two following 30X microscopic photographs, which shows roots in the later mineralization stage inside one of the suspension holes, and the totally petrified tree roots in in the last photograph, in much greater detail.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

A wonderful photograph showing the edge of one of the suspension holes. This is such a marvelous photo because it shows us not only the later growth, mineralized (not totally turned to nephrite jade as yet) tree roots just inside the edge of the suspension hole, but it also clearly shows the through-transmission of the nephrite, and the depth to which the oxidation of the iron in the jade (the turning of the green nephrite to red, caused by the associated mineral iron, which initially turns pure white nephrite to green) has occurred naturally. Along with this, we also see the dark traces of Manganese still in the process of growing and adhering to the original surface material. The ‘calcification’ (degradation) of the nephrite is also clearly visible, as are the shadowy tooling marks inside the hole, due to the depth of field of the lens. The small ‘thread’ at the bottom of the picture is just a fine fiber caught by the ragged calcification as it was being positioned on a felt pad for the photograph.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

This photograph was very difficult for me to take because the positioning had to be just right with the lighting, and hand-held in my current setting, to get the shadows to play off the raised section of totally petrified tree roots. As one can imagine, in the petrification process, much of the original mass of the root is lost due to dehydration, along with a myriad of other factors that occur over the millennia it takes for this fascinating transformation from plant fiber to nephrite. If one looks carefully, one can see the tiny nephritic fibers between the petrified roots as they they take on their very characteristic ‘river delta’ pattern. Also, while viewing in person under the scope, one can get a very clear view as we manipulate the piece up and down, and from side to side.

In the second half of this article (which should be finished by week’s-end), we will delve more into the differences of the three known “Sardine Can-Opener Men”, and why we believe the one in the Sackler Collection could possibly be of Ming Dynasty vintage.

David Fredericks  –  Yulongwei

Antiquities, Plus

One of the Most Fabulous & Unique Nephrite Jades Ever Discovered

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

I believe almost all true Nephrite Jade aficionados were effectively ‘hooked’ by the “Stone of Heaven” through a singular event;  a single encounter with a particular piece of stone. For me it was at a very early age (somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 years old) in a barn in the Mid-West where I saw my first ‘treasure’, a carving stuck between two bales of hay at a good old farm auction.  It sure was green, and it sure was beautiful, with all the intricate little people, trees, animals and tiny houses, and even though the auction house put it up on the block after my discovery, and asking if “this was going to be for sale”, it sure didn’t end up meeting my budget by the time the gavel hit. But hooked I was, or perhaps smitten would be a better word, as no matter where life would take me after that, I never forgot that beautiful piece of stone and the wonderful carving on it.  Whether it was really Jade or just a green stone, and whether it was truly masterfully carved or just a nice little WWII tourist item, all I really can say is that 50 years later, I am still fascinated by jade, and fascinated by carving and artistry of all types, but particularly Chinese, like that first ‘greenstone’ carving I lost the bid on so many years ago. (I did end up buying at that auction a little carved greenstone fish that I will always swear was my first piece of jade, even if it wasn’t .

This tremendous example of gem-quality “Polar” Nephrite Jade was donated to us by Mr. Kirk Makepeace of Jade West & Jade Mine, out of his personal, private collection of specimens, for a series of articles in which we can continue to discuss some of the different qualities and characteristics of one of the world’s most fascinating and truly glorious (and also misunderstood) stones. In this series of articles, we are going to examine one of the most beautiful nephrite jades ever discovered, and compare it to several other extremely unique types of nephrite. We will study it by way of structure, texture, durability and carvability; but in luster and sheer beauty it will be extremely hard to find any nephrite that stands so high. The series will end some months from now (as I do run a full-time business with interests in jade and art), with a finished, polished carving, in which I hope to come close to fulfilling the potential of this marvelous specimen.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

When the worlds finest Jade Carving Artists, Geologists, Mine Owners, Geophysicists, Artifact Specialists, Rare Specimen Traders, and just plain old aficionados of  Nephrite and Jadeite gather at the few venues dedicated to support this marvelous stone, certain common-use terms float about the conversations for hours, or days at a time. At shows like the Big Sur Jade Festival and the Jade Art Now Show, with each particular specimen or jade carving comes talk from all walks of life about each stone’s particular color and structure. Words like opacity, translucence, chatoyancy, ‘cream’, ’cheese’, jadeitite, texture, snowflake, flowing, ‘tight’, ‘flaky’, associated minerals, and hundreds more are just commonplace terms bandied about and not given much thought among those that have made the differing jades such an important part of their lives. In this one unique specimen called ‘Polar’, we find all that is written and talked about in the Stone of Heaven. It is perhaps the most representative sample of what nephrite truly is that I have ever run across, and to me it means “Jade in All Its Glory”. Preferences in the business vary, from certain types of nephrite because of their particular needs in carving, to the colors that fascinate them (like the purity and tightness of Edwards Black and certain Olive Wyoming stones), to the unique qualities of some of the famous New Zealand Jades and those from Australia, British Columbia, Siberia,  the different Jades from California, and indeed all over the world. All that is expressed and felt about the different types of Nephrite Jades is meaningful and true to those passionate individuals who hold their beliefs, but concerning everyone I have ever seen who prefers a certain stone like the beautiful blues of the California coast and other places, I have never seen anyone pass by a piece of Polar Jade, not stop and, half in awe,  make an exclamation of beauty, or simply mutter to themselves under their breath something like, ”simply stunning”. So now, just for the sake of this article, we will again put up the first picture to discuss the overall qualities.

Here we can see the awesome translucency that shows along the left edge of the picture, under just the regular photography lights. We can see the unique yellowish/green contrasts that come from the marriage of the Iron and the Chromium, but rather than the chromium garnets we find in say, Cassiar nephrite, the mix of the two metals is much more homogeneous in a fine piece of Polar, and tends to give an ‘ethereal’ glow to the stone. We still find areas (spots) of heavier Chromium concentrations that show up as the brilliant yellowish flakes we see in this picture, and later you will get to see under magnification the complexities that make up these unique portions. Also to be seen in this specimen, if looking closely,  are the associated metals in the tiny black spots of Magnetite. However, to me, the strangest formations that take place in Polar are the fairly total, translucent white areas that are so much like the finest Khotan translucent white nephrite that has been revered for millennia, mixed and swirled in with the unique cloudy actinolite fibrous areas we see, looking like cirrus clouds intermixing through a sky of green in an ‘otherworldly’ pattern found in no other nephrite I know of, to this degree. In my opinion, if this Polar Jade had been known to the great Qing Dynasty carvers from  China in the late 1850’s era, we would have seen the more popular Siberian Apple Green masterpieces replaced, and relegated to a secondary status by this, a  far superior stone with an inherently much more magnificent feel.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This close up of the above stone shows in great detail the ’swirling cloud’ effect that is so unique to Polar Jade, and while this close up ‘washes out’ a bit of the intense yellow/green color, it can still be seen where the light penetrates the stone on the left side of the photo. Also, to be seen are the little specks of Magnetite, showing up as small black dots over and inside the nephrite. While these Magnetite intrusions are similar to those found in Siberian Jades, they have a much different pattern on the whole, and show up more irregularly in the Polar, while they seem much more homogeneous in the Siberian samples we have examined. This is not to say one is better because of this placement, but it helps simplify identification for the less experienced  collector. Just as not all Polar jade is exactly the same, neither is the Siberian or other jades displaying these Magnetite specks, and by examining enough specimens from known sources, one starts to get a fairly good feel for the placement of a stone to the area from which it could have come from, by knowing some of the varying anomalies that occur in each area. Also, while sometimes we must speak in generalities concerning stone from differing areas, it should be noted here that some of the Siberian gem-quality stone is extremely fine and displays many of the characteristics we will be discussing in this article, but as of this date we have not seen a large piece of Siberian nephrite that even comes close to showing all the extremely unique characteristics found in this one piece of Polar jade. This is not to say that a piece of similar nephrite does not exist out there somewhere, or that a stone will not be found that has all of these extremely important characteristics of a “true stand-alone type”, but to date we know of no other nephrite that is quite like this exquisite stone, which came from a deposit that was so prolific and produced such quality.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

Another fine photo, again showing  from a different viewpoint, some of the unique structural properties of Polar Jade in just a small close-up section of the stone. The fine translucence is clearly visible toward the right edge of the slab,  proximal to the outside rind. In this area we can see how a small, clear, white, translucent section goes all the way through this particular area to the rind on the other side. More of the cloudy, fibrous, and chatoyant swirling shows up in great detail, melding with the greener portions at this level, but will disappear when we get past the Macro lens photos and into the microscopic photos. The Magnetite ’specks’ are more concentrated on the outside edges of this specimen, but can be found deeper in the stone, as will be shown in some of the Macro lens and microscopic pictures. The highly unusual white “flakes” that one often sees in “snowflake” specimens will also reveal that they are not typical snowflake sections, but rather, are a formation unique to this particular stone, and as yet, are an unknown (to us) type of structure and mineralization. This will be very clear in the coming microscopic pictures.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 1X

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 2X

The two photos above show approximately the same area, but with differences in the Macro lens being set at only 1X power and the second photo at only 2X. The clear translucent area, with its cloud-like formations in this wonderful piece of Polar Jade, runs its entire length of approximately five inches, and clear through the slab that ranges from a negative edge to approximately one and a half inches in width. In the first picture, the cirrus cloud-like nature appears to be more of a surface effect on the Nephrite, but we can clearly see in photograph 2 that with the penetration of the Macro lens, the ’clouds’ actually show thoughout the stone in differing levels. This gives the jade a strong sense of depth and ’feel’, as one rolls the piece over in one’s hands. In the sunlight, it bestows the piece with a subtle glow of deep, translucent water green and a presence of water-like, flowing motion. Under the light in ‘house’ conditions, the entire color of the stone changes to one of deep emerald green with literally waves of  motion in the translucent portions, and bright green specks where the ’snowflake’ effect occurs. The difference in the sizes of the minuscule Magnetite particles, deeper in the ‘body of the jade, is accentuated greatly by the change from the 1x to the 2x Magnification of the Macro lens. This also accounts for difference in color seen in both photos. Both colors are true to the amount of light and magnification received.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 20X Microscopic Power

The above photograph taken under only 20X Magnification starts to show the cirrus cloud-like formations in the translucent area starting to disappear, while the true color of the Chromium and Iron mix of yellow/green begins to show up more. The Magnetite crystalline formations begin to show up as more than mere ’specks’, and we can begin the see the structural qualities of the snowflake anomalies that occur thoughout certain portions of the stone. One can start to see the snowflake patterns not as fractures in the stone (although there are a few small fractures that are natural or are due to the mining process), but almost as what one one could describe as ‘growths’ within the nephrite. While the whitened areas do start to take on a fibrous look at this power, and almost appear as a ‘mutton fat’ nephrite formed inside this stone, it is doubtful to us that this would be the case. In a nephritic stone such as this, there would seem to be just too high a mineral contamination for a solid, pure white nephrite to form. Not to say it can never occur, as one will sometimes see in Khotan Jade from Turkanistan just such a definite transition; but that is the point. The pieces we see coming from the White and Black Jade Rivers region, while oftentimes having such transitional colors (and many old nephrite artifacts of the archaic period were clearly chosen for this flowing transitional color effect), show their color ranges more on a linear, flowing development (much as with the flowing transitional zones in this piece), and not in the spotted manner we see here with this piece of Polar Jade. We think it would be a good study for someone like the GIA to examine these types of areas, and determine conclusively if it is nephritic in nature or something different. Perhaps a pseudomorph type of transition is occurring, or there truly are other types of crystalline growths occurring within the nephrites.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

The above photo was chosen just to show the awesome beauty of color that is so typical of what one finds in the most ‘emerald’ portions of Polar Jade. Taken close to the cross fracture from mining (as can be seen in photograph 2) this photograph shows a minor fracture on the polished skin on one side of the stone. The slight fracture is just refracting the light from the microscope and allowing us to see clearly the transitional zones of color. Magnetite crystals and minor white growths mentioned in the above paragraph can also be seen under the surface layer.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power

This wonderful photograph shows certain aspects of Polar Jade at their finest. The translucence  and true depth of color become evident at the higher power used in this shot. The Magnetite crystals are even clearer, and the white growth spoken of previously can now be seen almost like coral under water. Another piece of Magnetite lies deeper inside the stone beneath the  white growth. The tightness of grain in the fibrous nature of this specific type of nephrite starts to become extremely obvious in the lack of fibers showing at 35X . It is an extremely tightly-fibered piece of nephrite, as will be seen in additional photographs at higher magnifications.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 40X Microscopic Power

At 40X magnification, we can start to see the nephritic fibers in this particular stone. Usually it quite easy to detect these nephritic fibers at powers as low as 10X to 20X, but here we have a very translucent stone and very small and tight fibers. It should be noted that the more opaque the stone, the easier it is to see the nephritic fibers. Some opaque jades like Wyoming Edwards Black and some of the olives, along with the famous Cowell Black discovered in Australia in 1972, are obvious exceptions to this rule. It really boils down to us that some jades, even from the same general area, are not at all the same but rather are so obviously different that this still puzzles us; why we find so little useful information in this area ever having been published. Our planned article on the different structures found in jades of the Khotan area will be a fine article to illustrate just how diverse nephrite jade truly is, even in a fairly generalized area.

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 90X Microscopic Power

The above two photographs precisely show the fibrous nephritic nature of Kirk Makepeace’s Jade West/Jade Mine’s Polar Jade at 90X microscopic power. It has always amazed me that the best-known, and extemely copied, high-resolution photographs of both nephrite and jadeite are false color images, when it has long been within the scope of photography and geology to render true life photographs of both types of stones and show their real nature. While there have been many articles written about Mr. Makepeace and all of his adventures in the World of Jade, we want this series of articles, from polished specimen to finished carving, to stand alone as a testimony to the unique beauty and fascinating characteristics of this phenomenal stone.  Currently, it is our understanding that no more of this particular material is available from the Polar Mine; however, other fascinating jades are still being mined and marketed by Jade Mine.  But who knows what lies around the next bend?  We are sure that Mr. Makepeace will indeed be peering around that bend.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

A Marvelous Example of an Authentic Hongshan Culture Wind Polished – Surface Find Pig Dragon Bi

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This tremendous 100% In-Situ Hongshan Culture (approximately 5,500 – 2,500BCE) Nephrite Jade Pig Dragon Bi is being loaned for this article from a private East Coast Collection, and was originally traded from the Fredericks-McIntire Collection of Tucson, Arizona. On the side in the above view, we find the ’slickened’ look of a typical wind-polished Paleolithic or Neolithic stone item, and the associated degradation of an article that has been polished by water, wind and particulates for an extended period of time. This is the side that would have been downward-facing the longest during the passage of time, as the design is better preserved than that in the following picture. Also, you may notice an in-situ piece of agate that has been lodged in the mouth of the pig dragon, a technique that is commonly used as a detail in forgery. However, this particular agate sliver has actually become one with the stone through the aging process, as will be shown in the accompanying macro- and microscopic images. Most of the time, these types of stone ‘impregnations’ are accompanied by aliphatic cements or other types of glue, and just ‘pop’ right out using a fine metal pick, leaving the glue residues clearly visible, and easily removed.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

In this photo we again see the characteristic wind-polished look that gives an artifact of antiquity such a beautiful sense of timeless durability, such as what we see in the old Acheulean hand axes from Africa and wonderful stone artifacts from other parts of the world where the dry windswept regions, with their occasional rain and slight organic material associations, create these lovely patinas. While these regional and climactic conditions do have more of a tendency to wear away tooling marks, they also leave us with other quite distinctive clues as to the time spent above ground, if one looks closely enough at the artifact to ascertain the approximate climactic environment to which it has been subjected. While this Pig Dragon Bi was most likely a funereal item, as most Hongshan artifacts of religious significance were, it was unearthed for an unknown reason at some point in its early history, and left to weather on the surface for millennia. Pig Dragon Bi’s were of extreme importance to the Hongshan Culture of ancient China, as attested to by the many examples of these burial objects to be found in the archaeological records of tombs of the old Shamanic lords and tribal leaders. But it does lead one to ask the following: how does a sacred nephrite stone that was reserved for the Shamanic elite ONLY, become so prevalent on the Internet today, with literally thousands being offered for sale daily. That question then leads one to doubt very seriously if there could possibly have been hundreds of thousands of Shamanic elite buried during neolithic times. In a lifetime of collecting, we have actually owned only eight authentic Pig Dragon Bi’s, but have seen literally thousands of replications, some with a starting bid as low as one US penny, plus shipping. Every year around the time of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I am subjected to people wanting to show me their ‘treasures’  by the hundreds, and telling me there is no way a person could make one that cheaply. My patent response is that a desperate man will do quite a bit of work for enough rice to keep his daughter fed throughout the winter, so that the family does not have to leave the little one beside the road.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This wonderful side view shows us all the characteristics of a genuine surface-find, wind-blown Hongshan Nephrite Jade. This Pig Dragon Bi was subjected to all of our usual pre-microscopic viewing tests; an extended soaking in acetone (which degrades newer waxes and helps in the removal by power sprayer of the waxes and accompanying dirt deposits used to replicate age), one in bleach (which removes dyes and applied iron filings extremely well, when a piece has had a light acid bath and then dyes and rust applied to make it look old), and a short oxalic acid bath to remove the deeply baked-on ’shoe polishes, dyes and mud’ that they have begun to use once again (as they did five years ago) because it is not effected by acetone, as non-baked-on newer waxes are. What you see here is a Pig Dragon Bi in its ‘as found’ condition, even after being scrubbed, cleaned and shot with our high-power water spray gun. What remains is what has legitimately adhered to the original nephrite after thousands of years. The dirt, oxidized iron, and manganese deposits you will see in the close up pictures are all now a part of the artifact, as is another anomaly that we have never seen in print before, but will explain as well as we possibly can, in photographs of the Pig Dragon Bi and some that we will use for comparison.

Photo Taken of Surface-Find Degradation on Pig Dragon Bi Using Canon EOS XSi and Canon MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

Photo Taken of Surface-Find Degradation on Pig Dragon Bi Using Canon EOS XSi and Canon MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 2X

The two photographs above show at higher magnification the soil deposits still adhering to the darker green nephrite which the Hongshan carver chose for this Pig Dragon Bi. The photos also show the nephritic fibers, and how the windblown debris started to pit the softer fibers of the nephrite, leaving the tougher fibers to rise a bit above the surface, exposing them more to wind-polishing. Contemporary artists are well aware of this characteristic of nephrite; when they polish certain types of nephrite jade, the surface often shows these higher and lower areas. This can be used to great benefit when carving a new item. When one wishes to be free of this trait in the end product, however, wax can be used to mask it; alternatively, a type of nephrite like a Wyoming “Edwards Black” can be chosen instead. because the tightness of its grain is such that there is little or no chatoyancy in the stone, as the fibers are so tightly and uniformly compacted. The parts of the photos above that show the green jade starting to turn a whitish color are extremely important here, as they begin to illuminate a property of nephrite that has, to our knowledge, never been  discussed,  and which departs from the theories of degraded funereal nephrite artifacts (which are well-documented), and the ‘chicken bone’ effect that has never been adequately explained,  and which occurs in artifacts all the way from Neolithic jade funereal pieces to Qing Dynasty burial items. We are going to explain our theory on surface-find, degraded green nephrite jade with a whitish rind, by comparing it to the chemically very similar agate, from the quartz family, which occurs simultaneously in one amazing old artifact.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 2X

Both photographs above show a degraded sliver of agate that has become fused into the jade mouth of the Hongshan Pig Dragon Bi. The first photograph was taken at 1X with our Macro Lens, and the second at 2X. In both photos we can see the exact same deposits adhering to both the agate and the nephrite of the Pig Dragon Bi. Also, we can see the clearer portion of the agate and the more degraded whitish sections that match the white portions of the nephrite, in both photographs above and in the previous close-ups. In the next photograph, taken at 40x power through the microscope, you will be able to see even more clearly the depth to which the the agate has degraded, and the ‘new’ clearer parts where the degraded agate (being more fracture-prone than nephrite) has chipped off, leaving a newer, ‘fresher’ surface. We believe that this white degradation of both the agate and nephrite occur in arid, wind-blown regions without the necessary moisture to turn the iron deposits in both the agate and the nephrite  into the much more familiar red rind of oxidation; rather, we believe it is more a factor of slight water intrusion into the stone, coupled mainly with ultraviolet light, which catalyzes this whitening process we see occurring on both stones simultaneously. Having had the unique opportunity to study, over the course of two-and-a-half years, in excess of a hundred pieces of degraded agate tools from Paleolithic to Neolithic sites, from the collection of Mr. Robert Willingham of Tucson, Arizona, under microscopic conditions, it has afforded me the exceptional experience of seeing all types of exotic lithic agate material in varying stages of degradation. Most of the pieces studied came from the famous Utah Agate Basin Area in which Mr. Willingham grew up and collected, but there have also been outstanding examples from Northern Africa, some dating back as far as 75,000 years or more. Many pieces studied had parts of the original core material left on them, and others had been re-chipped and re-used. Many of them showed evidence of which side of the artifact faced the ground the longest and which side had been more exposed to the harsh elements by facing upwards. We still retain numerous fine ’study’ examples in our collection, for on-going research.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 40X Microscopic Power on Agate Inside Mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi

In this photograph at 40X power, we can clearly see the broken-off degraded piece of agate in the white piece in the center of the picture, and to the right side of the photo we see the surface of the nephrite starting to degrade into the same white coloration. The portion in-between the old degraded agate and degrading nephrite is naturally adhered soil deposits, which have also ‘fused’ the agate to the nephrite on both sides where it got stuck in the crevice which was the mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi, a very long time ago. The portion of the agate to the left of the degraded white section has again started the degradation process, and with time and exposure to ultraviolet light, if left alone and not re-polished, will become whiter, and the degradation will increase in thickness. In the next few pictures, we will show some more examples of this phenomenon on different agates before we resume our microscopic study of the Pig Dragon Bi.

Photo taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The photograph above shows a fine example of an approximately 75,000 year old North African agate stemmed point. This type is considered among the earliest of the true chipped points, and was most likely a knife or projectile point. Note the heavy degradation to the fractured and crumbling white ‘crust’ on the far right side of the photograph, and the lesser degraded portions in the center and along the wind polished edges. When these heavily degraded areas are subjected to a violent act, such as a good river tumbling after a driving rain, portions are knocked off and the process renews itself. The areas most prone to wind polishing usually take the longest time to degrade, but differing circumstances (like a climactic change or partial burial) will produce differing results over time.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The above photograph is of a 100% In-Situ Neolithic degraded agate ‘tool’. Some ‘re-chipping” can be seen along a few of the leading edges, and appear under microscopic observation to be places where the stone naturally fractured from impact, and were not caused by intentional re-sharpening efforts. In these areas we find remarkable opportunities to study the degrading patinas and re-patination over time. Also evident is which side lay upward, facing the sun for the longest period and which side was face down, as many pieces we studied were verified as to exactly how they were found, how much was covered up, and how much of the item was sticking out of the surrounding soils. This tool was also found in a ‘blow-out’ and has received quite a bit more natural tumbling and cleaning than the Pig Dragon Bi under discussion, or the African agate point above.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 40X Microscopic Power

This photo at 40X microscopic power is of one of the tiny broken-off pieces on the Neolithic Utah agate tool above, and shows the similarity to the breaks and the colors associated with the agate in the mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi, under identical microscopic conditions. Note: The colors are almost identical, the time frames match in that they are both from approximately the same period, and  they are both from approximately the same climactic conditions. Now we shall continue with more on the nephrite Pig Dragon Bi on its own.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 40X Microscopic Power

Above is a wonderful photograph showing all the above-mentioned attributes of an authentic surface-find, Neolithic nephrite jade, including the whitening effect from the ultraviolet catalyst on the jade surface, the soil that has totally penetrated the porous surface of the nephrite to the point of actually becoming one with the stone, and the effect of the wind polishing to bring out the shine of the nephritic fibers and even the areas of degradation and hardened soil adhesion. No other enhancements or treatments could be found on this artifact, nor any recent polishing marks, even using the microscope up to 90X magnification.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Under 40X power Magnification

This Manganese crystalline growth in the center of a depression of the Pig Dragon Bi again shows the 100% In-Situ nature of this artifact. Coupled with the dirt encrustation and the whitening of the dark green nephrite, this manganese crystal is just one more important bit of positive proof of extreme age in an incredible piece that has never seen another tool or polishing, other than the one it received from the Master Carver who made it over 5,500 years ago.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi under 40X Microscopic Power Of Dead Tree Root Embedded Inside the Degradation of The Pig Dragon Bi’s Suspension Hole

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi under 40X Microscopic Power Of Dead Tree Root Embedded Inside the Degradation of The Pig Dragon Bi’s Suspension Hole

The above two photographs offer conclusive proof to us of the above statement that no re-tooling or intentional re-polishing has ever occurred on this surface-find, wind-polished Hongshan Pig Dragon Bi, as the presence of emerging dead tree or grass roots, from such a deep depression in the surface degradation inside the suspension hole, speaks volumes by itself.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

A Wonderful 100 % In-Situ Warring States Period (475 – 221 BCE) Bi

Dimensions: 44mm Diameter X 8mm Depth

This masterfully carved Bi is one of the earliest Bis we have ever seen seen with a true Royal Dragon and Feng Huang (Phoenix)design, carved as its frontal motif, the Most Sacred Dragon of the East and the Feng Huang (Red Bird of the South).  It is our belief that while Dragons and the Feng Huang appeared much earlier in Neolithic period designs, and down through history, it was truly around the latter part of the Eastern Zhou Period that the dual design was used almost exclusively as the primary symbol designating Royalty, and has carried through until this very day. This Bi has been in our personal collection for years, and was shown at The “Jade Art Now Show” in Tucson, Arizona in 2007, 2008 and 2009. I personally wore this Bi for over two years; as the colors of the Bi, along with the original intent of the “Master” who designed it, and the Master Carver and polisher who created it, it was, to me, a bit of absolute perfection in a pendant-sized piece. With the worn, spiraling “s” patterns on the back, or what the Chinese often call the “tadpole” pattern, this Bi was almost certainly used in a Spring Ritual concerning the coming of rain, and therefore the beginning of the planting season.

The most incredible part of this magnificent Bi is the fact that originally, it was two distinct shades of green nephrite jade, with varying amounts of iron being the ‘contaminant’ that caused the differing shades of green at the time the stone was first formed, miles below the earth’s surface . The currently darker red half of the Bi would have previously been a deep green, with the higher iron content, while the lighter side would have originally been more of a “celadon” colored green, having less iron.  It would have been the “Master” who chose this particular stone, most likely to represent what we think of now as the Yin/Yang of life, but which has been known more universally as the duality of life symbol, embraced and used by cultures all over the globe. The small, but at one time perfectly-carved ‘tadpoles’ are difficult to discern on the back side of this Bi in the picture above, because of the erosion that has taken place during the course of its ‘life’. The peculiar effect of the dual oxidations and depths to which they degraded would most certainly be the result of an extreme amount of water and oxygen passing nearly continuously over the Bi from almost the time of its original burial.  The red, oxidized coloring is well known in Warring States Burial Jades where water has either seeped into the tomb gradually, or flooded in because of a catastrophic event such as the collapse of a beam structure in the old tombs (which could allow a sealed beam roof to cave in and water to enter and fill the tomb, as in the case of the Marquis Yi’s Tomb) . However, this oxidation always seems to leave a slighter depth of approximately 3-4mm, even when the jades are degraded through in their softer parts to a much deeper level; indeed even all through a piece as wide as 10mm. The difference in the case of this Bi , with a total depth of 8mm, is that it is totally permeated in the darker reddish areas and has no accompanying degradation by soil penetration to the Bi, as it certainly would in a regular funeral piece. This Bi has never been re-tooled or re-cut in any way, and the surface remains as it was originally found before we acquired it. Even the approximate 1mm rim on the back-side edge of this masterfully created Bi is still fully intact in places. All degradation to the exterior is natural, and was not acid or alkali-etched, nor was it burnt with a torch. The only cause for its current condition that we could ever find was due to the presumed fact that while it had been buried in antiquity along with other objects, it must have been alongside a river, which was not an uncommon practice of the era. Over the ages, the river most likely changed and followed another course which took it over the burial grounds, where this Bi lay. With a static submersion of water, as in the case of a submerged tomb, we would expect to find the water necessary to degrade the iron inside the green nephrite to a red oxidized state, but along with this water would also come silt, and silt always penetrates the tightly fibered, but porous nephrite as the surface degrades, leaving the degraded portions with a grey silt penetration. In the case with this Bi, it seems far more likely that it was this running water, which would carry the necessary oxygen for the oxidation process to occur, and still keep the silt from building up and penetrating deeply into the nephrite, that created the circumstances to bring about this effect, which we have examined for years under microscopic conditions.

All Pictures Above Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This photograph shows us a marvelous picture of how the darker red half looks from a side view. The depth of the darker red degraded and iron-oxidized section appears to be smooth, and while a bit worn and chipped on the edges, it still looks to be in fine condition for an artifact that has undergone some extreme conditions for millennia. This is also a great photograph to show the Dragon and Feng Huang were ‘air symbols’, and not ‘water symbols’, as we do not see the familiar undulating patterns through the water in this side view, but rather a steady continuity of raised design through masterful relief carving. Also, some portions of the original darker green nephrite are still barely visible in the lower right section seen in the photograph. While this Bi looks to the naked eye to be a wonderful solid nephrite structure, we will see in the following close-ups a type of “Khotan” nephrite that is rarely discussed, as it is commonly assumed that all nephrite from this area is of the same quality and structure. 

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

In this photograph, we see a large portion of the Feng Huang (Red Bird’s head seen in center of photo) side of the Bi, which is the darker of the two sides. The Dragon side of the Bi was finished from the lighter celadon-colored nephrite. While this wonderful specimen still appears to be a rather solid piece of nephrite, with the usual degradation and losses associated with a long-term burial object,  the lack of deep ‘calcification’ (degradation) that should accompany a burial item of approximately 2,300 years can be easily discerned. The red oxidation of the portions of darker green nephrite shows up very clearly, and in the lower right corner of the photograph, one can start to see the minute actinolite fibers that are associated with this particular variation of Khotan jade. While there exist some “flowing river” structural sections of nephrite, much like what is seen in Kutcho and Polar Jades from British Columbia, and are found in many of the Khotan nephrites, this particular stone is mainly comprised of a very short crystalline structure, which gives it an almost ‘ice crystal’ effect when degraded, and viewed under magnification. This will become more evident in pictures to follow as the magnification increases. What is of particular note here is the fact that while the degradation has definitely taken place, there lacks the deep soil penetration that accompanies other true burial artifacts, and we firmly believe it is because the Bi was constantly being washed and abraded during most of its life by flowing water. This would account for the abundant supply of water, oxygen, and abrasive materials needed to produce this exact effect of oxidation and degradation we see on this particular artifact.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

This photograph shows the reverse side of the Warring States Period Bi and the familiar “S”, “comma”, or ‘tadpole’ patterns, as known by the Chinese. Note the rounded edges on all the tadpole patterns, as would be expected in a 100%  in-situ Bi of this period. When one finds sharper edges on the tadpole patterns, it is usually from replication, as in the case of a modern reproduction, or often times this occurs if a true artifact has been re-cut and re- polished. The main challenge, then, is to find the place where the person who re-cut and re-polished the item missed a portion, and then also find the original tooling marks or degradation underneath the new markings. In this photo it is again extremely clear the lack of deep soil penetration, the consistent wear found on a true artifact, and the same crystalline structure to the Khotan nephrite as seen in the previous photograph.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 3X

This photo taken at 3X through our Macro lens shows very well how consummate a nephrite carver this Master was over 2,000 years ago. Using only the most rudimentary treadle-wheel drilling technology and  hand-made tools, the lines and flow of this exquisite piece were so precisely executed as to rival the finest of modern day artists working with exacting technology and the finest of diamond tools. Just below the swirling portion of the lower section of the end of the Dragon’s bifurcated tail, we can see the crystalline degradation to the Dragon’s clawed toes, as well as in the surrounding areas. This  is right at the transition zone where the dark green nephrite met the more celadon-colored nephrite, and it contributes to the stunning overall effect. The lack of soil deposits and the fact that all discoloration is coming from the degradation and oxidation of the iron within,  is becoming more and more apparent.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power

This photograph taken at 35X power with the microscope shows the face of Feng Huang (Phoenix) and the almost complete loss of detail experienced at high magnification. We can now see extremely clearly the actinolite fibers and their small structures on this type of nephrite jade from Khotan, or the Black or White Jade River region. Only in this type of Khotan nephrite jade do we see these miniature actinolite fibers over almost the entire surface. Soon we will be  doing an article on the four different basic types of Khotan nephritic structures, and the variations within them at the microscopic level. Again, the lack of soil penetration from long term burial is clearly seen, and demonstrates why we believe this artifact to be river worn to such a degree. The fuzzy area in the middle of the picture comes from the depth of field when using the microscope along with the camera. If we were to bring into clear focus the top (fuzzy) portion of the Feng Huang’s head, the remainder of the picture would then become fuzzy.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power

This photograph takes us inside one of the design holes of the section that was created in the celadon-colored half of the nephrite jade Dragon and Feng Huang Bi. It shows the traces of one of the three remaining original drill marks on the right side of the bottom of the hole. With the extreme weathering from constant moving water and sediment, it is practically a miracle that any such traces remain after so long a period of time, and further attests to the toughness of nephrite jade and its association with being the true “Stone of Heaven”. This wonderful specimen was left entirely untouched and un-oiled as even my old body oils were removed prior to photographing, with a quick scrub with tub & tile cleaner and a toothbrush. Every picture shown has been under “honest” conditions, and the colors shown have been as true as could be humanly portrayed, without alteration or augmentation of any kind.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power

This final photograph shows the inside of the very small hole in this Bi. In proportion to what is usually expected in a Bi of this period, this Bi may have had a specific purpose of which we are unaware, or is currently lost in history. It might have been originally a piece of jewelry, or may have been used as a travel piece for worship while away from one’s home. Whatever its exact purpose was, it is clear that the Master who created this phenomenally well-proportioned Bi, and gave it the original polish with such intrinsic skill, intentionally drilled the hole entirely from one side only, as can be detected from the two remaining slight imperfections that are left to us to examine over 2,000 years later. One of these slight “dips” can be seen in the photo above at the midway section of the photograph. On the front side of the Bi, the hole contours in a slightly convex manner by intention. On the back of this Bi, the artist left himself a rounded little circle of a convex nature to complete his design. All in all, it is one very impressive piece of Warring States Genius, and has been an extreme pleasure to own and to wear.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

A Wonderful Shang Period  (1,700-1,100BC) Green Nephrite Jade Kneeling Royal Pendant

Dimensions:  76mm Height X 32mm Width X 33mm Depth

Provenance: Ang Ngo Gan Collection. We are extremely proud to be named the official Authenticators and Curators for the Ang Family of California and their wondrous grouping of jade artifacts.  All the pieces we are representing were brought into the United States in 1950 by the Grandfather of Marilou Ang; Mr. Ang Ngo Gan, originally from Ching Kang, China, near Amoy, during the ‘Period of Confusion’.  He was a restaurateur and business man in California, and his collection is now represented by Antiquities, Plus… through his granddaughter Marilou Ang and her husband Richard Evangelista.

Before we present our articles that will be displaying re-polished artifacts and items showing real pieces and the modern replications made off of them, we will first be continuing with several more publications on 100% In-Situ, authentic items. In this exquisite green nephrite Shang Period pendant of a kneeling Royal, we find many true indicators of age that are impossible to fake even by the best of the replicators, in their famous museum-quality reproductions (Gao Fang’s). Most of the finest modern reproductions are now being made with weathered serpentine, that while having almost the right feel of weight to them and a wonderful, natural, red coloring to the stone from oxidation of the iron mineral in them, they are still not nephrite jade, even though some of them could easily be called a semi-jade, as they had originally come from the the transition zone where the nephrite and serpentine meet. The stone in this Shang Period artifact is indeed a wonderful darker green Nephrite jade, and would have come from either the Black or the White Jade River areas in modern Turkanistan. This is a wonderful area for nephrite, and produces some of the most beautiful nephritic material in the world. Soon, we will be doing an article on the different structural types from the  ‘Khotan”  area. Stylistically, this piece shows many of the traits commonly associated with known archaeologically substantiated Shang Period artifacts and clothing styles, most notably the “false relief” created by drilling and wheel-cutting into the nephrite without actually removing all the surrounding material, to produce a true relief (shown best in the clothing designs on the sides of the kneeler, and in the structure of the ears). Also, with this piece having been being carved “in the round”, it shows a continuity with the Neolithic Period designs which preceded this era, but had started to become less anthropo zoomorphic and more realistic in nature. We also see during this period a more pronounced transition; many flatter religious carvings started to become more common, and the figures in the round became more rare.

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

While the surface of this jade figure looks smooth and shiny to the eye in the above photographs, we will see quite the opposite in the photographs that follow. The object shows absolutely no signs of any re-polishing under magnification up to 90X. The shiny exterior look to the item most likely comes from being out of the ground for a substantial period of time, and the subsequent polishing and smoothing associated with hands touching the artifact in reverence, as was almost always the custom in China. The natural body oils from fondling the stone over an extended period have actually entered into the porous nephrite over the years, and could not be removed even after a two week bath in acetone. No recent wax residues were encountered, which would have turned white as new waxes do, while five-hundred-year-old Ming Dynasty waxes are so hardened, and have penetrated the stone so deeply and thoroughly, as to almost become one with the stone; so it is also with old body oils. To further insure the integrity of the artifact and its natural patina, a similar “bath” in bleach was performed, and a short bath in oxalic acid was also undertaken to make sure no baked-on shoe polishes or other such materials were used. The artifact remained the same when we were finished as it was before we started. All reddish areas on the stone are natural oxidation of the iron in the nephrite, and intrusions from iron-rich soils, much like the Han Dynasty Bi in our last article. Also, it is interesting to note in this figure the intentional use of a small portion of “celadon” colored nephrite in the original stone, used for the front protrusion on the hat, and the natural oxidation to the reddish/orange color.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

This photograph of the “bull nosed” suspension holes on the top of the hat of the Shang Dynasty kneeler shows with great clarity the naturally cracked nephrite and the oxidation that occurred over millennia of burial. Also to be seen are two of the nephritic characteristics of “Khotan” jade in particular. As mentioned before, we will be writing an article soon on the differing structures found in nephrite from this area, complete with photographic studies, but in short, the top portion of the photo (above the suspension holes) shows a delineation of large nephritic “crystals” (similar in make up to Lake Tai Variegated Nephrite), while the bottom half, below the fracture line, shows the “flowing river” nephritic structure that seems more often associated with fracture lines in “rough” pieces from this area, and in true burial objects. This fracture line extends across the entire hat and down both sides of the head, splits off into triangular sections around both ears and joins up again as more of a singular line in the neck area and under the chin of the figure. The fracture has never gone completely through, and the structural integrity of the kneeling figure is still sound, but the pendant most likely should not  be worn again, and kept for display purposes only. After thousands of years of freezing and thawing, natural penetration of seeping waters, and tectonic movements, the fracture site has been affected most at its weakest spot, where it meets at the suspension hole. It is here we find the widest, most degraded and most oxidized portion of the fracture.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 35X Microscopic Power

In the above photograph we see a closer view of the degradation to one edge of the suspension hole in the top of the hat on the Shang Period figure. The iron oxides become much more defined under the higher magnification, and the depth of the degradation can be more easily discerned.  This deeper degradation occurs most often in areas that have natural fissures and the water can penetrate deeper into the nephrite. Also, the fact that this portion of the figure had the most pressure applied while drilling out the suspension hole (as occurs even in all new works of nephrite carving), and the fact that the suspension holes were rarely polished, explains why the deepest original tooling marks can often be found inside the suspension holes. The grit sizes used when drilling the holes (and “roughing” out a carving in general) were naturally coarser, and left deeper ‘damage zones’ where the micro-structure under the surface of the nephrite gets shattered. This allows degradation of the nephrite to occur more quickly, relatively speaking, and more deeply over extended periods of burial, along with easier penetration of water and soil ‘”contaminants” into the microscopically fractured nephrite. The other anomaly we find is that inside the suspension holes, this occurs less readily than on the surface portions, and is most likely due to the suspension holes filling up with silt, which over time, actually tends to lessen the effect and helps to preserve the original tooling marks inside the holes. This photograph also shows well, at the higher magnification, the original weathered surface of the figure, with no new polishing grooves on the outside of the carving.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

This photograph was taken inside of one of the suspension holes and shows very clearly the tooling marks from drilling, as discussed in the last paragraph. The deeper individual grooves are formed when new, coarse grit is applied. The new coarse grit cuts a deeper groove into the nephrite as the drill spins around, and eventually starts to wear down much as the grit on a piece of sandpaper gets smaller and less abrasive as the sandpaper is used. When the grit starts to lose its “cutting power”, it makes a smaller grove in the nephrite, and when fresh heavier grit is added, it makes the grooves deeper again. This is the cause of the alternating depths we see in the photo. [The new replicators are very aware of this technique  and have for years drilled pieces with modern diamond tools and then gone back over them with traditional methods to add the "old drill" marks onto a newly made piece. The white areas we see in this photograph are natural "calcification", which is actually degradation to nephrite jade. The current replicators often strive for this effect using a very highly acidic or extremely base alkali bath. However, this usually results in all the tooling marks being destroyed in the process, and with the serpentine stones that are most commonly used in modern reproductions, this replicating technique manifests itself by showing nothing but different interlocking layers of crystalline structures with a "calcification" look all over the entire piece, and will look the same in the suspension holes as it does on the outside . This "over-all" effect is most often overcome by the replicators by lightly polishing the outside of the stone and applying various dyes and wax treatments which can easily be removed by acetone, bleach or a short soak in oxalic acid.]  The dark lines on the inside of this artifact are authentic manganese tracks laid down by “feeder” roots that had grown into the suspension hole after it was buried. Tree or plant roots will uptake manganese as they grow, and when they die and rot away on a true artifact, the manganese actually remains on the object’s surface, and in a process we have never before read about, actually grow and adhere to the material; not only nephrite but all types of stone and pottery objects of long term burial. These deposits are extremely well documented around the world, but personally we find them more, and larger in size, on artifacts from areas that are moister and have more vegetative matter associated with the burial object. Most often the replicators use black paint “splotches”, burnt-on sugar, or sugar water (to carbonize the sugar into a crystalline form), and baked on dyes and ”shoe polishes” to achieve this effect. All these effects are easily removed in the above mentioned manner, but recently we have been finding a new method in which they actually use minute black metallic fragments, mixed with fine grit and glued onto the surfaces. These are also easily removed with proper treatment. As this Shang Dynasty Period artifact has undergone all the treatments mentioned above, in addition to our hand-held high-pressure water gun (that will almost pierce the skin), it is most assured that these tree root remnants are original and are actually attached to the nephrite. Due to the magnification properties, this photo appears to some to be concave, and convex to others. It is indeed concave, and these photos sometimes exhibit an optical illusion.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MP-E 655mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

The photograph above again shows us the same set of remaining manganese “growths”, starting where several feeder roots were once attached to the nephrite. We will be including in future planned articles other types of natural anomalies and some of these will be showing mineralized (petrified) organic detritus in differing stages of the mineralization process. Sometimes entire root sections show up under different magnifications (with some so clear they can be seen with the naked eye), from the first stages of mineralization to total petrification where the old feeder roots have become part of the “mother stone” in a process which occurs much the same as the pseudomorph phenomena. Here we can trace the root tracks in a curving section just underneath the chin on the left side of the figure and again see the naturally eroded groove of the neck area, with no evidence of re-cutting or re-polishing. Also, we can start to  examine the presence of original, associated soil deposits that still adhere to the nephrite after a thorough cleaning .

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 30X Microscopic Power

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

Both photographs above were taken in the same approximate area as the photo used in the previous paragraph, taken at 1X with our Macro lens. In the top photo we can see several areas with the manganese root tracks as well as areas of small deposits of manganese. It is in the manganese (which takes such a long period to grow, deposit, and adhere into, and then become one with the stone) that most archaeologists and anthropologists find conclusive proof of long-term burial, and finding a manganese tree root track is overwhelming proof of extended burial. In the second photo we can see a bit more of the detail from the feeder roots, as well as the consistent degradation over the entire surface of the figure. No traces of modern or old tooling marks are present in this magnified photograph, as it is of an area that had been originally well-polished, and no deep tooling marks remained, as they did in other areas. In fact, it is easier to see the original drilling marks over the rest of the surface of the figure’s neck with the naked eye, as the contrast more readily lends itself to catch the dips and shadows in most lighting . Original soil and mineral penetration can easily be seen on the nephrite from casual viewing through all ranges of microscopic power.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

In this last photograph we can see all of the aforementioned indicators of true age for this marvelous Shang Period Kneeling Royal figure: the natural degradation of the nephrite, as shown in the picture by the iron oxides; the iron-rich soil impregnation of the nephrite; the naturally degraded and tectonically worn tooling marks; and the manganese deposits in the design on the right thigh, all in one photograph at 35X magnification. The shine is  entirely natural, without any wax, on a cherished bit of history that someone has cared for and caressed, polishing by touch alone.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

 100% In-Situ Western Han Dynasty Bi With Old Pseudomorphs & New Crystalline Growth

This wonderful, 100% in-situ Nephrite Jade Bi in “Yuan” style comes from the estate of the late Ronald Edwin Prosser of Iowa City, Iowa.  This large, prestigious and previously unknown private collection of jades, stone and other artifacts  is currently being authenticated, assessed and marketed by us on behalf of the heirs of the estate and their attorneys.

Dimensions:  80 mm Outer Diameter X  38 mm Inner Diameter X 4-5 mm Depth

Dating from around 200-250 BCE, this Bi was masterfully carved in approximately the Late Warring States to Early Han Dynasty Period. While the motif consisting of three Tao Tei Water Buffalo designs with touching horns and interlocking scroll patterns (both sides) is reminiscent of a later Warring States period design, the perfection, thinness and craftsmanship of the finished Bi lends itself more to the Early Han Dynastic period, and can be safely dated within at least the transitional period mentioned above. We have found that later Warring States Period pieces can be as well-crafted as the finest of the early Han Dynasty jade workmanship, and we believe it is sometimes a matter of skill level that holds true throughout history, even up to  today;  if ten artists were to display works of similar design, there would always be those couple or few artists who stand out above the rest. The other main consideration in dating this Bi with a certain degree of accuracy comes from the fact that stylistically, meaningful Period designs did not change radically on a certain calendar date, but were rather, we believe, altered in a more gradual manner. Other factors that should always be considered as helpful criteria towards as accurate as possible dating of an artifact are the choice of stone, degree of degradation of the stone, burial conditions, and workmanship, including accuracy, tooling, and polishing techniques, which will be discussed as this article progresses.

While most often this old an artifact made from nephrite jade is described as a light green with russet inclusions, or something along similar lines, the original jade was of a translucent white-to-clear nephrite with pseudomorphs, iron pyrite crystals and softer inclusions in what is often mistaken as a pure nephritic stone. It is a well documented fact that ancient cultures often chose their stones for color, purity, workability, durability and even for Shamanic power.  Artists today still use the same criteria when choosing their stone of preference for a particular effect. Starting out with an extremely unique nephrite, as in this case, would most certainly have been by choice in the period within which the dating falls. The three-water-buffalo design in a Tao Tei motif would most likely have been used to signify strength and solidity without gluttony or a too-high regard for personal indulgence. The fact that a white/translucent nephrite (Ying Yu) was chosen is significant in the fact that this type of stone was reserved for the royalty of both the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty. The discoloration in this 100% in-situ Bi was most assuredly caused by the intrusion of iron from outside environs, as is quite commonly seen in the famous lighter colored nephrites chosen by the Hongshan Culture, which have been buried for millennia in the Loess Plateau region of China. The Loess Plateau region is a well documented formation that is extremely high in iron deposits, and is the type of intrusion we see in this particular Bi, and noted in the following photograph. It is interesting to note that many replicas of Hongshan artifacts have started showing up in the past year that are in fact a type B jadeite style, acid-etched and dyed to near perfection with a Loess soil-type coloration.

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSI

While Nephrite Jade is often described as having a very specific structure and chemical composition, it is actually one of the most fascinating and diverse stones on the planet, and we believe it will always prove to be resistant to such strict categorization. For years the old way was to describe nephrite with the terms ‘nephrite jade, hemi-jade and semi- jade’. While we personally still use these terms in describing both the stones and the artifacts we examine, to the best of our knowledge no exact formula or percentages of purity have ever been assigned to these differing ratios. We personally like the approximate percentage of the different terms to read:  90% nephrite and above being considered pure nephrite, 65% to 90% being considered hemi-jade, and approximately 45% nephrite being used to designate semi-jade, which is often what we see when the stone is intermingled with serpentine, quartz or other minerals. With this Bi we can clearly see the approximate percentages of pure nephrite and inclusions in the the photograph above, where the degradation shows easily with the simplest of testing methods – the’ through light transmission’. However, in the case of this Bi, we believe it was by design and deliberate choice that this particular stone was used for such an important piece. It is not hard to imagine what a beautiful finished sacred Bi this would have originally been, with its glowing pseudomorphs and pyrite crystals, polished to perfection of the age. 

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

In the above photograph, we start to see several defining signs of a true archaic jade artifact, and the aforementioned pseudomorphs. At only 1X power of the Macro lens, we can define the true fibrous nature of nephrite jade as can be seen in the clearer, shiny area to the upper left side of the photo, and along the inner defining ring to the left of the original cross-hatching, shown in the lower left. This photograph also shows well the original wear, due to handling and tectonic movement, to some cut-marks that define the horns of the water buffalo in the center of the picture. There are also definite original manganese deposits showing in the tooling channel that defines the outer ring of the Bi; they appear as small, shiny, darkened spots. It should be noted here that this Bi had previously been soaked in acetone by us for over a week, and no residue of wax coating was detected. Even after a thorough scrubbing with tub & tile cleaner and a high-pressure “power wash” with our hand-held jet sprayer, these manganese deposits were unaffected, which would not have been the case, had they been the usual black paint or carbonized sugar commonly used to replicate the appearance of manganese deposits. It is also noteworthy at this time to point out the original, degraded tooling marks that appear over the entire Bi, and the slight “Chicken Bone” effect on the flatter surfaces. As will be seen in additional photographs, these original degraded tooling channels differ greatly from the extremely common, whitish, ‘re-cut’ marks found on most old, re-polished archaic jades, which are often necessary in order to re-define areas that have eroded away during long term burial. This re-polishing, re-etching method is easily discerned in the large Bi on the jacket cover of the famous book ’Jade’, Consultant Editor Roger Keverne.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 3X 

In this photograph at higher power, we are looking at the extremely degraded portion of the Bi that can be seen in Photograph 3, at the top right portion of the Bi. Here we find under close-up setting, the wonderful greenish/yellow color penetration from the iron rich soils from burial, in an area that holds the remnants of an old pseudomorph where the harder “skin” of the pseudomorph is still present, and the center of the pseudomorph has degraded away and is being replaced by new quartz crystals. In the lower left section of the photograph can be seen the remnants of a chatoyant crystal, with re-growth of the newer crystals visible inside. This entire section is a bit more indented than the rest of the Bi because it was the softest part of the stone, originally cut with a string saw. String saws leave distictive ‘tracks’ even if they are polished out as masterfully as this Bi was. In the softer areas of the original nephrite stone, the saw would have a tendency to “eat it” a bit as the shapers were working the stone for the master to finish. This can be felt by touch alone over the surface of the Bi, even though the Bi appears perfectly flat at first glance. From a side view can be seen the narrower portion of the degraded area, and when the Bi is placed on a perfectly flat glass surface, it “wobbles” as all authentic archaic Bis do to some degree. Generally they take on a convex side and a concave side from the string-saw cutting, and it is with the concave side up that most authentic Bis wobble the most . With the concave side down they tend to rest on the outer edges of the Bi and therefore are more stable on the flat surface.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 3X

While the picture above this one starts to show the crystalline “skin” of an old pseudomorph with newer crystals growing inside and around a portion of the skin, this picture is of an old degraded pseudomorph with a portion of its interior still intact. Of note is an original tool mark that is easily visible passing through the old pseudomorph. The skin of the oldest pseudomorphed crystal is clearly visible (with a still-solid section of the old pseudomorph inside of it) but the newer crystals had started to take on an even darker color from the surrounding iron-rich soil, as compared to the previous photo above. This should be thought of much as a white nephrite pebble or cobble, taken straight from what are commonly termed the Black and White Jade Rivers of Turkanistan. These pebbles and cobbles often have a deep red rind that could only have been formed by intrusion of iron and oxidation externally from the iron-rich waters and soils they travel through, on their way down the rivers from the mother-stone deposits. True white nephrite jade is pure, and does not have the necessary iron in its structure to produce the same type of red rind as we see coming from a green stone that is colored that way by the iron components that are part of the stone.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 3X

The above picture shows a  thick-walled, double pseudomorph in clear detail, with other pseudomorphs in the surrounding nephrite jade. The new crystalline growth is showing finer detail and less of the Loess soil and iron penetration, which leads us to suspect that not all the pseudomorphs dissolved and re-grew new crystals at the same rate. The dark spots inside the furthest right pseudomorph are other manganese crystalline growths. Note the white ‘chicken-bone’ degradation on the main parts of the nephrite surface, and the degraded tool marks.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

The picture above shows a much closer and clearer view of the double pseudomorph in the previous photograph. This picture was taken without any back-lighting, to show the true color of the new crystalline growth inside of the old pseudomorph ’skin’, and clearly shows the difference in color of the iron-intruded nephrite and the double, crystalline skin of the pseudomorph. The pseudomorphs are often harder than the surrounding nephrite due to the ion exchange that most likely occurs when they are first created.  The harder (on the Mohs scale) quartz and less hard, but tougher nephrite jade, seem to “bond” together to create a harder but perhaps a bit more brittle nephritic stone. These are the first specimens of  pseudomorphs we have ever run across that for some unexplained reason, seem to have undergone a dissolving of their interior and then replacement by other growing crystals.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

A wonderfully clear photograph showing tool marks and the degraded “damage zones” which accompany them, in an original design with no re-polishing or re-etching of the design.  Also, please note the chatoyant band of fibers running through the center of the picture, perpendicular to the tool marks in the design. These particular tooling marks in this Bi do not come from the usual drilling technique that is used to form the original grooves as the master is forming the piece, but rather, in this instance, are a result of the final polishing. In this photograph, a drilling mark would go side-to-side between the walls of the design. As stated before in this article, there were many very fine craftsmen during the period when this Bi was made, and then there were true masters of the art. The master who made this Bi was one of the finest workers of jade I have ever seen from that period. The only true drilling marks left on the Bi are from the original core drilling of the outside and inside surfaces, and these are minute. The extreme polish this Bi underwent is another indication of its significance as a religious artifact. The tooling marks on this Bi only show up now because when the heavier grits were used to form and polish the piece, they damaged the micro-structure underneath the surface of the nephrite on a molecular level. When the master was finished with this Bi, it would have had an almost perfect shine to it, but due to the ravages of time, the freezing-and-thawing and tectonic wear, the tooling marks began to be penetrated by soil and water, and consequently started to wear away at the damaged micro-structure; this shows up as tool marks, the same as if they were produced yesterday with heavier grits. The main difference between these and the deeper gouge marks made by the coarser grits, is that the deeper, heavier grit marks are usually spotted most easily in the suspension holes of artifacts, and inside the grooves of their design. In these worn-away polishing marks, they run with the design, which is the case with polishing out modern drilling marks and smoothing out the degraded damage zones, with which every modern jade artist is familiar.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

This wonderful photograph show an in-situ oxidized iron pyrite crystal in the groove that defines the inner circle of the Bi. Also, more of the tooling marks can be quite easily discerned. Besides the marvelous pseudomorph crystals in the original Nephrite chosen to make this stupendous Bi, there were also these sparkling ‘golden pyrite crystals’ which occur quite frequently, interspersed thoughout certain Khotan jades from the Turkanistan region. This crystal and the original crystalline pseudomorphs would have been, after final polish by the master, extremely visible and very attractive. As stated before, these ritual objects of royalty were held in very high esteem, and presented with much ceremony and all the appropriate blessings of the High Priests of the time. Imagining the event of the Presentation is not difficult, and the small Bi must have seemed imbued with “power” at that time. By the amount of natural wear to the cross-hatched areas and other places where the Bi was held for ceremonial purposes, one gets a feel for the importance of the object, and yet its exact use by the royalty is lost in time.  All in all, its precise symmetry, masterful workmanship, and powerful design still reach out to us today with a sense of “power” and a bit of awe.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 35X Microscopic Power

It is extremely unusual to find heavy manganese deposits in jade artifacts from the area west of current Beijing, as the area starts to get so naturally dry as we head further north and west towards the Gobi desert. It is this author’s belief that artifacts found in the more southerly regions around the globe where rainfall is more frequent and consistent, produces much larger and more readily identifiable manganese deposits. We believe two factors contribute to the adhering growth of manganese crystals: 1) The amount of manganese found in the area where an artifact was located. 2) The moisture available in the region to facilitate the growth of the manganese. We have always found much more manganese growth on artifacts from wetter environs, such as Thailand and Central America. In some Western Neolithic artifacts we can find manganese traces only on the original surfaces, or in crevices, and only by using  45X power or higher on our microscope. This is by far the norm, after examining well in excess of one thousand artifacts from different regions. Having viewed under microscopic conditions approximately 1,000 authentic archaic stone pieces from China alone, we more frequently encounter the degree of manganese seen on this item, on artifacts from the more southerly environs. However, there are some very exciting examples of more Northerly artifacts, a few of which we will soon be sharing on this jade forum, to further illustrate this point. We consider the wonderful manganese “track” found on this Bi to be a very unusual anomaly, along with the rest of the highly visible areas of manganese on this 100% in-situ Bi, which would do justice to any finely studied, authenticated, and displayed collection in the world.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus… 

Wyoming Nephrite Pseudomorphs

Interesting Jade Anomalies

Bizarre Pseudomorphs In Wyoming Nephrite Of Differing Ages

An absolutely unique slab of Wyoming Nephrite Jade, showing extremely old, and continuing to ‘morph’, ”frog skin” pseudomorphs, along with newer inclusions that are starting their transformation to becoming full pseudomorphs, and quartz crystals near the rind that are just beginning the transformation. We purchased this wonderful specimen from the John Snook Collection, who is a member of one of the foremost old Wyoming Jade ‘families’ and who has been exposed to, and has viewed some of the most extensive collections of  Wyoming Nephrite Jades in existence. John has been involved in Wyoming Nephrite Jade since the early age of 12 when he first started to help his father, a hard-rock miner, with his mining operations. John also started to work jade at that time; he finished and sold his first piece when he was only 12 years old, 48 years ago. John has seen jade from a perspective that very few of us have ever experienced, and handled too many pieces to count; from surface boulders to the remaining vein deposits he still works today. With this knowledge, we have asked him to comment on this article in the future and tell us something about the unique area in which this fantastic specimen was found, and any other pertinent information he would like to share.

An Incredible Amount Of Activity in One Stone

Far and away the most common, “frog skin” pseudomorphs can found in the beginning article of this series, showcasing pseudomorphs in Nephrite Jades, and showing the familiar oval-to-rounded, green to grey/green spots in different transformation stages as deposits within the nephrite. Other photos show different ‘fully morphed’ crystals, and in one unique article in this series is the familiar gray/green spots with some of the frog-skins surrounded by a red band, and some totally stupendous red spots for which there is currently no known explanation. Then we have an article showing obvious pseudomorphs extending from an extremely rare Botryoidal Nephrite which are connected to, and surrounded by, differing matrices. Now we have this incredible specimen that shows what we believe to be further anomalies occurring inside nephrite jade that rarely, if ever, get the proper attention of serious study from the scientific community at large. This wonderful specimen shows, upon examination with the naked eye alone, a unique and varying structure, which draws us constantly back to the question of what is the true nature of nephrite, and the fact that this ”Stone of Heaven” will continue to resist attempts to “pigeon hole” it into a category of gems that is concise and precise in nature. Under the microscope this specimen comes alive in the differing activity that appears to be a continuing evolution of the stone from its origination millions of years ago to today, where it is obvious to us that changes are still occurring.

Above Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi

In the photographs above it can be clearly discerned the tremendous amount of activity that has occurred during the stone’s long history. The extremely tight-fibered, dark olive to black portions of the stone are the original Nephrite that at one time most likely held the familiar clear, rounded frog skin pseudomorphs that have continued to morph into their present state, and look much like a galaxy of stars, which we will see more closely in the following photographs. In the first picture we can easily identify a wide inclusion from a later period; the light green line coursing through the stone diagonally, and in one spot encasing a piece of the original nephrite. In the second picture we can see the inclusion of material surrounding newer and larger pseudomorphs transforming in the “mother-stone”. In the third picture we can see how the inclusion formed around the outside as it cooled around the mother-stone. I can only assume this inclusion to be an igneous activity that occurred in, and around,  the mother-stone while it was on its long journey to the surface, and that it is most likely of a quartz material, as it too is slowly going through the morphing process, along with the rest of the stone. I believe it had to have occurred under a circumstance of massive heat and pressure to have split the original nephrite and left such an inclusion of material as seen in this marvelous example.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi and Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x at 2x

Throughout these photos, we see fractures running off and along the sides of the inclusions. While speaking with Peter Shilling of Taking Form Jade this past week, Peter mentioned to me that it is believed that the fractures that are often associated with, and   radiating out from “trapped” quartz crystals in nephrite jade, could be a result of differing stages in the development of the quartz crystals. Peter said he had read somewhere of Alpha & Beta stages in a quartz crystal’s ‘lifespan’ that involve relatively large fluctuations of the crystal’s size, which could account for the high degree fracturing seen in this specimen running along the edges and radiating outward from the inclusion. These fractures are traceable by the naked eye and under microscopic conditions to the outside edges of the piece, and without much doubt account for the oxidizing effect we see along the edges of the inclusion, as water seeped in and the iron-rich nephrite started its degradation. If any of our readers have additional information about these fascinating Alpha & Beta stages, a comment would be much appreciated by ourselves and others.

Photo Taken With Canon EOS XSi & Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x at 2x

In the photo above ( as in the second photo), we can clearly see the morphing inclusion that surrounds a large old pseudomorph inside the more tightly fibered original nephrite stone. There is also an area that has been devastated by a physical shock of some nature in its past, as the iron oxide discoloration stops at the natural joint in one of the unusual pseudomorphs. This degraded area extends all the way to the skin, and was caused by the original shattering of a portion of the stone that has left the rough area we see here extending outwards to the rind. Water could find its way into the shattered portion, and turned this entire section of the old pseudomorph rust-red with oxidation. We can still discern the inclusion around the damaged pseudomorph, as well as the remaining hard areas of the older pseudomorph, seen as darker lines inside the inclusions.

Oldest Frog Skins Spots Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 30X Microscopic Power

This picture is of one of the old frog skin spots in the blacker nephrite mother-stone, and can be seen in the first photograph of this article; it is the one that is 1/4″ above the “bumb” in the diagonal line inclusion that surrounds a piece of the original stone. While many of the original spots have continued to morph into the more grey-green to black spots we see over the rough, saw- cut areas of the stone, this spot shows (as do many others) the original green core material which was most likely at one time the more common, easily identifiable, and well known frog skin spots so often found in Wyoming Nephrite Jade. Here one can easily discern the nephritic fiber patterns of this particular portion of the stone, and readily see the transference of iron ions as the mostly-black original stone “invades” the frog skin more, and the lighter green (most likely quartz in nature) diffuses outward to give that ‘galactic’ look to the areas.

Photo Of Inclusion Taken With Canon EOS XSI at 30X  Microscopic Power

A wonderful photo showing a portion of the ”bump” (in reverse) in the diagonal inclusion from the first photograph. In this photo, we can see the original blackish nephrite as the darkest portion to the right of the picture (the whitish streaks are reflected light on the saw cut marks). The yellow/green inclusion with its oxidized outer edge is easily discerned in the center of the photograph, and to the left we can see the piece of broken-off and then surrounded mother-stone. The spots inside this surrounded piece of the mother-stone are minute pseudomorphs with tiny rings of the same inclusion material around them.

Photo Of Inclusion Taken With Canon EOS Xsi at 30X Microscopic Power

This photo is of the exact same area on the diagonal line with the “bump”; this time showing the mother-stone nephrite on the left side of the photo, the inclusion in the middle, and the broken-off and surrounded piece of mother-stone to the right. In the bottom right portion of this section of the inclusion can be faintly seen a small crystalline pseudomorph to the left of the darkest area of the broken-off and surround piece. Also of note is the minute cracking that shows up on the left side of the inclusion, which has allowed water to get in and start the oxidation process.

All in all this is one wonderful section of a phenomenal Wyoming Nephrite Jade, and shows the complexity that nephrite can take on through the millions of years since its initial formation. Wyoming  jades in particular show tremendous variation with each new specimen we examine, as I believe they should, being considered the oldest of the true Nephrites on the planet by such authorities as George E. Harlow of the American Natural History Museum in New York, and Sorena  S. Sorensen of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Museum.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

Amongst all the Jade Aficionados, including miners, hunters, dealers, collectors and carvers, the last group is afforded perhaps the best chance of truly feeling and experiencing, on a deeper level, the magic and mystery of Jade.

I would like to share an experience I had while finishing a sculpture named Shibumi, as I was preparing for the Second Annual Jade Art Now  Show 2008 at Antiquities, Plus… Gallery in Tucson, AZ.

Shibumi Sculpture From Different Perspectives

Sculpture has been my life-long passion and dedication, and I had worked with just about all media with the exception of jade, when in 1993 I was given the assignment to carve the 7’ tall jade Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, out of the same 30+ ton boulder, to be the companion to the largest Jade Buddha in the world, which now rests in a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand; my first ever jade sculpture!

After 3 month of working there, my contract was breached and I returned to Vancouver, BC, my home at the time, with a ‘bad taste in my mouth’ and disappointed that I could not finish the statue.

Although I knew at some point I would be creating with jade again, it took 14 years before I returned to the “Stone of Heaven”. I would buy the occasional rough jade piece from Jade West, and upon Kirk Makepeace’s (owner of Jade West) inquiries of when I would start carving jade, I would reply, “It’ll happen”.

Somehow I have always been intrigued by and attracted to less-than-perfect stones, perhaps sensing a parallel with human nature and all its flaws, giving each person his or her unique character and beauty.

As I wandered around the various piles of better-quality jade at Jade West’s extensive yard couple of years ago, ‘looking for a connection’, this small 6 inch broken Polar half-buried in the mud called out to me, “I am also beautiful, please take me with you and allow me to become THAT.”

Innately there is perfection and beauty underlying all manifested forms, no matter how rough, non-descript or even ugly it appears on the surface. To find that true beauty one needs to transcend the form and realize the profound Oneness with All Things.

It took a while before I understood what this little chunk of Jade wanted to be, and it was at the last stages of wet sanding when a deeply moving and emotional INSIGHT occurred; ‘my transition through the various sculpting media throughout the last 40 years was a reflection of my spiritual evolution, from wood, as an impressionable, sensitive young man, through harder and harder stones like marble to granite, then cast metals arriving to Jade, that hardest and most unforgiving medium, yet the softest and most beautiful when finished.

Shibumi Sculpture

So I titled the piece Shibumi and wrote this to go along with it:
a state of focus and presence that never before had I experienced.

“What name I can give you, little one?” I asked, pondering the deep and profound philosophical understandings, esoteric insights and recognitions of spiritual truths the creation of this piece afforded me. 

Then I found it . . . one word that embodies all these meanings, it is called Shibumi.

 Shibumi is a concept that perhaps arose in ancient times from the contemplative mind of a Zen Master as he observed the inherent drive in all things to experience harmony between the inner realm and the outer form, and I believe, also offered the integration of the two into Oneness. The secret lies in non-attachment.

So Shibumi describes the Path to Effortless Perfection – a state of Elegant Simplicity that is arrived at by discovery rather than achievement.

 Shibumi is the calm refinement underlying commonplace appearances.

It is understanding rather than knowledge; it is Eloquent Silence, Articulate Brevity, Modesty without Prudence, Authority without Domination; it is Spiritual Tranquility that is not passive, Beingness without the angst of Becoming, and it is Understated Beauty.

 Shibumi is a demeanor, a simple gesture, a personality, a flower arrangement, a garden, a philosophical understanding, an artistic creation, and an Art in itself, of Simplicity, Grace and Elegance.

Shibumi, of Heaven and Earth, of Jade and Metal, a reflection of the Sublime and the Mundane inherent in us all.

 Asking you to meet Your Self on new terms.

Shibumi by Georg Schmerholz

Georg Schmerholz

www.jade-fineart.com

www.schmerholz.com