Nephrite White Jade Pendant Carving

Carved nephrite jade pendant of a very white grade.

The nephrite is matte, an organic polish that is the preference of the Old School.

Modern day collectors tend to veer towards a hi-shine finish, akin to the eye preferring glossy green jadeite.

The reason of such a divide may be explained by how the Old School desires the aesthetic of nephrite to be ‘oily’ (as opposed to ‘shiny’); a bright polish would appear to ‘mask’ the texture.

The higher the quality of nephrite, the oilier is it; it is never dull even where it is without polish.

Consider the waxy nephrite pendant beside the glossy jadeite bangle, both white. That is how white nephrite can be, if you find it, and thoroughly so.

Nephrite jade has a longer history than jadeite jade, though jadeite has the fervour for jewelry today.

Nevertheless, we enjoy curating nephrite from earlier ‘vintage’ carvings, since part of collectibility stems from its distance away from production.

This piece is pre 1980 and possibly earlier.

The carving measures 6.5cm by 2cm, with a solid depth of 1.2cm.