Jadeite has been developed for more than 500 years.
Speaking of the history of jadeite, we have to mention one place, that is, Tengchong. More than 500 years ago, Tengchong pioneered the jadeite processing trade, and then became the jadeite distribution center, extending to modern times.
A serendipitous discovery made Myanmar jadeite famous
Time traveled back to the Ming Dynasty, when jadeite, in addition to meeting the needs of the people, gradually became a fashionable thing in high society, and even became a "tribute jade" for the court. The town eunuchs sent by the imperial court sat in Yongchang, Tengyue and other places, and specially arranged for "treasure buyers" to requisition jewelry, jadeite and other items for the needs of the imperial family. Burmese kings and border toastmasters also used white elephants, jewelry and jade as tributes. As a result, the scale of jadeite development has been expanding, and the processing technology has also progressed. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Sternchon is famous for its jadeite jewelry. In the eighth year of Wanli (1580), when Chen Kehou, a native of Shunde, Guangdong, was ordered by the imperial court to go to Tengyue Zhizhou, Li Min, a famous scholar who had served in Hanlin, gave a poem with the phrase "Long distance is crossing the Lanchang River, and the Qing officials are resting on Baoyu Township". It can be seen that Tengchong was already famous as the "hometown of precious jade" at that time. The great traveler Xu Xiake is the first person to immerse himself in the scene and specifically describe jadeite.
In the twelfth year of Ming Chongzhen (1639), Xu Xiake traveled to Tengchong and formed an indissoluble bond with jadeite. "Although Pan Sheng Yigui is young, he goes to Myanmar and has many Burmese goods. Shi Ni came to look for jasper according to the king's order, and Pan was very bitter, so he repeatedly avoided customers. This diary reflects that at that time, the Tengchong people "went to the factory in a hurry", went out along the Silk Road, went to the jade factory to fulfill the dream of wealth, and formed a tide of going abroad, and even readers like Pan Yigui chose to abandon the road of literature and business. Jadeite had become a fashion item at the time, and became a luxury item for royalty and high society. The officials were sent by the imperial court to purchase high-grade jadeite, and the jadeite merchants could not bear the blackmail and avoided it. There is also Su Yuanyu, who is a staff member in the general's mansion, and under the influence of the jade wind 007 tide, he also started a jade business. The diary also records the jadeite rough, jadeite processing, jadeite finished products, etc.
The middle and late Ming dynasties were the beginning and development stage of jadeite development; In the Qing Dynasty, it was a prosperous period for jadeite processing trade.
During the period from the middle of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty to Jiaqing for more than 120 years, except for the major military operations of Qianlong's conquest of Burma, the western Yunnan border was relatively stable, and the trade between the mainland and Burma and its surrounding Tusi became increasingly frequent. During this period, the people's living standards continued to improve, the princes and nobles lived luxuriously, and jadeite products were widely favored by the court and the people, especially the Qianlong Emperor You Xi jadeite, thus promoting the development of the jadeite industry.
So how exactly was Burmese jadeite discovered?
The British scholar Wah Wari wrote: "The discovery of fine quality emeralds in northern Myanmar was discovered by chance by a Yunnan merchant here. He randomly picked up a stone at the border and put it on his donkey to balance the cargo, and the stone proved to be a valuable jadeite.
Guatemalan Morales (Molares) emerald
Guatemalan emerald without a "golden spoon" will also become a dark horse
Burmese jadeite is like being born "with a golden spoon", just happened to be picked up by businessmen, and just happened to become the favorite of the Qianlong Emperor, more than 500 years of historical and cultural heritage, so that Burmese jadeite also has an indelible status in people's hearts, but is Guatemalan jadeite not worth it without so luck?
My opinion is that Guatemalan Emerald can be a dark horse!
When you really understand Guatemalan jadeite, you will find that Guatemala actually has a very commercial value jadeite production area, and the high-quality jadeite produced can be compared with Burmese materials.
In the Sierra de las Minas mountains in the west of Guatemala and the Montañas Mayas mountains in the east, the geological features of these areas have had an important influence on the formation and quality of jadeite. It is worth mentioning that the Morales area is a volcanic rock area, which includes basalt, andesite, rhyolite, etc. These rocks are rich in iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium and other elements, such geological characteristics also provide very favorable conditions for the formation of jadeite, so that the iron, sodium, potassium and other elements in jadeite have high content, bright color, delicate texture, high transparency, and good luster and transparency.
Guatemalan Morales (Molares) emerald
Therefore, the jadeite produced at the mouth of the Molares pit in Guatemala is of excellent quality, the color can reach imperial green, the water head is above the ice species, the texture is delicate, and the best has far surpassed the Burmese jadeite.