Buy Jade Buddha
Jade is a beautiful almost translucent, typically green-tinted stone. It is nearly impossible to describe the color of jade to someone who hasn't seen it before. To make things more complicated, as with most stones, there are a variety of different color variations for Jade. This includes the rare white jade.
The History of Jade
Jade has been around for quite a while and has been a part of many cultures and history. Its most often associated with Asian culture. Asia's long history with jade started during the Neolithic age. Jade pieces used in China for both ceremonial and secular purposes have been dated as far back as 6,000 BC. During this time the stone was easily mined in the area and turned into beautiful objects.
Jade was not only used in China, however. It was also prevalent throughout Asia. In India, for example, a prehistoric Janist statue of Mahavira stands 5 feet tall and was carved from a single Jade rock. It is the largest statue in the world to be carved out of a single piece of jade.
During the same time in history or shortly thereafter, jade was used in burial clothes, crowns, tombs, and other ceremonial and non-ceremonial objects around the world. The Koreans, Maorians, Mayans, and others used jade in their day to day life. Jade seemed to have a particular place in spirituality for these ancient cultures, though it was also used in other parts of life.
Jade Buddha's
Jade has often been used as a symbol of spirituality, luck, and fine craftsmanship throughout Asian culture. It is now very common to see Buddha statues made out of jade. This doesn't just include the giant jade statues that can be found at monstary's and temples throughout the world. It also includes the small jade Buddha's pieces that one can acquire throughout the world. These pieces make enchanting décor for the home and altar and are traditionally created from a single stone. You can even find jade Buddha's on jewelry.
Authentic Jade vs Imposters
Buying jade Buddha jewelry and statuary is not nearly the difficult task that it used to be. What makes the task difficult today is the large amount of imposter jade that is on the market. True jade is fairly common, though it can be slightly pricy. However, fake jade is everywhere.
Real jade, known as nephrite and jadeite can be found at high end retailers. It is polished and beautiful. These gems might seem slightly pricy but they are real and authentic. The clerks at these high end retailers should be ready and able to give you the scientific name of the stone you are purchasing.
Fake jade is very popular in low end retailers. There are several different gems that mock the appearance of actual jade. If you ask the clerk at one of these establishments the name of the stone they will likely call it jade or be totally unaware of the scientific term. You do not want to purchase a fine jade Buddha statue from someone who cannot confirm that it is either nephrite or jadeite.
