Description

Perfect round bluegreen jade Pi pendant hung from a long necklace of African brass and black agate beads. Each bead is wrapped with brass wire and linked together in a well-made and study piece of jewelry.

The jade is blue on one side and green on the other. The round donut shape is refered to as a Pi stone in Chinese and represents the wholeness and eternity of heaven.

Necklace length: 24″ (60cm)
Pendant length: 5.5cm
Jade Pi dimensions: 4.5 x 1cm

Our jadeite jade is mined from the Motagua river valley in Guatemala, the hard stone was one of the most valuable materials in Mesoamerica and was used for a variety of purposes both sacred and profane.

The word ‘jade’ comes from the Spanish ‘piedra de ijada’, or loin-stone, named because of its reputed ability to heal ailments of that area. But ‘jade’ actually denotes two stones, jadeite and nephrite, both of which are accepted as genuine jade. Jadeite, however, is the rarer and more valuable of the two, and is mostly what is excavated in Guatemala. While nephrite can be found in shades of green, white and grey, jadeite displays a spectrum of colors in addition to the classic green, including blue, white, pink, lavender, orange and black. Jadeite also has a Mohs hardness of 6.5-7.0—a full unit harder than nephrite—and is tougher than diamonds (i.e. is more resistant to chipping and breaking). Both nephrite and jadeite are metamorphic rocks commonly marked with veins or imperfections, although it is often these imperfections that will make a particular piece special and in some cases more valuable. In general, as it is with most stones, fine jade is distinguished by even clarity of color and translucence.

Agate stone is completely untreated and natural. Formed within the cavities of volcanos, agate is a metamorphic conglomeration of chalcedony and quartz. It is found all over the world in an incredible variety of colors. Used in jewelry in the Indus Valley as early a 3000 BC, agate is durable and resistant to scratching and chipping, and scores a 6.5-7 on the Mohs hardness scale, higher than even famously hard stones such as jade. It is known to be a calming stone, and can be used to clear the mind and sharpen muddled thoughts.

Sometimes seen as a poor man’s bronze, brass is an allow of copper and zinc and has a bright gold-like color. Similar to silver, brass has a low melting point, is easily workable, has good electrical conductivity, and even has anti-microbial effects. Famous for its use in instruments, brass has acoustic characteristics as well, making it a well-rounded and incredibly useful metal.

This item ships from Mexico and takes 2-3 weeks to arrive.