There is something really different about jade.

There are no sapphire festivals in the USA, or anywhere else for that matter. There are no diamond festivals. Few gemstones have a known history spanning 8,000 years, and of those none are as mysterious - or as valuable - as jade.

In the vast world of minerals, many can be attributed with the rise and fall of economies - salt and gold among the most important. Silver, of course, iron, and uranium rank as some of the most important commodities in human history. I believe it’s fair to include both jades in that list because of their impacts on cultures, international trade, and use as currency. 

Jade has expanded the boundaries of empires, inspired influential minds from philosophers to leaders, and has been the heartbeat of civilizations spanning continents and millenia, most of which never even encountered each other.

Jade, moreso than diamonds or rubies even, is something far beyond just a gemstone.

China's Neolithic Jade Cultures

Jade can be traced back to Neolithic times in China. If you're interested in learning more about this, I recommend reading the book Jade 5000BC to 1912AD by Mircea Veleanu.

In the ancient cultures listed below that revered jade, the stone they were carving was nephrite jade - not jadeite jade.

Hongshan Culture

(4700–2900 BC)

The Hongshan culture was in Northeast China. Early ceremonial jade have been found from this culture, as well as elaborate carvings depicting animals, both real and mythological, and people (and...sometimes just parts of people.)

Liangzhu Culture

(3300–2200 BC)

Liangzhu culture was in Southeast China. Many pi discs and congs carved from jade have been found from this culture. Archaeologists have been surprised to find highly sophisticated carving techniques for the time.

Pre-Anyang (Xia)

(2100–1600 BC)

This culture lived in Central China around the Yellow River Valley. Historians consider this to be a transitional phase between the Liangzhu (where there was advanced jade carving) and the Shang. During this time, jade was carved into axes, celts, chisels, knives, spears, lance heads.

Shang (Anyang)

(c. 1600–1046 BC)

This culture was considered the cradle of early Chinese civilization, and was also in Central China. This era saw a huge boom for jade, as the stone became a symbol of elite status and ritual power characterized by elaborate designs, animals with a human likeness, and even naked lady carvings.

China's Dynasties that Used Jade

Between Neolithic times and the modern era, almost every single Chinese civilization used jade, particularly white nephrite jade. Jade was used for royalty and ritual, and it carried great meaning for China's people. 

Fans of Jewels of the Trade may be familiar with the story of how Jordan got into jade: Her husband, Hun'r, was instantly a fan of jade upon seeing it because he read Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the third grade - and fell in love with Chinese history and culture.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of China's four great classical novels, and is a huge part of Chinese education and popular culture. It's hard to explain, but think of this book as China's cultural equivalent to Homeric epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The book was written in the 14th century, about a thousand years after the historical Three Kingdoms period. Although it is a work of fiction, it is based heavily on historical records and preserves many legends, cultural beliefs, and traditions about the period.

Jade is mentioned in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, most notably in a story about the He Shi Bi, the legendary jade pi (pronounced bee) that became one of China's most famous symbols of imperial authority. This stone was carved into an Imperial Seal, which gave whoever held it imperial power. Many wonder if this Imperial Seal was indeed real, but that remains a mystery.

Dynasty / Period that Revered Jade	Dates
Liangzhu Culture	c. 3300–2300 BCE
Xia Dynasty	c. 2070–1600 BCE
Shang Dynasty	c. 1600–1046 BCE
Western Zhou	1046–771 BCE
Eastern Zhou	770–256 BCE
Qin Dynasty	221–206 BCE
Han Dynasty	206 BCE–220 CE
Three Kingdoms	220–280 CE
Western Jin	265–316 CE
Eastern Jin	317–420 CE
Northern & Southern Dynasties	420–589 CE
Sui Dynasty	581–618 CE
Tang Dynasty	618–907 CE
Five Dynasties	907–960 CE
Liao Dynasty	907–1125 CE
Northern Song	960–1127 CE
Western Xia	1038–1227 CE
Jin Dynasty	1115–1234 CE
Southern Song	1127–1279 CE
Yuan Dynasty	1271–1368 CE
Ming Dynasty	1368–1644 CE
Qing Dynasty	1644–1911 CE

It wasn't until the Qing Dynasty that jadeite jade, also called fei cui or pyroxene jade, became culturally significant in China.

Jade in the Qing Dynasty

Note: Many ancient jade statues depict a Qianlong stamp, indicating that it was carved during Qianlong's reign. However, this stamp is not a true indicator of time period as many statues called "Qianlong-era" were carved after. Dr. Kyle Brill mentions this in his video collaboration between Lizzadro Museum and Jewels of the Trade.

It's hard to tell this story and do it justice after it's already been so beautifully told in the book The Stone of Heaven: Unearthing the Secret History of Imperial Green Jade by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark. But here's the gist: During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong became enamored with jadeite jade, also called fei cui, and opened up trade with Burma to begin importing this vibrant green material into China.

Another important character in the story of jade during the Qing Dynasty is the Empress Dowager Cixi, who should be credited with the modernization of China. Cixi loved jade and many of her pieces have been sold through Sotheby's over the years.

One of Cixi's many efforts to make China participate in modern diplomacy included hosting foreign visitors, including journalists and first ladies from around the world. Her habit of gifting jade to Western visitors is well documented, and mentioned in Jung Chang's incredible biography Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China. Cixi gave jade rings and ornaments to foreign women she befriended, including a jade “good-luck” amulet to Sarah Conger that Cixi had reportedly worn herself.

Cixi's enthusiasm for fei cui contributed to it's popularity among China's elite. Eventually, fei cui (jadeite jade / pyroxene jade) would become China's favorite jade.

Madame Chiang Kai-Shek's Love of Jade

It's rarely noted how important jade is in Taiwan's culture as well, and even how the Taiwan-US connection may have influenced the American perception of jade. For many Americans during the 20th Century, seeing Madame Chiang Kai-Shek meant seeing jadeite jade (fei cui) for the very first time. She lived in three centuries - having been born in 1898, and living until 2003 - so we have actual video footage of her (which you should definitely watch on YouTube on your way down the rabbit hole) wearing jade.

The author I mentioned earlier, Jung Chang, also has a book about Madame Chiang Kai-Shek called Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China. Five stars, I highly recommend reading it.

Madame Chiang Kai-shek was a passionate collector of fei cui jade, and several pieces associated with her have survived in private collections and on the auction market. She also gave jade to Western friends, some of whose collections were later sold at auction.

Jade in Modern China

If you watch the recording of the 2026 International Jade Summit, of which Mason-Kay is proudly a sponsor, you'll learn about the modern Chinese market from William Ralston-Saul's presentation which starts around 44:36 in the video.

William shares some information in that video from the 2024 China Jadeite Industry Development White Paper, which shows that jadeite jade (fei cui) is a $16 billion market in China, making up 14% of China's fine jewelry industry. Jadeite jade holds the 2nd largest market share in China after gold, making it more popular there than diamonds. (Nephrite jade makes up around 4% of China's fine jewelry market today. It's hard to infer too much from this though, because nephrite jade often isn't considered a jewelry item in China because of it's use in decorative carvings and sculptures.)

He goes on to explain during his presentation that 46.7% of China's jade shoppers are millennials between the ages of 31 and 40, which Gen Z-ers who are between 24 and 30 close behind making up 24% of the jade market. Why is jade such a hit with young shoppers? William posits in his presentation that it's at least partly because of online influencer Sia Home, the "Boss Lady of Lady," who has amassed 15 million followers - routinely selling $750k worth of product in a single day.

Prior to 2020, William goes on to explain, jadeite jade was selling primarily in person and almost never online. Today, livestreaming accounts for 50% of jadeite jade sales in China.

Which brings us to an interesting anomaly in the grand story of jade:

Jade's Internet Culture

Internet culture is the collection of communities, trends, influencers, and shared behaviors that develop online - and it increasingly shapes how people discover, evaluate, and purchase products.

And it's not just young people!!!

The rise of livestream selling on social media has brought jade to younger audiences, created new jade communities, and changed how consumers learn about and shop for it.

It has made customers more discerning, because they're already educated about jade before they ever step foot in store. This is wonderful for many reasons, one being that customers are less likely to get scammed when armed with accurate information.

Jade has developed its own internet culture  mainly because of livestreaming. This subculture interacts on YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, TikTok, and more.

Lots of customers shop for gemstones online, but no other gemstone seems to have cultivated an online culture the way that jade has.

Sellers are feeling this.

In cases where sellers aren't particularly educated on jade, they're seeing less demand because discerning customers won't shop with them. In cases where sellers are educated about jade, they're selling it hand over fist - because the subreddits and YouTube comments encourage fellow shoppers to find these particular stores, carvers, and online shops.

Jade customers who share their opinions online and help other internet users make buying decisions are largely responsible for the growth of the jade industry in the USA. The sharing of information across social platforms is helping small businesses like Mason-Kay and our retail partners all over the country.

There's more, but we need to discuss another important jade culture before we dive in. We'll talk more about jade culture in America later on in this article...

Jade Maya's mine at Hacienda Santiago in Zacapa, Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Jewels of the Trade.

Jade in Mesoamerican Cultures

From roughly 1500 BC to 1500 AD, jadeite jade (fei cui / pyroxene jade) was prized across Mesoamerica by at least seven major cultures: Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Toltec, Aztec, and Costa Rican cultures.

Although each culture used jade differently, it was generally associated with life, fertility, water, power, status, and the supernatural. Jade's toughness (resistance to breaking) made it an ideal material for sacred objects, ceremonial ornaments, masks, beads, pendants, and elite burials. For many Mesoamerican peoples, jade was not simply a beautiful stone—it was a material embodiment of life and sacred power.

In the words of archaeologist Mary Lou Ridinger, owner of Jade Maya and co-discoverer of the Guatemalan jadeite deposits (alongside her late husband Jay Ridinger) in her video collaboration with Jewels of the Trade:

"They realized that everything was going to die and
be destroyed and be demolished.

That hurricanes and earthquakes and floods were going to carry everything away, and the only thing that was permanent was jade.

So jade became the equivalent of talking about immortality."

For reference, here are approximate dates for the seven cultures that revered jade in Mesoamerica.

Culture	Approximate dates
Olmec	1500–400 BC
Zapotec	500 BC–AD 1500
Teotihuacan	100 BC–AD 550
Maya	2000 BC–AD 1500+
Toltec	AD 900–1200
Aztec	AD 1325–1521
Costa Rican cultures	c. 500 BC–AD 1500

 

Mary Lou Ridinger was a speaker at the 2025 International Jade Summit where she explained how she and her husband rediscovered the forgotten jade deposits, a story beautifully told in Gerard Helferich's book Stone of Kings: In Search of the Lost Jade of the Maya.

After the Spanish Conquest, the memory of jade was lost to history - as well as the location of the deposits where it was found.

No one would know about jade's history in Mesoamerca until Edward Thompson dredged the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá in 1904.

In the 1950s, Guatemalan explorer Robert Leslie discovered jadeite near Manzanal, Guatemala, and Smithsonian geologist William F. Foshag subsequently studied Guatemalan jade extensively. Foshag died in 1956 before he could fully complete the search for the ancient source, but his work helped establish that the jade was indigenous to Guatemala.

Years later, Jay Ridinger and Mary Lou Johnson (who eventually became Mary Lou Ridinger because they fell in love while hunting for jade) picked up the trail and, in 1974, rediscovered the major jadeite deposits in the Motagua Valley.

Jade Culture in Guatemala Today

If you watch the above video of JOTT's trip to Guatemala, you'll get a glimpse into the Congress of Latin American Jade Carvers, a jade carving competition held annually by Jade Maya in La Antigua Guatemala.

Jade Maya has made a great effort to educate Guatemala about their history of jade. How it was carved, how it was traded. Modern carvings of jaguars, corn, and other Maya and Aztec symbols pay homage to jade's 3,000 year long history in Mesoamerica.

Jade carving today is highly celebrated, and the talent of Latin American carves such as Adan Pilicastro have even been recognized by Chinese master carvers in Suzhou at Zi Gang Bei, an annual jade carving competition.

It's hard to explain, but the video above shows just how beloved jade is in Guatemala today. If you watch all the way through, you'll even see a jade-themed coffee shop in Antigua!

Jade Culture in America

Yes, there is a jade culture in modern-day America.

To understand it, we first have to talk about Gump's. Those who have read Richard Gump's iconic book on jade Jade: Stone of Heaven already know that in the early 20th century, A.L. Gump helped introduce Chinese jade to the American luxury market. (A.L. was Richard Gump's father.)

After traveling to China in 1917, A.L. returned with extraordinary jadeite jade sculptures and created Gump's legendary Jade Room right as an explosion of Western interest in Chinese art was occurring.  As American collectors, museums, and dealers began actively seeking Chinese antiquities, Gump’s became one of the great American gateways to Chinese art - and jade became one of its specialties.

While this eventually led to major designers carrying jade and it becoming known as a fine jewelry item among American consumers, it wasn't until the 1970's that jade jewelry really exploded in the USA.

Mao Zedong's death in 1976 and the rise of Deng Xiaoping ushered in a period of economic reform and opening to the outside world. As China began rebuilding its economy and reopening international trade, jade carving became an important part of that revival.

New cutting centers emerged, jadeite jade was being produced and exported on a much larger scale, and suddenly a new supply of Chinese jade jewelry began reaching Western markets. That growing supply helped fuel a new wave of demand in America, transforming jade from something primarily collected as Asian art into something increasingly worn as jewelry.

Mason-Kay, having opened in 1976, grew during this time as a jadeite jade wholesaler - meaning we supplied jewelry stores and chain stores with fine jade jewelry. We saw two big booms for jade: One in the 1970's, and another in the 1990's. During this time, we produced thousands of jade pi discs, link bracelets, and more for stores around the country.

(Fun little side note -- This is Jordan btw. Sometimes when I travel to stores for trunk shows, I'll meet customers who have purchased old Mason-Kay pieces from estate sales and vintage jewelers. Honestly, some of the vintage jade pieces are my favorite.)

A number of businesses tried to get into jade during the '70s and '80s but were quickly discouraged by how difficult it was to detect treatment in jadeite jade. Jade requires advanced gemological testing to detect polymer-impregnation, and the machine used for testing is too expensive for most jewelry stores and gemologists to justify buying.

However, we have the right equipment for jade testing and have been offering our jade testing and valuing services for decades. Jeff Mason, G.G. who is President of Mason-Kay Jade does all of our jade testing. If you'd like to learn more about how he does it, watch the video below around 2:39. If you'd like to send jade in for testing, click here.

So we've covered how jewelry stores came to start carrying jade, but there's more to the American jade culture than just jewelry stores. And more than, as we mentioned earlier, jade's internet culture in the US via TikTok and Reddit.

There is a subculture of jade carvers in America.

While America's jade culture spans the continent, the heart of it is on the Central Coast of California. 

According to Justin Barrett of Just In Jade in his collaboration with JOTT, the original opening of California's famous Highway 1 put the earliest recorded discovery of Big Sur Jade (California nephrite) on the map. Jade gained notoriety in the 1950s and 1960s when people began diving into the Pacific Ocean in pursuit of jade.

And they were finding it.

By the 1970's, massive boulders weighing thousands of pounds were being extracted from California's waters. Many of these boulders were carved into sculptures and sold. California's jade culture, and jade diver Don Wobber in particular, caught the attention of National Geographic writer Fred Ward who wrote an article titled "Jade: Stone of Heaven" in the September 1987 issue.

This article also featured Mary Lou Ridinger of Jade Maya and Kirk Makepeace from Jade West Canada, and it brought international attention to the American jades, legitimizing it as a real gemstone and sparking an interest that contributed to the growth of many small jade businesses.

“No wonder the world is confused about jade.

Dealers in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan claim three dozen different stones are jade, while many curators and archaeologists suggest it doesn't really matter what Mesoamerican carvings are as long as they are green.

The early jade users treasured it above all other possessions, centering their cultures around its utility, beauty, and perceived powers. Now a noon shopper in New York can buy a ten-dollar necklace carved in Taiwan from British Columbian nephrite. Tell her she has just bought the Stone of Heaven and be prepared to defend your sanity. 

Maybe there is too much jade available. Or perhaps when we started measuring time in nanoseconds and calculating attention spans as the time between commercials, we also lost the patience to appreciate a uniquely conceived and executed work of art, delicately subtracted from the river pebble where it began. 

Too bad. Jade deserves better.”

-Fred Ward, National Geographic September 1987

Fred Ward and his wife Charlotte helped grow the Friends of Jade, a group of carvers and enthusiasts who connected over their love of jade. This group still exists today, mainly as a Facebook group, but friends of jade still get together wherever jade is sold - particularly at events like the Tucson Gem Shows and the Monterey Bay Jade Festival.

Today, jade is celebrated at events like the Monterey Bay Jade Festival, the Big Sur Jade Festival in Harmony, CA, the Darrington Jade Festival in Washington, the Wyoming Jade Festival, the Tucson Gem Shows, the Denver Gem Shows, and more.

Groups of carvers, collectors, shoppers, and sellers get together around the country to share their knowledge of jade and celebrate it's history - and it's future.

Mason-Kay Jade is a proud sponsor of the International Jade Summit, which takes place at the Monterey Bay Jade Festival. The culture of jade is still very young in America, but it continues to grow. The talent of American jade carvers just gets better and better, and more and more customers are connecting with the stone through this art form.