Word: jadedly
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...CHINESE word for jade, was applied to a variety of stones, all extremely hard, which were shaped and polished by the slow and painstaking process of grinding down with an abrasive, usually quartz, sand and water. Nephrite, the material most commonly used in the early periods, takes on a smooth, oily luster and can possess an extraordinary range of colors. The bright green, glassy jadeite, the substance most people think of when they think of jade, was not used extensively until the 18th century. Neither substance is indigenous to China; nephrite had to be imported from East Turkestan and Siberia...
...artist's reverence for the subtle peculiarities of his material is a characteristic of all the jades exhibited. The basic vocabulary of jade shapes was established very early in the Neolithic and Shang periods and for the next millenium generated a seemingly endless language of creative inspiration. The oldest jade carvings are flat, rounded pi disks ranging in size from a foot to a few inches with circular perforations, and ritual reproductions of Neolithic stone tools such as axes, chisels and knives, and of Bronze Age weapons like dagger-axes and spearheads...
...Fogg has opened an exhibit on the second floor of Chinese jade--originally, I believe, part of the Grenville Winthrop bequest. The Chinese call jade "The Stone of Heaven," but I'm afraid the Fogg show takes too scholarly an approach--I got the feeling that, unless you're a collector, the notes on the show and the catalogue would not be of much interest. But the stone, regardless of what is done to it, is still beautiful, so go and see the show for that...
...circling fiercely at auctions. With cold passion, they study the artifacts of vanquished people; blankly, they watch for signs of ignorance or weakness in competitors, especially newcomers like Muhlbach. Having acquired a little knowledge, he quickly obliges them. He successfully bids on what he takes to be an Olmec jade mask, realizing only as the hammer falls that none of the authentic dealers had been nibbling...
...miles from Peking, it has already become an object of legend-the Chinese counterpart (at least in Western eyes) to Tutankhamon's gold mask. This is partly due to its extraordinary substance and workmanship: a complete body-armor of 2,156 slips of green and mutton-fat jade, each no bigger than a matchbook cover, intricately sewn and bound together with gold wire. Its archaeological interest is unique: ancient Chinese texts mentioned jade burial armor as the special privilege of imperial blood, but Tu Wan's shroud-together with its twin, made for her husband, the Prince...