The Mysteries of Jade

A scene from the Silk Road, carved in precious Chinese nephrite jade from Hetian, Xinjiang China. A solitary man leads a line of camels through the mountains; above him, the crescent moon and a single star keep watch. This piece is carved from a single piece of natural jade, and makes artful use of two sharply-different colors of jade in the rock: dark color for the background scenery and mountains, light color for the foreground figures, moon and stars. According to the Chinese government, 80% of this jade has been minded, so it is increasingly rare and expensive, even in China. 4" wide, 5" high, 1" deep.