Carved Jade Necklace

A carved jade necklace is shaped and carved by hand because jade is a stone that is too soft for machines to carve properly. It is usually done in Guatemala or in the Orient by hand and beautiful pieces are made combining metals and jade.

Copan in Honduras was a very important Mayan city, it was a city where astronomy was studied and where human sacrifices were made to the gods of rain, corn and war. Many priests, nobles and kings lived there. They used and bequeathed to us a beautiful styles of carved and fashion jade necklaces. Each piece of jade was carved individually with the story of a certain event. These pieces were added to a priest’s or a king’s ceremonial necklace every time notable event happened.

Since they often died at only thirty five or forty years old, their necklaces were not too large, but they did have several layers of history going down from their neck to their chests. Kings and priests were buried with these historical necklaces and many of them are exhibited in the Copan museum and at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Jewelers in Central America learned carving techniques from the Mayan people who lived long ago. They are now making very nice necklaces combining carved jade with silver, in much the same way their ancestors did. Women in America have their names or their children’s names carved in Mayan language on their jade necklaces the beads that go around the neck and to the back are shaped like sea shells or turtle shells.

Today it is possible to have anything you like carved on jade or jadeite but mostly people have pendants carved and not the complete necklace. It is hard to find a complete set of jade beads that look alike and can be carved into a continuous figure or decoration. Beautiful carved jade pieces are sometimes used to separate pearl strings and they are very delicately finished.

When you want to buy a carved jade necklace it will often be easier and better for you to buy it online from a reputed Oriental or Central American store. It is very difficult for you to pass on desires and wishes to a person in a jewelry store so that he can transmit your message properly to the artist. You will probably end up with the salespersons interpretation of what you really wanted.

Buying a carved jade necklace is a delicate matter that should be done personally, unless perhaps it is bought as a gift. There are so many different combinations of carvings and of shades of jade that it is impossible to name them all. A combination of pearls and carved jade with silver or platinum in groups of three, the carved jade pieces should be the center with a pearl on each side followed by the metal on the edge. This will make the jade carving the central and most important part of the general design.