Green Jadeite with a Red Coral Accent Necklace | Handcrafted Jewelry in Door County | Available Piece

"My Jadeite necklaces are hand made through a fair trade mission project in Guatemala (Creating Revenue through the Arts!)

Each bead is hand-cut and hand-polished in various shapes. Jadeite is a high-quality Jade in an array of colors. This necklace design has 71 Jadeite beads (36 barrel-shaped and 35 saucer-shaped beads.) It is accented with 3 center coral beads and a handmade book design sterling silver clasp. It measures 24" long (12" necklace size.)"

Jadeite of Guatemala

Guatemala is the home of Mayan jadeite and is found in the remote Motagua Valley quarries. To the Pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica, jade represented breath, life, fertility, city, and power.

Jade is the term given to two similar gem materials, called jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite is harder than nephrite; it is found in a wider range of colors, from white through various greens to lilac, blue, and black, and takes a high polish.  Jadeite is a silicate of sodium and aluminum.

When the Spanish conquered the region in the 16th century, the source of jadeite was lost. The jadeite quarries were abandoned and quickly covered by the encroaching jungle. It was not until 1950 that evidence of Mayan workings was found in the jungle of the Sierra De Las Minas in eastern Guatemala.

For contacting the artist to support her work with Mayan communities click here.