Vintage Carved “Mutton Fat” Nephrite Jade, 14K Yellow Gold Pendant

Subtle and achingly beautiful, this antique hand-carved jade pendant depicts a feline curled in contentment. The carving was most likely created near the turn of the previous century (circa 1899) though it could be older. The jade is white nephrite, among the most prized varieties of jade and known more commonly as "mutton fat...

This master piece is certified natural nephrite jade "Mutton Fat Jade" The certificate is from Xinjiang China the birth place of Heitan jade. The certi...

Note the smooth surface of the white nephrite jade (Mutton Fat), and how light drapes over the curves. Look closely: the lapidary artist who created this ma...

This antique jade pendant was created near the turn of the previous century (circa 1900) in China. The half-moon-shaped white nephrite jade -also known as Mutton Fat...

This master piece is certified by 2 laboratories. One certificate is from Xinjiang China the birth place of Heitan jade. That certificate actually says “mutton fat jade...

Elegant, rare, and dating to the late Qing period (circa 1890s), this hand-carved nearly colorless white nephrite plaque has been etched on both sides. One one, the Chinese mythological figure known as Zhang Guo Lao is depicted riding a mule. On the opposite side, a magpie sits on a branch of cherry blossoms. The magpie is associated with intelligence. The carving is breathlessly simple and excellent; the work executed -of course- without the aid of electricity or modern tools. Measuring 42.54mm x 29.92mm, the plaque has a hole drilled through the center, which is original to the piece. A silver bail is threaded through the hole and a pair of beads -black jade and coral- reside at the bottom. The jade plaque hands from a 1920s silver chain that is 32" in length. Prior to the discovery of and appreciation for the very fine green jadeite from Burma, colorless, opaque, pure white nephrite jade from the Northern mountains of China was the most revered jade; the original "imperial jade, as only members of the royal court could wear or even touch it. Most of what is commercially sold today as "mutton fat...