Serpentine: The Shapeshifting Chinese Jade

There is a particular type of Chinese jadestone that can shapeshift between the two kinds of Western-defined jade (Nephrite & Jadeite.) Yet, it is not considered jade in modern definition despite being the original jade used by the Chinese since the Neolithic period.

That is the Xiu Yu (岫玉). It translates to jade from the modern day Xiuyan Manchu Autonomous County.

Perhaps it is something lost in translation or a legacy problem, but the Chinese have always been naming jade by their places of origin until lately. Serpentine is not serpentine in Chinese but Xiu Yu because it is named after where it was produced in China, not its mineralogical components.

XIU YU THE SHAPESHIFTER

So regardless of its mineral components, the jadestone produced in the region is called Xiu Yu. And it ranges from nephrite-like texture and quality, to jadeite-like texture and look. It even has a yin-yang mix of both nephrite and jadeite quality in one known as the Jia Cui (甲翠). Jia Cui is a euphemistic homophone for 假翠 (also pronounced Jia Cui) which means fake jadeite. When it was first discovered, it was easily mistaken as jadeite thus the name.

The whitish part of Jia Cui is mainly tremolite, the main makeup of white nephrite that is highly prized by the Chinese and remains a very acquired taste. I will dedicate another article on the acquired taste of nephrite but if you’re interested, you can read about nephrite in my previous article HERE.

Yes, they do have sub-names to differentiate the range of stones that are different in appearance.

Xiu Yu has very a similar colour range to Nephrite and Jadeite, except that it is softer and more porous. This means, it would be less shiny and has a more waxy texture as compared to jadeite.

That being said, there are gemstone quality serpentine that I have recently acquired and set into sterling silver rings and earrings. And yes, they exist in a rainbow of colours:

I’ve stealthily listed them in my shop and you can visit to have a look!

Compare that with jadeite of extremely high clarity and brilliance:

I would be lying if I said that I easily can tell the difference just by looking. However, if you are very sensitive to texture and light, you can tell that the jadeite has a more crisp shine and texture.

And in case you think that you can easily tell them apart based on the colours—yes and no. If you’re talking about orange, red, and blueish green, well, they exist in natural jadeite as well! BUT! You don’t find lavender serpentine, so that’s possibly the only one that can be easily differentiated from serpentine!

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF XIU YU

With a history dating to neolithic times, Xiu Yu (Tremolite-Serpentine) was used by the ancient Chinese to fabricate their most prized items such as the legendary Jade-Gold Immortality Armour in the Han dynasty over 2,000 years ago.

One of the first dragons in Chinese history to be carved out of jade during the Neolithic times was also made from Xiu Yu.

Above: Interesting mix of marble and serpentine from Xiuyan, carved into the shape of a 蛟龙 Jiao Long (A snake-like dragon, aka baby dragon~!). It was believed that with enough time and determination, the snake-like dragon would eventually transform into a real dragon. Yes, I’m carrying them in my shop too, the bangles are hard to come by but I do have some rings left! This special blend is hard to come by, so definitely a collector’s item if you manage to get hold of it of your size! The baby dragon also exists in pure icy colours like white, green, golden green, yellow, etc!

THE DEMOCRATISING JADE

I always feel that Xiu Yu is highly undervalued (haha that’s an oxymoron there) simply because it is perceived as less rare than the other two jades. Perceived, because we all know how the value of diamond is an artificial construct, so since I do not have full data to compare the two, I remain skeptical.

Maybe it is just harder to market serpentine, and easier to just continue raving over the already highly valued jadeite. Who knows! But Xiu Yu made it possible to own gem-like quality jade stones or those with beautifully carved works of art without breaking the bank.

A particular type of tremolite Xiu Yu in recent years has soared in value (from 4-digit to 6-digit per 0.5kg). because it has suddenly been brought to attention for having such a fine texture, comparable to or even better than nephrites. I will talk about this more when I talk about jade carvings in another post!

MY ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION

Like the other two jades, I have also adapted my photo into a photo painting that represents my idea of Xiu Yu. It has a slightly more muted look, not as flashy as jadeite, and more like the gentlemanly touch of nephrite. Yet, it still has this vibrancy and liveliness of colour like jadeite.

I opted for a very traditional Chinese ink painting style of treatment for this photo also because of the sense of antiqueness—that it is one of the oldest jadestones to be used and valued by the Chinese.

Special shout out to Dressed up Dreams for lending me her studio, setting up the lighting, helping with the hair, and being such a great support as always! Do find her for shoots if you are keen!