Photo Credit: paul’s rok shop
Maya Mint Jade Slab from Guatemala
Buy It Now Price: $130 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Guatemala is the source of this pleasingly chunky slab of jade. The name “Maya mint” refers to the characteristic, light-green color of this variety of Central American jadeite jade.
-This block of Maya mint jade measures 5.25 inches (13.3 cm) long by 2.75 inches (7.0 cm) wide by 0.88 inches (2.2 cm) thick. It weighs in at a substantial 657 grams (1.45 pounds).
-There are actually two types of true jade: nephrite and jadeite. Although they are chemically distinct from each other, they both possess very similar physical characteristics, including extreme hardness and toughness.
-This specimen of Maya mint jade is the jadeite variety. Jadeite is generally rarer than nephrite and usually commands a higher price.
-We can verify that this slab is jadeite jade by calculating its density, which is weight divided by volume. In this case, the formula is 657 gm/(13.3 cm x 7.0 cm x 2.2 cm), which comes out to 3.21 gm/cm3. This is very close to the theoretical value of 3.30 gm/cm3 for jadeite. However, this trick only works with regularly-shaped blocks of rough jade.
-Being a metamorphic rock, jade is only found in locations with substantial tectonic plate activity. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that nearly all commercial jade deposits originate in the seismically active “Ring of Fire”, which encircles the Pacific Ocean.
-This Maya mint jade slab has a very tight-grained, compact crystal structure. You can tell this because the edges of the block are quite sharp, without any raggedness or chipping. This is important because the more compact and denser a piece of jade, the finer a finish it will take.
-This example of Central American jade was almost certainly mined in the Motagua River valley, which sits on the geologically active boundary of the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. The Motagua River was the primary source of jade exploited by the ancient Meso-American cultures, such as the Olmecs, the Mayans and the Aztecs.
-Unlike Burmese jadeite, Guatemalan jadeite is almost never treated to enhance its color or clarity. This is a tremendously important consideration because bleached or dyed jades are often brittle and can fade in color over time. In contrast, it is obvious that all-natural jades – like this Maya mint green specimen – will be very desirable in the future.
-Although it might seem a little far-fetched right now, I am firmly convinced that rough jade slabs and blocks are excellent tangible investments, especially when paired with gold and silver bullion.
-With an asking price of only $130, this piece of jade is just under $200 per kilogram. This is an exceptionally low price for such an excellent block of Maya mint jade.
Cons:
-The most valuable types of jade are highly translucent, but Maya mint jade is opaque in nature. However, if this specimen were translucent, you can bet it would cost a whole lot more money.
-Guatemalan jadeite jade is less valuable than high quality, untreated Burmese jadeite. Of course, this is offset by the fact that an estimated 90% of Burmese jade on the market today has been either bleached or dyed (or both).
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