Women's Prayer Beads, Itoigawa Jade, 8mm Bead, Limited Edition

Women's Prayer Beads, Itoigawa Jade, 8mm Bead, Limited Edition

Jadeite is produced in only a handful of locations worldwide, and the jadeite found in Itoigawa is considered among the very finest, designated a special natural monument of Japan. The Japanese character for jade originally referred to the male and female kingfisher, chosen for its resemblance to the birds' striking blue-green plumage – kingfishers themselves are sometimes called 'flying jewels,' and the same character came to represent both the bird and the stone. Jade is broadly divided into hard jadeite and soft nephrite; Itoigawa jade belongs to the hard jadeite family, with a hardness of 6.5–7 and a specific gravity noticeably heavier than ordinary stones of the same size. As Itoigawa jade is a protected natural monument, it can no longer be newly collected. While jade is often pictured as green, that color actually comes from trace chromium, titanium, and iron content – pure jadeite is naturally white, and the most prized Itoigawa jade shows a vivid green 'fu' marking set against that white base. This piece is notable for the large fu marking on its main bead.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 6904890000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.43 in (1.1 cm) – Itoigawa Jade
Main Beads (Shudama): Approx. 0.31 in (0.8 cm) – Itoigawa Jade
Top Bead (Tendama): Approx. 0.24 in (0.6 cm) – Itoigawa Jade