Jade: The Stone of the Son of Heaven

For thousands of years now, the Chinese have been obsessed with a gem, or some call a stone by the name of Jade... but little do many know that there are 2 sisters in the family of Jade. One is called Jadeite and the other is called Nephrite! So what is the difference?

Jadeite is the kind of jade many tai tais adorn on their fingers that come in the colours of green. They range from Imperial Jade (which simply put, is the colour of a Heineken Beer Bottle) but there is apple green, "vegetable" green, "Pea" green and the list goes on... but, there are other colours of Jadeite. Lavender, red, yellow, brown, blue and even pink. I will touch on this rather sticky topic in detail on another occasion...

Nephrite on the other hand is very understated. It is a stone that many who are inexperienced easily mistake as marble or stone... BUT IT IS JADE! Chinese Jade!

The picture above is a little nephrite seal that dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Just to illustrate how a nephrite might look like...

Jadeite on the other hand looks much more like a gem...

I have chosen to feature a little dainty ring that was given to me by my grandaunt... a proper teochew lady of good family, she was always seen in jade, platinum and diamonds and nothing else. I remember she would always tell me, "A respectable lady must have her jade and she must have a respectable collection!"

The ring is made up of 5 cabochons of Apple Green Jade flanked with tiny little pointer diamonds on the side... 4 to be exact. Though my grandaunt could well afford a bangle made of Imperial Jade quality, she would always say that elegance must be shown in an understated manner. Those who understand it will get it, the old rich, she would say, those who dun, will never get it!

Tai Tais: The Ladies That Lunch but Never Eat! Or do they!?

A group of international elites exists amongst the various echelons of society wielding immense influence on multi-billion dollar industries all across the world from the fields of jewelry and fashion, to beauty (both invasive and non-invasive) to real estate, skin care, shoes, health care, automobile, F&B and furnishing, not forgetting Charity. We are not confined to restraints of bearing official office nor do we carrying official titles affiliated to any commercial or non-commercial organizations, support groups or companies and we are very much happy to be that way as well. We have been conferred the titles like “The Ladies that lunch but never eat”, “Ladies of Leisure” or in the region called Southeast Asia, “Tai Tais”.

The Blue-Bloods

Us, Tai Tais, have existed since the time of civilized society. Many aspire to attain this status by marrying upwards however, a group of us, some call “the snobs”, take immense pride in being the blue blood of Tai Tais. We relish the fact that we are descendants of prominent families who marry members from other families of equal prominence. You can easily distinguish the blue blood snobs when you see a group of us at some Gala event, huddled together whispering softly into one another’s ears and then laughing loudly but always gracefully at a junior Tai Tai, an entry level freshee who just got married into prominence.

The Original Blue Blood Tai Tai - Empress Dowager CiXi (source: www.radio86.co.uk)

If anyone were to ask me, I would say that the first Blue Blood Tai Tai will have to be Empress Dowager, Ci Xi. Allegedly born from the family of court officials from the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banners in Qing Dynasty, she shares the same passion as I do, the love for Gems, especially pink tourmalines and imperial jade! I sometimes wonder if that is the reason why fuchsia pink is the most coveted colour among the wide spectrum of tourmaline colours!?

CiXi drank from a jade cup and ate with golden chopsticks. At the end of her life, her personal jewellery vault held 3,000 ebony boxes of jewels. (source: www.sacu.org) I have chosen an image of CiXi in an embroidered bamboo leaf robe with her famous pearl cape made of 3500 pearls of perfect shape and colour. The Tai Tais of today can only dream and drool at the wardrobe and jewels she had! (photo www.radio86.co.uk)

Even in death did she lavish herself with precious gems. It is a little sick I know but I am envious…sometimes…

Cixi’s mausoleum was built for 14 years altogether. Her mausoleum was the most luxurious in the all emperors of Qing Dynasty. Her mausoleum can be said to be a grand underground palace. Then how much jewelry was there in her mausoleum? According to the historical records of Qing Dynasty, there was a gold silk mattress inlaying gems in the coffin bottom of Cixi. 12604 pearls, 85 rubies and sapphires, 2 emeralds, 203 green jades and white jades were inlaid on the gold silk mattress.

In addition, other jewel and jade in the coffin are as follows: east pearl, coral necklaces, white diamond, green pearl, emerald bracelet, yellow quartz, agate, gold peach, white jade antelope, white jade cat, purple gem, red-and-white diamond, yellow gem, shoe-shaped gold ingot, etc.

(Source: www.mysteriouschina.com/mystery-of-jewelry-in-the-mausoleum-of-queen-cixi)

I doubt that anyone is this day and age will be able to accumulate a tiny fraction of what she owned. Hence, to me, she is undoubtedly the original Blue Blood Tai Tai!