ABOUT JADE: 

Jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone, "yu" for 5,000 years. The character for jade resembles a capital I with a line across the middle: the top represents the heavens, the bottom the earth, and the center section, mankind. The word "yu" is used in Chinese to call something precious.  Jade was thought to preserve the body after death and can be found in emperors' tombs from thousands of years ago.  Jade was a symbol of love and virtue, as well as a status symbol.

In Central America, the Olmecs, the Mayans, the Toltecs all also treasured jade and used it for carvings and masks. The Aztecs instituted a tax in jade, which unfortunately led to the recycling of earlier artworks.
The history of jade in Europe is not quite as distinguished. Although prehistoric axes and blades carved from jade have been found by archeologists, most Europeans were unfamiliar with jade as a gemstone for jewelry use until the sixteenth century when jade objects were imported from China and, later, Central America.