03 JADE
Also known as ‘The Emperor’s Stone’, jade has been considered as one of China’s most treasured gemstones for thousands of years. During the Han Dynasty, emperors would be buried in bespoke suits made out of thousands of jade pieces held together by bits of gold wire, with the belief that these luxurious garbs would be able to prevent decomposition. Jade stones are usually streaked or mottled, resulting in an interesting visual texture that ensures no two pieces are ever quite exactly the same. The metamorphic rock can refer to both jadeite and nephrite, with both possessing miniscule interlocking crystals that add to the robust quality of the stone. Jadeite comes in shades of light to emerald green, while nephrite, which is a different mineral with a more varied composition, comes in a wide range of colours such as dark green, greyish-green, red, orange and black, which is determined by the amount of iron oxide and magnesium contained in the stone.
Designed by Pierre Hardy for Hermès, the Chaîne d’ancre lumière collection comes in yellow gold set with diamonds with a glossy black jade serving as its centrepiece.
