Guatemalan Jade is a high quality ornamental stone popular as jewelry in necklaces, earrings, etc. It is mined in eastern Guatemala and worked mostly in the city of Antigua, where it is sold in jewelry form primarily to tourists. In recent years, jade shops have sprung up all over Antigua and there are now several to choose from.
The Mayas and Jade
Jade was considered a very valuable material by the ancient Maya, who lived in present-day Guatemala. Ornate jade masks, fine jewelry and carved stones have been found in royal Maya tombs. Guatemalan jade has been found in ruins and tombs left behind by far-off cultures, indicating that it was a valuable trade commodity. The Maya would cut and shape the jade by hand with pieces of wood or leather cords made sticky and then dipped in sand: jade is very hard and the labor was intensive. The Maya preferred green jade for jewelry and masks, and black jade for tools and weapons.
What is Jade?
Two similar stone types are usually referred to as jade: nephrite and jadeite. Both are firm and greenish: jadeite is rarer and nephrite is harder. Both are traditionally valuable stones in jewelry. Guatemalan jade is jadeite.
Guatemalan Jade
Guatemalan jade is usually black or green, but it can appear in a range of colors including lavender, blue and pinkish. Jewelry stores are fond of giving fancy names to different shades of jade such as “Maya Mint,” “Galactic Gold” and “Champagne.” The jade rocks are mined in large quarries in different sites in eastern Guatemala. The exotic colored jade often is slightly more expensive than black and green jade.
Jade Factories
Antigua is home to several jade shops, most of which have a small “factory” inside. In the factory, a handful of workers sit around cutting, buffing, polishing and making jewelry out of jade. A tour of the factory is free for anyone who is interested: apparently the stores believe that customers are more likely to purchase jade jewelry if they see it made. A couple of the stores also have a “jade museum” which typically houses replicas of famous Mayan jade objects such as masks and jewelry. The most notable of these museums is the one attached to the Jades, S.A. shop at the eastern end of town not far from the gas station: this particular museum is actually quite informative and interesting and contains objects such as a jade marimba and dioramas of Maya villages.
Buying Jade in Antigua
There are shops everywhere in Antigua, so anyone looking to buy some jade should look around. The shops are typically divided into sections by whether the jade is set in gold or silver: gold settings obviously cost more. Prices are usually on tags on the pieces, but it is often possible to bargain the price down somewhat especially for cash (as opposed to credit cards).
Guatemalan jade jewelry has a long tradition and makes a great souvenir from the Land of Eternal Spring.
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