Jade
Jade is not a spice, and it is not just any precious stone. It is one of the most influential goods in history. Jade objects in China date back to over 12,000 years ago. Jade has been one of the most precious stones in Southeast Asia for a long time. Different types of jade came from different parts of that region. On the southeastern part of the Silk Road, the Kingdom of Khotan was where a lot of the white jade came from. In places like Shaanxi, there was white and green nephrite jade which was found in quarries and in ore form. Jade can also be found in present-day Burma.
In some places jade was worth even more than gold and silver. Jade was considered a luxury, and so when merchants brought it to other places people would pay high prices for it.
Immediately after Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, merchants brought jade to Europe. Ancient Europeans already had access to other types of gemstones, which they were well known for, but never did they have jade. The jades were sometimes called "stones of heaven" because they were so precious. |