Mexican Precolumbian Jade Bead - Strand

Pale green beads, chalky and uneven, each one rounded by hand rather than machine.

This Precolumbian jade bead strand comes from Mexico and dates to around 500, in Precolumbian jade. Jade and other green stones were among the most valued materials in ancient Mesoamerica, and are often associated with water, maize and life itself. The beads are mostly small rounded discs and nuggets, with a few longer barrel shapes near the center. Their surfaces are matte and pitted, in soft celadon and mint with flecks of cream and brown. They are strung closely on a single strand, sized to sit at the collarbone.

Green was the color of value, and these have kept it.