~ Chinese Nephrite Jade Disc Pendant ~
A flat circular disc pendant pierced with a central drilled hole, following the form of the traditional Chinese "bi" (璧) disc. The stone is a mottled cream, grey and pale buff hardstone, attractively veined throughout with fine rust-brown and ochre thread-like inclusions consistent with iron-oxide staining, and showing small areas of crystalline sparkle under raking light, suggestive of druzy or sugary quartz inclusion. Both faces and the rim are polished to a high gloss. The disc is suspended from a black braided cord fitted with an adjustable sliding knot, a fastening style typical of contemporary handmade jewellery rather than any historic mounting.
A note on the material: true nephrite jade has a smooth, waxy, fine-grained texture with no visible crystal facets, whereas the small sparkling inclusions visible in several of your photos point instead toward a banded or brecciated quartz-family stone, agate, jasper, or a similar hardstone, of the kind often sold under decorative trade names like "Picasso jasper/marble." I'd suggest describing this as a hardstone or agate/jasper-type pendant rather than nephrite jade unless you have testing or provenance to support that attribution, both for accuracy and because it changes the price bracket considerably.
~ Historical Context ~
The bi disc is one of the oldest and most recognisable forms in Chinese decorative art, with origins in Neolithic ritual jades, most famously those of the Liangzhu culture, where plain perforated discs of this kind were used in ceremonial and burial contexts, traditionally associated with the symbolism of heaven. The form persisted through subsequent dynasties as a marker of status and auspicious meaning, and in the modern era it has been adopted very widely by the decorative and "healing crystal" jewellery trade, where inexpensive donut-shaped pendants in agate, jasper, quartz and similar hardstones are produced in large quantities and marketed under the bi/pi disc name for its association with balance, protection and continuity.
~ Condition ~
Please refer to the images for the condition.
~ Dimensions ~
The disc is 5.5cm (2.25 inches) in diameter.
