In the United States and Europe, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, opals, garnets, and a few other gems are much more popular than jade. Jade is not thought to be as precious in these regions as it is in China.

The Chinese have a much higher regard for jade than any other people. For thousands of years, jade has been the most popular gemstone in China. Chinese emperors desired excellent specimens of jade, and they traded or waged war with distant people to acquire them.

In China, gifts made from jade are given at almost every important station in life, such as birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, and other celebrations. It is also a commonly used material for producing religious art. China is the country where the importance of jade is the highest.

Wyoming Jade: A nice oval cabochon cut from Wyoming jade. This cabochon was cut from a thin slab of jade only a few millimeters thick to conserve material and produce a translucent stone.