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Original Message:   Jade in early SE Asia
Danny is right, of course, and early SE Asian cultures did have access to nephrite and, very occasionally, jadeite. Most of the nephrite came from mines in northern Vietnam that supplied jade for southern China and also for the trade in ornaments that went on between Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. Mostly it was brownish, often dark brown, in colour, though light green also occurred and was highly valued.

Jadeite came only from random surface finds in what is now Myanmar. The mining of jadeite didn't really start until the eighteenth century.

I'll attach a couple of examples. The first is an ear ornament from Vietnam - light green nephrite. The second is from the Samon Valley in Myanmar - light green jadeite. Fairly similar in hue, though different in chemical composition. Both are 1st millennium BCE.

Will

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