^Lot 1333 Lot of 37 pieces of nephrite jade (jadeite), 77.6 grams total, ex-Atocha (1622).

Lot of 37 pieces of nephrite jade (jadeite), 77.6 grams total, ex-Atocha (1622). Various sizes from 1" x 1" to 1/4" x 1/4" Per Carol Tedesco in an online article about similar finds from this wreck, “the precious mineral jade and other similar hard green stones were prized — above gold and above emeralds — among the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Toltec and other pre-Columbian New World inhabitants... the stones were symbolic of water, fertility, rulership, young green maize, and of wind breath and the soul.” This collection of various shapes and sizes demonstrates a range of color, from gray to green, all slightly translucent with a matte finish. From the Atocha (1622), with original Fisher photo-certificate 86A-P074, pedigreed to the J.P. Silberman Estate.