Antique jadeite nephrite 75 mm long cicada, Ming or Qing dynasty (1368-1800 AD); Length: 75 mm = 7. 5 cm; Width: 32 mm = 3.2 cm; Weight: 55.49 g; Mohs hardness: 7.5-8.0 extremely hard jadeite; Jadeite is 6.5 to 7 and nephrite is 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, Research under x50 magnification: Hand-made tools were used. Individual chisel strokes can be seen. Micro-crystallization is minimal for 2 reasons, 1) not enough time passed since Ming or Qing dynasties 2) very hard jade or jadeite, which holds its structure Provenance: private collection in London, United Kingdom; REFERENCES: …when the dome of heaven was split, Nüwa, the female creator of humanity, sealed the split by grinding five different coloured stones together. Its dust at once covered the earth and lay there for aeons… when the time was ripe, manifested it in the lustrous splendour of pearls, the glowing translucence of gemstones, the skill of intricacy, and the quality of magnificence. Whereupon, jade appeared amongst mankind’ [1]. https://www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2024/12/03/jade-cicadas-a-journey-through-time-and-culture/ Literature: How to purchase archaic jade, by Stephen Payne, p. 176-184, 192-197