Chinese jade camel rider, Warring States period (403-221 BC), certified. Very unusual design of jade statue, of the rider on the camel, possibly from Inner Mongolia. Weight: 1,920 g = 1 kg 920 g = 4 lb. 3.7 oz. Length: 16.5 cm = 6.5 inches; Height: 18.7 cm = 187 mm = 7.35 inches; Mohs’ hardness: 5.5-6.0 (Nephrite 5.5 -6.5); Nephrite is a variety of the calcium and magnesium-rich amphibole mineral actinolite (aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca2(Mg, Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2.[1] It is one of two different mineral species called jade. Colors: The predominant color of this nephrite horse statue is white, with occasional brown and blue veins, which scattered randomly. We found 4 types of jade specifics on the surface: 1) Original white nephrite (smooth to the touch), which occupies approximately 90% of the statue, 2) Brownish veins (12% of the surface), which continuously spills outside of the crevices, which is rough to the touch. We suggest that the origin of brownish patina is oxidized iron. A solution for overabundance of color may be that this color represents a secondary mineral deposit or stain, which adhered to the microcrystalline nephrite, but not to the polished stone; 3) Beautiful bluish veins, seen on the base and right upper leg of the camel and right hand of the rider 4) Black old crystallized iron dirt, mostly in the areas, hidden from polishing, e.g. inner surface of camel’s body; very rough to the touch 5) Whitish crystallization in the crevices is minimal. Microscopic research at x50 magnification revealed traces of archaic tools and natural aging (erosion) of the jade surface, which confirmed the age of 2200-2400 years old. Provenance: Consignment item, from private collection of Chinese jades and porcelains of Chinese professor from University in New Jersey, USA. Collection was collected for the last 40 years and came from the parents, who used to live on Taiwan. Market value: $60,000-$120,000; History of Inner Mongolia (Britannica): Farming was carried out on the grasslands near the present boundary of Inner Mongolia and the provinces to the south in early times. The area was the northern limit of expansion of intensive agricultural settlement and was thus the scene of frequent confrontations between nomadic steppe dwellers and settled agriculturalists. In 658 BCE several states of the North China Plain combined their efforts to build a wall defending what is now Hebei from nomadic incursions and annexed part of Inner Mongolia to their agricultural territory. This part of Mongolia was inherited by the rulers of the Qin dynasty when they unified the Zhanguo (Warring States) into an empire in the 3rd century BCE. https://www.britannica.com/place/Inner-Mongolia/History