I was given my jade bracelet just before I left Vietnam in April 2009 for good luck. It was wedged on my arm and I was to have good luck as long as that jade lasted around my wrist, I was also told that the colour would change but without any explanation as to why or how. On the way home I met a little girl called Jade on the flight from London to Dublin. She was the chattiest four year old I ever did meet – even tried to give me her phone number. We were best friends for that 30 minutes, yet I don’t think she really believed me when I told her that green thing was called jade too. (I mean, would you?)
The power of the words behind that jade wedging seemed to go deep in to my psyche – I remember regularly waking up with my other hand clasped around it having dreamt that it had shattered. And sure what odds if it had? I don’t know, I just know I don’t want it to break. Ever. That said, I’ve walloped it off more walls and railings and it has withstood everything without so much as a chip. Harder than steel apparently and used for axes and knives in times gone by.
I’m forever caught between scepticism about gemstone properties and a notion that a strong belief can outweigh any reality. The power of the mind is a phenomenal thing.
A cousin noticed my jade a few months ago and began to tell me about the properties of the stone. I’d never thought about it, other than it was to bring me good luck. There’s more to it than that apparently. She told me to take my jade off and wash it under cold water to rid it of the negative energies it had been absorbing on my behalf and ‘recharge’ it under the sun or a full moon.
Jade is actually two different types of stone, nephrite and jadeite but both are known as jade. It comes in a variety of colours depending on its elemental composition. It can be almost white or as green as emeralds. Green jade is known for bringing good luck, prosperity, healing and growth. It has been used to encourage spirituality and help bring dreams to reality. It helps you tune into the needs of others and will bring you a long, fruitful life and help your nervous system stay strong. Super stone, eh? Do you think it could be used to foil the baddies too?
I have no idea how true any of this stuff is but in every culture where it is harvested there is a strong belief in its powers, the Maori Koru pendants are considered an honour to give and receive That day after chatting with my cousin I went home and took off my jade bracelet and pendant and discharged them of negative energy. I did it for the simple reason that we’d just spent the previous couple of weeks watch someone very dear go through an immeasurable amount of pain and I felt that mental cleansing was just what I needed that day.
Apart from all that, simply, the colour is beautiful. My own jade pendant was given to me through a friend a few years ago. It was this big green disc with a big gold chain on it and I immediately thought to myself that it was a beautiful gift but there was no way I was wearing it, bit gaudy I thought. A few months later I was working a job I hated and dealing with a lot of crap I really didn’t want to. One morning I needed something to help me though another damn day, thought of the pendant and put it on. I was hoping to channel the memories and positivity of the giver, I wore it under my shirt. I wore it a lot after that. And then I got used to wearing it and it became less gaudy in my eyes and I began to love it and so I wore it as jewellery rather than a scapular sort of thing. And I got more compliments that I ever thought possible – people seem drawn to it. I’m not sure if it’s because it isn’t very common to see here or because people genuinely connect with it.
What do you think?