How a style of jade jewellery provides a window into the cultures and traditions of Ming dynasty royalty

Called ‘group jade pendants’, they were initially worn as a status symbol, typically reserved for society’s most influential people

It would eventually become accessible to commoners, a development that tracked changes in the Ming dynasty itself

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A ‘group Jade pendant’ piece was found in the excavation of the Changling Tomb from the Ming dynasty in Beijing. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:00pm, 31 Jul 2022Updated: 7:02pm, 31 Jul 2022

It would be hard to think of a mineral more intertwined with Chinese jewellery as jade.

The earliest history of the iconic green-tinted gemstone dates back 12,000 years, and it has been an essential part of society almost from day one, decorating the bodies and homes of emperors and commoners alike.

During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a special type of jade jewellery called “group jade pendants” became a symbol of power, elegance and, eventually, represented an economic transformation of the empire.

Typically hung from cloth waistbands, these pieces of jewellery featured a series of jade carvings held together by metal chains, often made of gold or silver.

An example of a Ming-era group jade pendant that shows the large stone up top, the smaller ones in the middle, another large stone below and eventually smaller stones surrounding a large one at the bottom. Photo: Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research

According to new research published in Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, a peer-reviewed journal, the structures of the pendants typically included four distinct “sections”.