South American Jade Mask

...but if you see a genuine jade anything going for peanuts, grab it. It can always be carved up into bits for jewelry.

 

yes...good jade is good jade...

 

I took this mask to a jeweler to confirm it is Jade. Most like from Guatemala. The original slab would've been 6"x6" and about 3" thick. From what I've read this Jade is one of the hardest stones to carve requiring diamond tooling. This piece is also significantly larger than most of the Olmec mask shown online which typically measure less than 3" in any given to dimension. The tooling marks appear consistent with diamond string saw instead of a rotating tool. Also, I read that real Olmec mask have no facial expressions which is consistent with this one. This piece also lacks the symetry that I would expect to see in modern cut stone.

This piece would've taken a skilled carver a very long time to make. It seems a little unrealistic that this mask was souvenir. If it was a souvenir, I can only imagine how expensive it would have been. Any more thoughts about this piece?

 

We're dealing with a teapot, tray, and cup set on another thread, and the stone looks a lot like what your mask is made of. Members think the set is made of serpentine. Could your mask be serpentine?

 

It's serpentine. I just scratched it with a knife. Back to the wall it goes, lol.

 

post #4..........just sayin....