Jade Pendants

Jade Pendants

My daughter is in the process of planning her wedding. She has always been very detailed oriented and so she is trying to think of everything to make this a special event. She is also a romantic so she wants to carry forth traditions from our family as well as her fiancé’s. She has always been intrigued by the antique jade pendant that was given to me on my wedding day. I received the jade pendant from my mother. She was also very detailed oriented and she liked the way the pendant matched the dress that my maid of honor wore.

My daughter wore the jade pendant to her first prom and several other special functions through the years. I knew that it would be a very special gesture for me to give it to her on her wedding day, but I hated to part with it because I wear it so often myself. My husband suggested looking for a similar necklace to give to our daughter.

I knew that the jade in the pendant was from Hawaii. My mother had purchased it at an antique store that has since gone out of business. Both of my parents had passed away several years ago, so I could not get additional information from them. I had never done any research into the history of the necklace, so I decided to begin with a local dealer of antique jewelry to see what I could find out about it. When I brought the jade pendant to the dealer he was very impressed with it. Without doing any research he estimated that the jade pendant was from the late 1800’s. I was surprised to find out that it could be that old. My mother was not into antiques and I new she had purchased the necklace mainly for its color. The antique dealer told me that he would do some research and let me know what he discovered. I asked him to also look for a similar jade pendant I could purchase for my daughter.


Several days later the dealer called me to see if I would bring the jade pendant back to the shop for verification. When I arrived at the shop he examined the necklace more thoroughly than he had the first time. He showed me several details in the gold setting and stone that proved that it was authentic. He then showed me a picture of the same jade pendant that he had found on the internet. My necklace had been created for the wife of a wealthy plantation owner in Hawaii in 1887. The family had lost their fortune and articles from the estate, including my jade pendant had been sold off. He estimated the value to be in the thousands of dollars. He had located a very similar necklace that had been made in the 1920’s. This necklace was one of several that had been made, copied from my original pendant. I bought the replica for my daughter.

I cannot believe that I have been wearing a necklace that is considered priceless by many. I know that one day I will leave this heirloom to my daughter or her daughter. In the mean time I know she will be thrilled with the jade pendant that I will give her on her wedding day.