Olmec - Proto Maya Round Jade Bead Necklace. Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec to Proto-Maya culture, Age unknown. A stunning ensemble of 17 sizeable, hand-carved jade beads, all strung on a modern cord strand to be wearable. All displaying spherical forms, the beautiful beads boast rich hues of mint and seafoam. Size (necklace): 13" L (largest bead): 1.0" W x7/8"H. Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s pinpointed the source of "Olmec blue" jadeite at being in the lowland Motagua River near the modern-day border of Guatemala and Honduras; stone from this source was carved and traded widely throughout early Mesoamerica. The value of jade for ancient people lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation; later, the Maya would place jade beads in the mouths of the dead. Many scholars have argued that the demand for jadeite contributed to the rise of long-distance trading networks and to the rise of urban centers in ancient Mesoamerica. This would have been an exceedingly valuable and rare ceremonial item. Provenance: Private collection of Enrique Cardenas Olaya

good condition