nephrite

Peitcher collection; and, in the midst of it all, the world's largest boulder of raw nephrite, a 5,000-kilogram (that's over 5 tons) "specimen," found in the summer of 2001 in British Columbia, with several areas polished to show its internal, uniformly deep and rich, greenness.

(6) Usually of a pale green or grey-green nephrite, they are worked to a high standard and are generally dated to the eighteenth century largely on stylistic grounds.

There were no surprises in the final field declared for the first classic of the Irish season yesterday, with notable defections, Aidan O'Brien's Nephrite and Crusader (Greenlands Stakes tomorrow) and the Dermot Weld-trained Speaking Of Which (Gallinule Stakes on Sunday) rerouted.

There was the Porter Rankin carved jade collection, a wonderful collection of nephrite carvings.

Tom Neavitt, local lapidary artist, displayed a magnificent carved jade collection including a large nephrite jade bell that gave off a lovely tone when stuck.

Aidan O'Brien's other Guineas entries Nephrite and Crusade will target Saturday's Group 3 Greenlands Stakes instead.

Branham is credited with the discovery of American nephrite jade and he wrote the book, The Jade Beyond.

Significantly, Nephrite, a controversial third to gambled-on stable-companion Requisition in the recent Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh, is one of three Ballydoyle colts left in the colts' classic, the Poule D'Essai Des Poulains, despite his trainer stating after his Curragh run: "Joseph is adamant that he's a sprinter".