Note 107 — Chapter XIII · The Symbolism of Jade

Red, green, blue, white, grey, and black jade were used, by reason of their colours, for various deities in China, and to indicate the rank of officials. “White jade, considered the most precious, was the privileged ornament of the emperor; jade green like the mountains was reserved for the princes of the first and second ranks; water-blue jade was for the great prefects; the heir apparent had a special kind of jade.”107 Mottled jades—some resembling granite—were likewise favoured for a variety of purposes.