Jade. The highest quality and rarest form of jade is known as "jadeite", and is found almost exclusively in Burma (as was this gemstone), Tibet and southern China. Nephrite, the more common and less valuable form of jade is found in many parts of the world from California to Siberia. Jade was used in ancient times for weapons, utensils, and ornaments, and has always been especially valued by the Chinese and Japanese as the most precious of all stones. Many beautiful hand carved jade vases, bowls, tablets, and statues produced in ancient China now reside in museums world wide. Records of the use of jade in China in the production of jewelry goes back 5,000 years, and can be found in emperors' tombs dating back to the 4th millennium B.C. Jade was extremely valuable in ancient China, there are records of an entire city being traded for a carved ornamental jade piece. Throughout the Orient jade was believed to help one access the spiritual world. The less valuable form of jade was widely used by primitive peoples as tools and weapons in the Neolithic, especially in Europe, Mexico, Asia, New Zealand, and North Africa (including ancient Egypt).