A Costa Rican Jade Locust/Grasshopper, ca. 300 - 900 CE

This finely speckled sage-green jade pendant is carved into the form of a locust or grasshopper, with arms and legs bent against the front of the elongated body, the small head turned slightly to the right with drilled eyes and mouth, a ridge carved along its back below a small drilled suspension hole. Jade pendants were revered as status symbols throughout the ancient Americas, from southern Mexico to the Northern Andes. Considered the ultimate "Dream Stone," jade was thought to access the spiritual world, gain insight into ritualistic knowledge, encourage creativity, and help interpret dreams.  Most valued for its metaphysical properties, it was cherished as a protective talisman, assuring long life and peaceful death, and was considered a powerful healing stone.  The vibrant green variations are a symbol of growth and vitality, which makes it a stone that stands for wealth and longevity.  Shamans and other clan leaders wore pendants carved into symbolic animal forms to demonstrate p