A Rare and Exceptional Maya Jade Tubular Bead, Classic Period, ca. 500 - 800 CE

This stunning and large blue-green jade tubular bead stands as a testament to the extraordinary artistry of Classic-period Maya craftsmanship. Elegantly adorned with two sets of double ring-molded reliefs that segment its surface into harmonious divisions, the bead also boasts raised borders at each end, adding to its allure. It is drilled longitudinally for suspension, which signifies it once formed part of an elite necklace or pectoral assembly. Among the Maya, jade ornaments were prized more highly than gold.  Its radiant green hue, associated with water, fertility, and life itself, endowed it with cosmological and spiritual significance. The stone was revered as a living entity, capable of holding the essence of breath and vitality. For Maya nobility, jade was not merely ornamental; it embodied the eternal life force, connecting its wearer to the divine and marking their status as living representatives of the gods. The process of carving jade posed a formidable challenge due to it