White jade is sometimes known as mutton fat jade and is nephrite jade as opposed to jadeite. It refers to the colour of the stone. In Chinese culture, white jade was prized above gold. This value had much to do with the symbolism and meaning behind jade itself.
The oldest dynasties of China considered jade to be the blood of Pan Gu, the Creator God of the universe. This blood came in levels of purity, with white jade being the most highly prized. It was instantly considered a divine gemstone with certain inherent magical properties. White jade was championed by the ancient scholar Xu Shen, who considered it to be a stone of five virtues, based on its color and property: purity, kindness, rectitude, wisdom and bravery. Reference: Our Everyday Life
Below are some examples of white jade carvings.
A white and russet jade ‘twin-rabbit’ group 18th century The two animals carved side by side, one with its head raised resting on the other’s back and holding a leafy lingzhi spray in its mouth continuing underneath their bodies, the other with its head lowered, with characteristic elongated heads set with long ears incised at the edges, the legs well-defined underneath, the stone of white tone with russet inclusions cleverly used to denote the fur, box. 5.1cm (2in) wide (2).
Sold for HK$ 93,750 (£ 9,255) inc. premium at Bonhams in 2018
SMALL RAT IN WHITE JADE CHINA, DYNASTY QING, XVIII-XIX CENTURY Representing one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac. The rat is beautifully carved sitting, wearing a long dress and a roll in his hand. Height: 6 cm. (2 3/8 in
Sold for EUR 50,000 at Christies in 2018
Boxed Set Of Carved Jade Chinese Zodiac Pendants: Twelve Chinese carved white jade astrological pendants and a carved circular medallion in a wooden presentation box. Each piece is carved in low relief with a Zodiac animal and a tiny red cabochon stone at the top. The reverse sides are carved in corresponding characters. The circular medallion has a pierced floral center with I Ching trigrams on one side, and characters on the other. The box has scalloped edges. 8 1/2″
Sold for $1,900 at Converse Auctions in 2016
A WHITE JADE ZODIAC FIGURE OF A SNAKE QING DYNASTY seated cross-legged with both hands clasped and concealed beneath the loose robes, the stone with a russet patch to the back 4.8 cm, 1 7/8 in.
Sold for 40,000 HKD at Sothebys in 2018
