Celt

Although commonly called “jade,” the greenstone of the Mesoamerican peoples was instead jadeite or other semi-precious stones like serpentine. It was prized for its beauty and rarity, as well as its colour – evocative of water, vegetation and fertility – since the time of the Olmecs. Moreover, among the Maya it continued to be the prestige material par excellence, even following the introduction of goldsmithery to the region. Jadeite and other greenstones were sometimes exported in their raw form, but most often after having been cut, if not shaped. Many celts like this have been found grouped in caches. Others have been collected and/or reworked by later peoples, or in other regions, notably Costa Rica.