Pre-Columbian Jade Ear Plugs

These exceptionally rare jade ear plugs demonstrate the technical expertise of Late Classic Mayan jadeite carvers. Jade ear flares such as these can be found in numerous representations of Mayan nobility and would have been worn with an ornate headdress and elaborate beaded necklaces. Iconographic evidence reveals that a Mayan of status could have been almost entirely covered in heavy jade ornamentation, portraying the ultimate spectacle and display of status and rulership.

For the Pre-Columbian Maya, jade was the preferred stone for denoting high status and sacredness. Jade's value was based on its relative scarcity, as well as its translucent colors and the challenge of carving the stone due to its hardness. In addition to jade's impressive visual qualities and rarity, it was also symbolically linked to the miracle of the earth's fecundity, including nourishing green plants and blue-green water. Together, these attributes made the stone the most valuable of all materials to adorn the nobility and the gods.

It is difficult to discern the correct geographical origin of these adornments because of the trade routes that existed during this period. It is possible that this pendant was found in the Central American region as there is ample evidence of trade routes between the ancient communities of Central America and the Mayan and Olmec cultures.

200-500 AD

1 1/4" diameter