Working Jade
Next to emery, jade was the hardest mineral known to ancient Mesoamerica. In the absence of metal tools, ancient craftsmen used tools themselves made of jade, leather strops, string saws to cut and carve jade, and reeds or other hard materials to drill holes. (Mesoamerican artisans also used jade tools to work other stones.) It would take many hours of work to create even a single jade bead.
Read more about this topic: Jade Use In Mesoamerica
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—Susan Lapinski (20th century)
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—Chinese proverb.