05/24/2026
Monday, May 25 • 8:00 PM ET
Aztlander Zoom
“In Search of Maya Jade: Exploring Historic and Contemporary Artworks”
with Helen Serras-Herman, Sculptor MFA, Gemologist FGA
Access this active hyperlink to join the event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85346642940?pwd=Gp942eaPPZBbf6kLM83PWjE8aIFBCc.1
Remember this Passcode: 886345 (although you probably won’t be asked for it)
In this presentation, we’ll first travel back in history to the Maya world and marvel at their jade masterpieces. Then we’ll explore all the current Guatemalan jade varieties – including the green and lavender jadeite, the “Olmec” blue, and the black “galactic gold” omphacite jade – how they are identified and distinguished, and their value – a critical topic for appraisers today as more pieces are reaching consumers and the market.
Jade was revered in the Maya world, an ancient culture that flourished in the first millennium CE in Mexico and Central America. The sources for Mesoamerican jade were lost for the past five centuries, primarily because the Spanish conquistadores did not value jade. Today we know the exact location of many of the ancient mines, re-discovered in 1974 in the Motagua River Valley of Guatemala. A magnificent variety of jadeite colors is now mined in Guatemala. Helen will share the jade rediscovery story of Mary Lou and Jay Ridinger, who in April 2024 celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the discovery of the ancient jade mines, with a grand event in Antigua, a celebration Helen was honored to attend.
We’ll look at fabulous jade carvings from museum collections, including the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, the Popol Vuh, and the Miraflores Museum in Guatemala City, all recently completely renovated with up-to-date display cases and exhibits. We will also go behind the scenes at the Jades S.A. factory for carving jade in Antigua, Guatemala, look at the carving jade machinery and equipment, and explore their high-end jade artworks, how they can be identified and valued. Lastly, we’ll look at contemporary works by gem artists and Helen’s Maya Jade Collection, her own work that celebrates the gem material revered by the Mayas.
Helen Serras-Herman, a 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, is an acclaimed gem sculptor with over 40 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art and a graduate gemologist (FGA). See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business page at Gem Art Center/Helen Serras-Herman.
Please plan on attending... you might learn something new about Jade !
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Aztlander previous presentation now on You Tube;
“Cholula: Crossroads, Melting Pot, Mecca”
with Geoffrey McCafferty, Professor emeritus, University of Calgary
Access this active hyperlink to view the recording:
https://youtu.be/54LfhpdpOEY
