Hubei Province is a significant center for cultural and trade exchange in Central China. However, since no nephrite deposit has been discovered in Hubei, nephrite artifacts excavated within its jurisdiction must have been obtained from other regions. Tracing their provenance can contribute to our understanding of the trade exchange between ancient Hubei and other regions. In this study, the appearance, spectroscopy, and chemical compositions of nephrite artifacts excavated from the Fangjiagang Cemetery of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei Province, were systematically studied, and their provenance was discussed. The characteristics of a weathered layer of raw nephrite material retained in one of the jade artifacts (M22:5) indicate it should be made from the placer nephrite of Hetian, Xinjiang. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirms that both the whitened and unwhitened areas in the samples are composed of tremolite, indicating that the whitening mechanism should be attributed to the etched structures caused by weathering rather than a change in the major mineral composition caused by high temperature. When no obvious appearance-based characteristics remain, chemical compositions become a crucial tool for discussing the provenance of jade artifacts. The chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns for the samples suggest that their formation is associated with granite intrusion, implying that the placer nephrite of Hetian, Xinjiang; Xiuyan nephrite, Liaoning; Golmud nephrite, Qinghai; Xiaomeiling nephrite, Jiangsu; Vitim nephrite, Russia; and Chuncheon nephrite, South Korea, are potential sources. However, the trace element spider diagrams for the samples show a better match with those of the placer nephrite of Hetian. The placer nephrite of Hetian was used in Fangjiagang Cemetery, indicating that the trade exchange between the Eastern Zhou dynasty and the Hetian area had already been established.

Different jadeites have different characteristics. In this paper, the La-ICP-MS test is used to compare and analyze the elemental characteristics of jadeite in Guatemala and the Qing dynasty. The test results show that the highest value of Guatemalan jadeite Ca can reach 2.5 apfu, while the highest value of Qing dynasty jadeite is 0.73 apfu. The highest value of Na is the same for both. The concentration distribution range and highest value of Guatemalan jadeite and Qing dynasty jadeite Mg/(Mg + Fe) are the same. Guatemalan jadeite and Qing dynasty jadeite have a very wide content of trace elements. Qing dynasty Ca/(Mg + Fe) distribution is wider. Concentrations of Guatemalan and Qing dynasty jadeite Sr/Ba, which is a marine sediment, are greater than 1. The Ba in the Qing dynasty jadeite sediments contains a large amount of clay, resulting in higher levels than the average amount in Guatemalan jadeite Ba. The standard distribution map is similar, showing a “horn” shape. The Sr distribution is uneven. Guatemalan jadeite is heavily enriched in rare earths. Eu shows positive and negative abnormalities. The total rare earth value is 8.15 ppm. Qing Dynasty jadeite shows light rare earth enrichment, and Eu is a positive anomaly. The total rare earth value is 7.07 ppm. The characteristics of the two elements are somewhat similar, but different, which does not rule out the possibility that Qing dynasty jadeite came from Guatemala.