Next to emery, jade was the hardest mineral known to ancient Mesoamerica.Miller (1999, p.73). 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. Working the raw stone into a finished piece was a very labor-intensive process, often requiring repeated physical movement to shape the jade. It would take many hours of work to create even a single jade bead.Pool, p. 151.
