Cohesive

Fibres locked into one another until nothing can part them — the toughest gem there is.

Nephrite Jade · The Law of Procurement

Family: Nephrite — a felted mass of amphibole fibres
Hardness: 6–6.5, but the highest toughness of any gem
Colour: Spinach to olive green, waxy lustre
Signature: Used for axes and adzes before it was used for jewellery — it will not shatter

The stone read as the word

Nephrite is not hard; it is tough, and the difference is cohesion. Its fibres interlock in every direction, so a blow spreads through the whole mass instead of splitting it. Māori and Chinese carvers both prized it for exactly this.

Cohesion is sticking together — a house whose parts hold each other. It is what makes an estate survive being struck.

What it is carried for

Carried to keep the household holding one another.
Held for strength that comes from the joins, not the pieces.