There's an unspoken mystery about jadeite that fascinates Sophie Leu. It gives her a feeling of stability and calmness, especially when she puts on her heart-shaped pendant.

Although she can't explain exactly how or why, Leu says she's intrinsically connected to her jadeite. It's able to read her, reflect her mood through the quality of its luster and guide her. At times, she's certain it's even protected her.

Like the time she helped a friend move out of his apartment. As a joke, he playfully pushed her while she was carrying a box, which caused her to lose her balance and scratch her jadeite bangle against a fence. His Volkswagen bus broke down later that day in the middle of his move. Leu says it could have been just a coincidence, but is confident her jadeite was defending her.

"It's not just an ornament or a piece that signifies beauty or wealth, it's part of you," says Leu, whose appreciation for jadeite goes beyond its physical properties. "I believe my jadeite was protecting me, even though my friend was just playing around.

"It's even able to warn you of what's going to happen. No matter the [jadeite's] quality, Asians believe it will protect you from misfortune. For example, if you have an accident and your jadeite bangle breaks, then that means you'll survive the accident virtually unharmed. That's one of the most fascinating things you can ever get from a gemstone."

Leu's fascination with the stone led her to start collecting it more than 15 years ago when her grandmother, also a collector, introduced her to it. Since then, she's gathered a collection of fine jadeite jewelry and ornamental pieces, including two rings and a tea set she recently donated to the Institute - qualifying her for induction into GIA's Circle of Honor. The tea set is of particular interest because of the amount of material needed to carve the container and its four matching cups, says GIA Museum Director Elise Misiorowski.

"Pieces with hollow form such as a teapot, cups or a bowl are costly to make because so much material is lost in the carving process. The hollow depressions are created by grinding the jadeite away, so the empty space represents spent value. For this reason, not many hollow vessels are made today because they are too expensive," she says. "The jadeite featured in the rings is of exceptional quality, and is by far the finest in the GIA Collection."

Leu has been around jadeite most of her life, and grew up listening to the many folktales and symbolism associated with it. One of her favorites is the feng shui story of how heaven and earth fused in the beginning of time to create a mystical mist that rained down and settled in the earth to crystallize into jadeite over a period of 10,000 years. It took on its green color to symbolize the freshness of spring and the creation of life, Leu says.

She was further exposed to jadeite in San Francisco's Chinese community, where she moved in 1996. Her knowledge of jadeite's many symbols only increased her desire to collect more of it, Leu says.

"You can never get enough of jadeite. It comes in various colors and each signifies something different," she says. "White, for example, signifies heaven. Red signifies the south. Every color is associated with a different direction, each signifying something different. You can never stop learning about jadeite. I just find it mesmerizing."

Leu's collection also includes a large bowl measuring about 14 inches across that's on loan to GIA and on display at the Robert Mouawad campus in Carlsbad. The chance to let other gem lovers see and learn from such rare, fine-quality pieces in her collection is among Leu's reasons for her generosity to GIA, she says.

"In terms of jadeite, I think it's still a very new subject for Westerners. It has a very long history in the East, but I wanted to provide students and people who come to the GIA Museum with the opportunity to appreciate it," Leu says. "I feel good sharing this with others."