When people think of Jade they usually think of China because China has remained a historically important producer of jade and remains an important facet of the Chinese economy. Jade is actually more important in China than other areas although it historically has been used outside of Imperial China for ornamental objects, tools, and weapons Unearthed in areas like Australia, North America, South America, and Europe. Because the stone is so hard it is often integrated into tools and weapons. In large part, due to its beauty, it is also found in historic artifacts of religious importance and ornaments among ruling classes. Interestingly enough, ancient cultures with artifacts that contain Jade all used them independently as an important stone, none having contact with the other or trading with one another.
Jade is an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties, though it appears naturally in other colors as well, notably yellow and white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of minerals), or jadeite (a silicate of sodium and aluminium in the pyroxene group of minerals).
Jade is found in East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian art, but also has an important place in Mexico and Guatemala. The use of jade in Mesoamerica for symbolic and ideological ritual was highly influenced by its rarity and value among pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Olmec, the Maya, and the various groups in the Valley of Mexico. Although jade artifacts have been created and prized by many Mesoamerican peoples, the Motagua River valley in Guatemala was previously thought to be the sole source of jadeite in the region.
Jade Characteristics
- Hardness: 6.5 – 7
- Color: mostly green
- Transparency: translucent to opaque
- Crystal system: Monoclinic
- Crystal habit: intergrown grainy or fine fibrous aggregate
- Refractive index: 1.600 – 1.688
- Tenacity: brittle
Jade Formation
Jadeite and nephrite are only found in metamorphic rocks, formed in current or ancient subduction zones. Jadeite is found in rocks that formed under higher pressure than nephrite. Most known deposits of jadeite occur along, or near faults in serpentinites. Examples of this type of deposit are found in Myanmar, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, Guyana, Surinam, southern Europe, Russia and China. In Australia, nephrite is mostly found as long lenses, within marble of Early to Middle Proterozoic age (2500 – 1000 million years ago).
History of Jade
Jade has been mined and worked in China since the Stone Age. In prehistoric sites, jade artifacts include simple ornaments with bead, button, and tubular shapes. It was also used for tools and weapons. Jade later became revered with special significance. Beautiful designs were used for carvings, decorations, ceremonies, furnishings, and jewelry for the Imperial families.
By 3,000 BC, jade became known as “yu” or the “royal gem”.
Xu Shen, from the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 221 AD), details the five virtues of jade in his work Shuowen Jiezi:
Benevolence for its lustre and brilliance.
Honesty for its translucent texture.
Wisdom for its tranquil and far-reaching tone.
Integrity and Bravery for it may be broken but cannot be twisted.
The most wealthy and influential members of society would be buried in jade suits. Extremely costly and taking years to assemble, the thread used to join the pieces of jade would be gold, silver, copper, silk, or other materials depending on the status of the person buried.
The first archaeological discoveries of these suits, of Prince Liu Sheng and Dou Wan of the Western Han dynasty, consisted of: 2498 pieces of jade and 2.5 lbs of gold wire.
The gemstone’s significance to Chinese culture cannot be understated. Entire kingdoms in China have started wars over particularly precious stones.
People have used Jade for ornaments, tools and weapons for thousands of years. Jade artefacts have been found at ancient sites of Neolithic culture in Australia, Europe, Asia, North and Central America. There is evidence that carved jade items were used for cultural and religious purposes by Aztec, Maya, Chinese, and Maori cultures.
It wasn’t until 1863 that a scientist working with minerals realised the word jade was referring to two different minerals, jadeite and nephrite. However, Chinese jade artists had worked out much earlier that jadeite was different to nephrite and was better for producing fine ornaments and carvings. The Chinese started importing jadeite from Myanmar in about 1750. In China, jade is so valued that gifts made from jade are given at birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations. Fine-grained jadeite, with a rich, green colour, is considered the most important and rare type of jade and can cost more than diamonds. Traditionally the best jade was submitted to the Imperial court for consideration. The Empress Cixi (or Tzu Hsi) ruled China from 1861 to 1908 and was known to be a collector of the finest jade pieces. As a result, Chinese carvers called this type of jade imperial jade.
By far the largest Australian nephrite jade deposit is found at Cowell, in South Australia. It was discovered in 1965 by a local farmer who found a 3-4 kg boulder of nephrite near an outcrop of white marble. There were several different owners of the deposit from 1966 through to 1973. In 1974, the South Australian Government evaluated the deposit, and a trial mining program began in 1976.
Sources of Jade
Jadeite and nephrite are minerals that form through metamorphism. They are mostly found in metamorphic rocks associated with subduction zones. This places most jadeite and nephrite deposits along the margins of current or geologically ancient convergent plate boundaries involving oceanic lithosphere.
Jadeite is typically found in rocks that have a higher pressure origin than nephrite. This normally causes a geographic separation of jadeite and nephrite deposits.
From ancient times, much of the prospecting for jade has been done in the steeper parts of drainage basins, where pebble- to boulder-size pieces of rocks are found in stream valleys. Boulders and pebbles of jade normally have a brown weathering rind that hides their inner beauty and potential value.
Prospectors search these valleys looking for jade boulders. Small windows are often cut into the boulders in the field to assess the material’s quality and to determine if it is worth the labor of transport.
Jade boulders can be very difficult to transport without damage. Human and animal labor was the only way to transport them historically. Today in some areas that is still the only way to move the boulders to market. Where economics allow, a helicopter with a basket or sling on a cable will fly in to difficult areas. Workers on the ground will prepare the boulders for lifting, and the helicopter will fly them out. Although helicopters are very expensive to use for this type of work, one nice boulder can be worth many thousands of dollars or more in rough form.
Some jade is also mined from hard rock deposits. Boulders are sometimes mined from ancient conglomerates, but ophiolite exposures are the most important type of hard rock deposit. Ophiolites are the metamorphosed rocks of ancient subduction zones, now exposed at the surface by faulting or uplift, followed by exhumation by weathering. Jade is mined from ophiolites by both surface and underground methods.
Geographically, much of the world’s jade is found around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where subduction transports large slabs of oceanic lithosphere beneath continents and volcanic island arcs. This accounts for much of the jade found in South America, Central America, the United States, Canada, eastern Asia, and New Zealand.
Perhaps the most attractive and valuable jade found in the United States is from the area around Jeffrey City and Crooks Gap in Wyoming. There, nephrite jade is found by prospecting alluvial sediments, looking for jade in stream-rounded pebble- to boulder-size pieces.
Jade Types
There are two minerals that are commonly called jade, nephrite and jadeite.
The two jade minerals, nephrite and jadeite are both tough and have small granular crystals giving a fibrous appearance. They have quite different chemical compositions and structures. Nephrite is a type of amphibole mineral and jadeite is a type of pyroxene mineral. Nephrite can be white, yellow, green and brown to black, depending on the amount of iron and magnesium in the mineral. Jadeite can be green, pink, purple, brown and white.
Nephrite jade is very tough, the toughest known natural mineral, three times tougher than ceramics and even tougher than steel. This explains why it was used in neolithic times for knife blades, axe heads and later for ornamental carvings. While it is not as hard as some other minerals like diamond, nephrite is made from an interwoven meshwork of fine fibres or needle-like crystals so is not brittle and does not break easily. Coarser crystals and alignment of minerals decreases the toughness of the mineral. Jadeite is the second toughest mineral known, but is not as tough as nephrite as its interlocking crystals are less fibrous.
The interlocking crystals or fibrous structures of these two jade minerals mean they can be polished easily, so are ideal for carvings and jewellery.
Treatment
For thousands of years, the people who manufacture and sell jade objects have found many ways to improve their appearance. Heat, wax, dye, bleach, acid, polymer injection and other treatments have all been used to improve the color, luster and stability of jadeite and nephrite. Although many of these treatments are part of traditional jade manufacturing processes, today’s serious buyers of jade want to know about all treatments that were used in the manufacturing process.
Commercial jadeite objects are placed into three “types” according to the treatments that have been used during the manufacturing process. They are designated as Type A, Type B and Type C jadeite.
Type A Jadeite
Type A jadeite objects have been treated with a coating of wax. This is the most traditional jadeite treatment. It is expected and accepted by serious buyers and generally does not impact the value of a jadeite object. In this treatment, manufacturers boil finished jadeite objects in water to clean them and prepare them for an application of wax. The objects are then dried and dipped into molten wax. The wax fills any surface-reaching pores and fractures. When the objects have cooled, excess wax is removed and the objects are buffed to a bright luster. The wax fills surface irregularities and gives the object’s surface a smooth, lustrous finish.
Type B Jadeite
Type B jadeite objects have been bleached by soaking in hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. The acid removes oxidation stains and leaches out sodium. This lightens the color of many materials. Pressure is then used to impregnate the jadeite with wax or a clear polymer resin. Impregnation fills all surface-reaching pores and fractures and gives the object an improved smoothness, luster and color.
Unfortunately, the appearance of Type B jadeite objects can begin to deteriorate in just a few years. Acid treatment makes some jadeite brittle, and polymer resins can discolor with time or exposure to heat and sunlight. Because of these problems, Type B jadeite treatment should always be disclosed when an object is sold, but many items are sold without disclosure. This lack of disclosure is because Type B jadeite objects normally sell for a small fraction of the price paid for a similar Type A object. Sellers often get away with nondisclosure because Type B treatments are difficult to detect. Testing at a gemological laboratory is often required for detection of Type B treatments.
Type C Jadeite
Type C jadeite usually has all of the treatments of Type B jadeite, but the object has also been dyed to a more desirable color. The dyes can fade over time or with exposure to heat and light. For these reasons, Type C treatments should always be disclosed.
Dye treatment can often be detected by examination with a microscope, spectroscope or gemological filters, but this testing should not be needed – the seller should disclose the full extent of treatment for every object that is sold. Disclosure doesn’t always happen because Type C jadeite sells for a small fraction of similar objects with Type B treatment.
Type C objects should be purchased for a price that assumes temporary use for a few years. Anyone who spends the serious money on jade should know the difference between jadeite and nephrite, have a good knowledge of jadeite treatments, how they impact value, and how they impact future durability and appearance. Confirmation of the jadeite type by a gemological laboratory is a good idea for expensive items. These services are easy to obtain and usually cost a tiny fraction of what is paid for a Type A jadeite item.
Jade Look-alike
A number of other minerals and materials that are commonly cut and polished are easily confused with jade. All of these materials can have a color, luster, and translucence that is very similar to jade – so similar that the average person is unable to recognize them. These materials are often used to manufacture cabochons, beads, and other objects in the same style as jade. They sometimes enter the market with and without disclosure. They are often marked with the name “jade” or with one of many misnomers.
Chalcedony is a translucent variety of microcrystalline quartz that occurs in a range of colors similar to jade. Chrysoprase is a bright green chalcedony colored by chromium that, when cut into cabochons, beads, and small sculptures, will look very similar to jade. Chalcedony occurs in a variety of other translucent colors such as black, lavender, yellow, and orange that can look like the color varieties of jade. Chalcedony can be a very close gemstone look-alike with jade. It can be differentiated from jade using is lower specific gravity and by a variety of instrumental methods.
Serpentine occurs in a variety of wonderful translucent to nearly transparent green and yellowish green colors that look very much like jade. It is a metamorphic mineral that is often found in the same geographic areas and same types of rocks as jade. Serpentine is significantly softer than jade and also has a much lower specific gravity.
Vesuvianite has a color and a greasy luster that fool unknowing people into thinking it is nephrite.
Vesuvianite, also known as idocrase, is another jade look-alike that is very difficult to distinguish from jade without laboratory testing. It has a similar hardness, specific gravity, and physical appearance. Vesuvianite is not nearly as tough as jade and will break more easily – but that requires the destruction of the specimen.
Maw Sit Sit is a rock composed of jadeite, albite, and kosmochlor (a mineral related to jadeite). It has a bright chrome-green color and accepts a bright polish. For those reasons, it is used as a gemstone. Maw sit sit was first properly identified in 1963 near the village of Maw Sit Sit in northwestern Burma in the foothills of the Himalayas. This is the only location where it has been discovered to date. It is used to cut cabochons and produce small sculptures. Because of its scarcity and low production, it is rarely seen in jewelry.
Maw Sit Sit is a rock with a bright chrome-green color mined in Myanmar. It has a very similar appearance to jade. Maw sit sit is composed of jadeite, albite, and kosmochlor (a mineral related to jadeite). It is used to cut cabochons, beads, and make small sculptures, and is easily confused with jade.
Hydrogrossular Garnet is a green massive variety of garnet that is usually green in color with black markings. It looks so much like jade that in South Africa, where it is common, it is known as “Transvaal Jade.” It is frequently cut into beads, cabochons, and small sculptures.
Aventurine is a trade name used for green quartz that is often colored by fuchsite inclusions. These typically color the quartz light to dark green color and produce some aventurescent sparkle. Aventurine is sometimes confused with jade. It is sometimes referred to by the misnomer of “Indian Jade.”
All of the above natural minerals and rocks can be confused with jade. Many people like them, enjoy them and knowingly purchase them for that reason. It is important to know that these jade look-alikes, along with plastic and glass made into objects in the same style as jade, are abundant in the marketplace. Know what you are buying or purchase from a dealer you can trust if you are shopping for these items and desire jade instead of an alternative. Errors and deception are common.
Picking a winner can be tricky, though, because every piece of jade is different, and figuring out what each one is worth is an art rather than a science. There are labs that can determine the chemical makeup of the stone, and whether it’s chemically treated or if it’s an outright fake. But there’s no “jade index” that gives a price per ounce like there is for gold.
Colour is often the first thing buyers look for. Jade is almost synonymous with green, and bright emerald shades of the colour are still the most prized. But jade comes in many hues, ranging from blue to lavender to “icy” white, which has increased significantly in price in recent years. Buyers also look for size, shape, transparency, texture and craftsmanship. A jade bangle, for instance, is often a good investment because it can only be made with high-quality material.
And as with anything, the higher the quality, the higher the value.
The Risks
But if the top end of the market seems glamorous, there’s a dirty underbelly to the industry, which by some estimates is worth $8bn.
Jadeite comes from Myanmar, and there are serious concerns over labour and human rights in the mining industry there. So much so that the US left in place sanctions on the jade industry even as it removed them from most other sectors of the country’s economy.
There’s no certification process to prove to consumers that their purchase has been sourced ethically. On the other hand, some of the most prized jade items are decades or even centuries old, and tracing the source would be virtually impossible.
Benefits of Jade
Jade is a very colorful and durable material that can be easily worked into multiple shapes and Polished to a much higher luster than other gemstones which is why jade jewelry is so popular including its use in Jade pendants, Jade necklaces, Jade bracelets, Jade rings, and Jade earrings. These jade jewelry items are usually made with a solid gemstone mixed with other precious metals, diamonds, silver, and gold.
In the spiritual realm, the healing properties of jade supports happiness and harmony in relationships, family, and work. It is said to promote abundance in material while also encouraging a relaxed state of being.Jade is also connected with nobility and its ideals. Wearing jade gemstone provides protection from deceitful or harmful entities in spirit work, while promoting magic with the best of intentions.Lavender jade is especially well suited for spiritual healing with its nourishing properties.
Green jade healing properties, in keeping with green jade meaning, facilitate an abundance of divine energy flowing into one’s life. Green jade stone benefits foster a desire to slow down and smell the flowers, be near loved ones and share the love.Jade meaning in divination states that by acting unselfishly now you are storing goodwill for yourself in the future. Any personal inconvenience will almost immediately be more than compensated for.
The healing properties of jade also support physical healing throughout the body. Jadeite, the more rare and expensive type of jade, has a slightly different meaning than the more common nephrite jade. Jadeite jade meaning has to do with health, longevity and love.Wearing, holding and meditating with jadeite jade improves health problems that stem from illness or accidents.Jade also helps people live longer.Jadeite is reputed to open one’s heart to love when worn in jewelry. Jade stone benefits extend throughout the renal system, helping the body to expel stones in the kidneys and spleen and recover afterwards. Kidney and bladder infections including cystitis are helped by jade.Maybe that is why the Mesoamericans referred to jade as the “spleen-stone” in regards to its special healing abilities for maladies of the spleen.
Jade properties target rebuilding and healing of the skeletal system and tissues, in keeping with renewal in jade meaning. Pain associated with the healing process can be reduced and better managed with the use of jade. Imperial jade can be especially beneficial after any reconstructive or plastic surgery to correct disfiguring from injury or illness.
The healing properties of jade are very useful for emotional healing.The soothing energy from jade relieves irritability while helping to eliminate negativity which supports jade meaning. The personality is stabilized through integration of body and mind. The resulting stimulation of ideas facilitates the simplification and completion of tasks. In keeping with jade stone meaning, dreams are made more productive and useful with jade. Dreams are more insightful and remembered more easily and clearly with the use of jade.
Jade stone benefits reduce self-imposed limitations. This jade healing property results in an enhanced ability to embrace personal ambitions, ideals and desires in order to facilitate their realization. Jade benefits boost confidence while encouraging greater self-sufficiency. Dysfunctional relationships are improved with the use of imperial jade in keeping with jade meaning. Dignity can be restored to people who have been mocked for their appearance. Their self-loathing is reduced and the courage to seek treatment is bolstered by jade.It is known that black, purple and red jade are especially helpful in emotional healing.
Care Instructions
Prepare a cleaning solution.
Mix together lukewarm water and a few drops of mild liquid soap in a medium-sized bowl. You should have a few suds but not overly soapy water. Don’t use a jewelry cleaning solution to clean jade; many contain chemicals that might damage the gemstone.
Clean the jade.
Dip a soft cloth into the soapy water and gently wipe your jade until it is clean. Do not scrub at it, as scrubbing can scratch the surface. Also, take care to avoid immersing it in the soapy water. Dip the cloth in clean water and remove any suds from the jewelry.
Dry and polish the jewelry.
Dry your jade off with a different soft cloth. Make sure to remove all traces of soapy water but do not immerse the jade to rinse it. Finally, polish your jade with a polishing cloth.
Keep your jade in good condition.
Touching jade increases the luster and richness of the stone, so don’t feel like you have to clean your jade jewelry every time you wear it. Instead, wipe it with a soft cloth after wearing it and clean it only when you notice soiling. Also, store jade in a jewelry bag or in its own compartment of your jewelry box.
Avoid things that can damage jade.
This ornamental rock can be damaged by some materials and situations. To protect your jade jewelry, you’ll want to be aware of these.
Never put your jade jewelry into a tumbler or cleaning machine, which can scratch or crack the jade
Never use chemical cleaners on jade.
Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner or a steam cleaner. The extreme heat can damage jade.
Remove jade jewelry before swimming; chlorine in hot tubs and pools is very harmful to jade.