What is jade

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 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.

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. A "misnomer" is an incorrect name. In the gemstone trade many misnomers have been given to materials that look like a more popular or more valuable material even though that name is incorrect.

The use of a misnomer can be innocent or derogatory, but the intent is often to associate a product with one that is much more popular or more valuable. Even when done without deceptive intent, the practice can be confusing or misleading to many buyers. An example of a jade misnomer is the use of the name "Mexican jade" for the green-dyed calcite or travertine that is commonly used to produce vases, chess pieces, desk sets and other ornamental objects. Use of the name by a seller in the presence of potential customers can be misunderstood or deceptive.

In those guides they state that the use of an incorrect varietal name can be "misleading", "unfair", and "deceptive". Today sellers who continue using these incorrect names could face legal action. For more information, see our article about "green amethyst" and "yellow emerald". A few of the many jade misnomers are listed below.

New Zealand Greenstone: These boulders, harvested from glacial outwash on the South Island of New Zealand, were originally called "Pounamu" by the local Maori people, then "greenstone" a literal translation by European explorers.

They are actually nephrite jade. They were used by the Maori for making tools and weapons. Pieces with an attractive color or pattern were used to make ornaments and fashioned into pendants.

Public domain image by Sarang. People have used jade for at least , years. The earliest objects made from jade were tools. Jade is a very hard material and is used as a tool because it is extremely tough and breaks to form sharp edges.

Most jade does not have a color and translucence that is expected in a gemstone. However, when early people found these special pieces of jade, they were often inspired to craft them into a special object. Early toolmakers took advantage of these properties of jade and formed it into cutting tools and weapons. It was used to make axes, projectile points, knives, scrapers, and other sharp objects for cutting. Translucent Green Jade: A translucent green jade cabochon with beautiful color, set into a gold ring and surrounded by small diamonds.

Jade is a durable, colorful material that can be worked into shapes and given a high polish. These properties make it a very desirable gemstone. Jade has been used to make a variety of jewelry items such as pendants, necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, beads, cabochons , tumbled stones , and other items. These jewelry items are often made of solid jade, combined with other gems, or placed in settings made from gold , silver , or other precious metals.

In addition to jewelry, jade is used to make small sculptures, ornaments, religious art, and small functional objects. Commonly Confused With Jade: Pictured here are four gems commonly confused with jade. From top left and going clockwise they are chrysoprase, maw sit sit, serpentine, and hydrogrossular garnet.

They have a color, luster, and translucence that is known to occur in jade. 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.

Raw jade hasn't been manufactured or subject to any manufacturing process yet. It also hasn't been made into jewelry like a Jade bracelet or Jade rings. The larger stones that are recovered from mines around the world usually have the opaque outer layer and that small window through which the interior is verified.

Jewelry makers will see the high-quality Jadeite through that window and then have to negotiate based on what they can see. Once the stone has left the market, it takes someone with years of experience to use the proper tools to carve the stone. If the stone is higher-quality Jadeite, carvings usually are simple. The Jade jewelry you get with higher-quality Jadeite is going to be equally simple. The reason being, a high-quality stone deserves to be preserved as much as possible, keeping the body of the stone and letting the stone speak for itself.

More intricate carving techniques can take advantage of different colorations especially in Jade that isn't the emerald green color but might have a variety of colors in one stone. Depending on what the final product will be, cabochons can be cut from the material, effectively round stones that can then be placed into jewelry like Jade Rings, jade necklace pendants, Jade bracelets, or other materials.

China is the leading polishing Center for jadeite which usually comes from cutting factories in Myanmar. Many Cutters in Myanmar still polish jadeite using a hollow bamboo lathe that is treated with a mixture of water and sand. Manufacturers for jade jewelry can carve hololiths which are taken from a single piece of rough Jade into a pendant, bangle, or Jade ring.

But cabochons are used for rings and other jade jewelry. When you are buying cabochons, you want to look at the proportions, the thickness, and the symmetry of the Jade. If you are purchasing Jade bracelets or Jade necklaces that are made from round Jade beads, you want to look for matching transparency, size, and symmetrical cuts. All of these are used to produce higher quality jade jewelry. Shop our Jade Jewelry Collection Here. In Reply to Aarons Mueller, Thank you for your knowledge we appreciate it and value your opinion.

We would like to assure you, our Jade collection is of quality and has been authenticated by Jade Craftsman with parallel to your collector years. We have spent countless hours of travel to mines and stone sights across the country and around the world. We will produce a blog of that nature as soon as our creative artisans feel secure in their knowledge. Again, we appreciate your engagement with our content! Sorry to say, I believe that many of the pieces you are showing are dyed.

Real jade with fake color. While the article is interesting I think it misses the real story of jade culture. You are not alone in missing the nuance, it is rarely if ever centered upon in articles on jade. My advice to buyers is to focus on the carving and craftsmanship first.

In this way you will enjoy every piece you buy. Develop your understanding of the stone over time. There are extremely valuable varieties in almost every color. Understanding how to value the stone can take many years , seeing high quality carving and craftsmanship is much easier and is therefore the best route for beginning investors. As a rule , master carvers will never waste their time on inferior stone so let the master do the picking.

Many hope to aquire a priceless treasure in a high quality bangle of strand of beads but those of us with long experience know that this is just successful marketing of and abundant product. The thing that is truly valuable, the resource that is disappearing ,is the artist with yrs of mastery behind them. Now, one of the great things about this tradition is that over the last 30 yrs the craft has gone global and there great carvers to be found on every continent. Meaning, when this piece is passed on to future generations it is thought to still behold the mauri of previous owners, aiding in forming lasting connections with ancestors and bestowing strength and prosperity on the new wearer.

Stay in the know on new releases, special offers, and more. Shop Learn. Corded Necklaces. Freestanding Sculpture. About Jade. Our Story. Your cart is empty Keep Shopping. Email Address Password Forgot your password? Request a password reset Enter your email, and we'll send you a link to reset your password. Jade is a semi-precious stone that goes by many names. Nephrite, greenstone or pounamu Jade is known by many names including nephrite, greenstone or pounamu.

Pounamu the legend One day , as he rested in the northern seas of the Bay of Plenty, Poutini watched a beautiful young woman named Waitaiki come down to the water to bathe. A world of jade Jade is found in many spectacular locations around the world and each country has its own unique and beautiful variation.

Discover types of Jade. New Zealand Pounamu. Australian Black Jade. Jade was used not only for the finest objects and cult figures, but also in grave furnishings for high-ranking members of the imperial family.

Today, too, this gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage, yet it also symbolises the female-erotic. A visit to the jade market, be it in Hong Kong or Rangoon, or at one of the Hong Kong jade auctions organised by Christie's, can give some idea of the significance this gem has for the people of Asia.

However, as long ago as the pre-Columbian period, the Mayas, Aztecs and Olmecs of Central America also honoured and esteemed jade more highly than gold. New Zealand's Maoris began carving weapons and cult instruments from native jade in early times, a tradition which has continued to the present day. In ancient Egypt, jade was admired as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and balance. In other regions and cultures too, jade was regarded as a lucky or protective stone; yet it had nowhere near the significance that it had in Asia, which was presumably due to the fact that people knew relatively little about this fascinating gem.

Fortunately however, in recent times, people's understanding of this gem, which fascinates not only the connoisseurs by its perfect interplay of hardness and toughness with an enchanting range of colours and fine lustre, has improved; and their esteem for it has been on the increase all over the world.

The name is derived from the Spanish 'piedra de ijada', loin-stone, jade having been recognised by the Amerindians as a remedy for kidney ailments. Because of its beneficial effect on the kidneys, the stone was also known as 'lapis nephriticus'. That, indeed, is where the term 'nephrite' came from. Jadeite and nephrite are both regarded in China as 'zhen yu', 'genuine jade'. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that mineralogists and gemmologists started to differentiate between them, since they bear a considerable resemblance to each other in terms of their appearance, their hardness and the properties they exhibit when being processed.

Both are tough, since they consist of dense, close-grained, matted aggregates, but they differ from one another in their chemical composition and colours. Nephrite ranges mainly from mid to dark green or grey-green, but it can also be white, yellowish or reddish.

Rarer, and somewhat tougher, jadeite displays hues which include green, but also white or pink, and reds, blacks, browns and violets. In both minerals, the way the colour is distributed varies a great deal. Only in the very finest jade is the colour evenly distributed. Both nephrite and jadeite often have veins, blemishes and streaks running through them, though these may not always be regarded as flaws.