Nephrite Jade aka Canadian Jade
Highly polished nephrite jade tumbled stones, a distinctive green coloured mineral used by the Chinese for thousands of years.
In 1863 it was discovered not all jade was the same. There were fact two different varieties which although very similar in appearance, were from a geological perspective quite different. One became known as nephrite whilst the other was called jadeite.
Although this was the first time the two materials had officially been recognised as being different, Chinese craftsmen had noted a few hundred years earlier that not all jade they worked with was the same. One material was harder, denser, took on a higher polish and was generally easier to work with. This stone which subsequently became known as jadeite became the more popular and most prized of the two materials.
Both jadeite and nephrite are widely still referred to as jade because with the name having been used for thousands of years, it was believed it would be far too difficult to start using different names for a stone that to many, looked almost identical.
Nephrite is made up of the minerals actinolite and tremolite whereas jadeite is made up almost exclusively of jadeite. Both can have a strikingly similar appearance and it can be exceptionally difficult to distinguish one from the other.
Nephrite and jadeite are both exceptionally tough and nephrite is one of the toughest known substances. The Chinese have been producing jadeite for over 5000 years but it's known to have been used by man for at least 10,000 years. Jade has played a part in almost every aspect of Chinese life and culture and some of the earliest records of events are inscribed on nephrite tablets.
Nephrite or Nephrite Jade as it's most commonly referred to is the more common of the two and less valuable than jadeite. Large deposits can be found in Northern British Columbia in Canada and material from this region tends to be referred to as Canadian Jade. Canada supplies 90% of the stones used for lapidary purposes across the world.
Our nephrite jade crystals are a medium sized tumbled stone although as with all tumbled stones, weights and sizes do vary from piece to piece.
Empathic warriors are stones which have at some point in time sustained some kind of damage, usually a chip or fracture. With rocks and minerals having evolved over millions of years we do not believe in throwing them away. These pieces are available to buy at a significantly reduced price. Empathic warriors are not always available. More information can be found in our article on empathic warrior crystals.
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