Jade: Properties, Facts and Photos
What is Jade?
Nephrite Jade and Jadeite are two different stones, both known as Jade.
Nephrite Jade, also known as Canadian Jade, is composed of the minerals actinolite and tremolite.
Although these two minerals can be asbestos in their fibrous forms, Nephrite Jade is not considered an asbestos mineral and is completely safe to handle. However, as with most minerals, it should not be cut or polished without suitable breathing protection.
Jadeite is composed almost exclusively of the mineral Jadeite.
Jadeite is rarer and considerably more expensive than Nephrite. Both can have a strikingly similar appearance and to the untrained eye, it's extremely difficult to distinguish one from the other.
The confusion over Nephrite Jade and Jadeite, which is believed to date back to the sixteenth century, is said to stem from a misprint in the translation from Spanish to French of the original name.
Despite the error, the name Jade continues to be used for both stones because it's so entrenched in common language that it would be too difficult to differentiate one from the other.
Nephrite Jade and Jadeite are both very tough and in fact, Nephrite Jade is one of the toughest known substances.
In geology, toughness and hardness are not the same. On the Mohs scale of hardness, Nephrite Jade grades 6 to 6.5, and Jadeite grades 6.5 to 7. This means that both can be scratched by a mineral of the same grade or one that's higher.
Toughness refers to a mineral's resistance to being crushed, bent or broken.
The Chinese have been producing Jadeite for over 5,000 years, but it's known to have been used by humans for at least 10,000 years.
Jade is an integral part of Chinese life and culture, and some of the earliest recorded events are inscribed on Nephrite stone tablets.
Nephrite Jade, or Nephrite as it's often known, is the more common of the two.
Most of the world's Nephrite Jade comes from northern British Columbia. Canada supplies 90% of the stone used for lapidary purposes worldwide.
Article Photos
The photograph at the top of this article is Jadeite. The second is Nephrite Jade. Both photos, courtesy of James St. John, are clickable and redirect to more photographs of Jade.
Pop-up photos: Actinolite - Courtesy of Stan Celestian. Tremolite - Courtesy of Ron Wolf.
