Jade Primer

Jade Primer

Jade stone, explained plainly

What jade is, what it is worth, and how to tell the real stone from the imitations.

What jade stone is

Jade is not one stone. Gemologists use the word for two different materials, jadeite and nephrite, as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) describes them. Both are rocks made of tiny interlocking crystals, which is why jade is so hard to break even though it is not especially hard to scratch. For most of history they were treated as a single stone. Only in 1863 did the French mineralogist Alexis Damour show that the jade coming out of Burma was a different mineral from the jade long carved in China, and the Burmese material was named jadeite.

The two differ in ways that matter to a buyer. Jadeite is slightly harder and noticeably denser, comes in brighter colors, and supplies nearly all of the most expensive jade sold today. Nephrite is the stone of ancient Chinese carving, usually more muted in color, with a soft, waxy polish. Each has its own varieties and trade names, and each is judged by its own standards.

Jade comes in far more than green. Jadeite occurs in green, lavender, red, orange, yellow, white, black and gray, and nephrite in green, white, yellow, brown, black and gray. Green is the most valued color in both, but the shade and how evenly it sits in the stone count for more than the name of the color. For jadeite, GIA ranks color first, then transparency, then texture.

Two questions decide what any piece is worth. The first is whether it is jade at all: serpentine, quartz, dyed calcite, glass and plastic are all sold under jade names. The second is whether it has been treated. A stone can be genuine jadeite and still have been bleached and filled with resin or dyed, and that treatment cuts its value to a fraction. Home checks can narrow both questions down. A report from a gemological laboratory is what settles them.

Start here

Five pages that answer what most people come to ask, in the order that tends to help.

How to tell if jade is realStart here if you already own a piece. What each home check can show, and what only a laboratory can.Jadeite vs nephriteThe two stones behind one name. Everything else about jade makes more sense once you know which one you have.Type A, B and C jadeRead this before you buy. The letters describe treatment, and treatment changes the price more than anything else.How much jade is worthWhy one green bangle sells for the price of lunch and another for the price of a house.Jade bangle size chartA jade bangle cannot be resized. Measure your hand the way the trade does before choosing one.

How to Tell if Jade Is Real

All 4 pages

Home checks that work, the ones that mislead, and what treated, dyed and imitation jade look like next to the real stone.

How to identify raw jade in a rockRaw jade cannot be identified by looks. Three home checks that narrow a rock down, the lookalikes that fool them, where jade turns up, and the scams around rough.How to tell if jade is real with a flashlight or UV lightHow to check jade with a phone flashlight, a loupe and a UV lamp: what natural surface and color look like, what resin and dye do, and what no light can prove.How to tell if a jade bracelet is realThe checks that fit a jade bangle, in order: price, loupe, light, the tap test, weighing in water and UV, what each one misses, and what the report must say.Type A, B and C jade: what the letters meanWhat type A, B and C mean for jade: what was done to the stone, how each holds up, what it does to value, and what a type A label on a bracelet guarantees.

Types of Jade

All 8 pages

Jadeite and nephrite, the trade names built on them, and how hardness, origin and rough stone fit into the picture.

Burmese jade: what it is and why origin mattersBurmese jade is jadeite from northern Myanmar. Where it is mined, how it reaches the market, why origin affects price, and what the word Burmese does not tell you.What is imperial jade?Imperial jade is a trade name for the finest green jadeite, not a mineral, origin or lab grade. What qualifies, why it costs so much and how the term is misused.Jade hardness: Mohs scale, toughness and breakageJadeite is 6.5 to 7 and nephrite 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. What that means for scratches, why jade is so hard to break, and when it breaks anyway.Jade vs emerald: how they differJade and emerald share a color and little else. A side-by-side table of mineral, hardness, toughness, cut and price, plus how to tell them apart and how each wears.Jade vs jadeite vs nephriteJade is the family name; jadeite and nephrite are the two stones in it. A side-by-side table, how each looks and feels, and how to tell which you have.Mutton fat jadeMutton fat jade is the top grade of white nephrite, not a separate stone. What it looks like, where it comes from, why no one agrees on the cutoff, and the fakes.

Green Jade and the Other Jade Colors

All 7 pages

Green, white, lavender, black, red and yellow jade: what causes each color, what it is called and how buyers rank it.

Black jade: what it is, what it means and what it is worthBlack jade is three different stones: black omphacite jade (mo cui) and two kinds of black nephrite. How to tell them apart, what sets the value, what it means.Does jade change color over time?Good untreated jade keeps its color. What changes is the surface and the light, with two exceptions: coarse jadeite that yellows and treated jade that fades.Jade colors: every color and what causes itA jade color chart for jadeite and nephrite: every color jade comes in, what causes each one, its trade name, what it traditionally means and which are faked.Purple and lavender jadePurple jade is real: lavender jadeite gets its color from manganese. How the shades are judged, why fine pieces are scarce, and how the color is faked.Red jade: meaning and where the color comes fromWhat red jade means in Chinese culture, why the stone is jadeite stained by iron, where the red sits in a boulder, and how to think about heat-treated red.White jade: meaning, types and valueWhite jade is two stones: white nephrite, prized as mutton fat jade, and white jadeite. How they differ, what white jade means, its value and how to identify it.

How Much Is Jade Worth

All 4 pages

What sets the price of jade, why two similar pieces can be far apart, and how to think about buying or selling one.

How much is a jade bracelet?What a jade bracelet or bangle costs at each quality level, from treated pieces under $20 to record bangles in the millions, anchored on real auction results.Jade value by color: which jade is worth the mostJade colors ranked by value: imperial green first, lavender second, white for nephrite, why the rest depends on the piece, and the record prices for each.Where to sell jade and how to get a fair priceWhere you can sell jade depends on what it is. How auction houses, jewelers, consignment, pawnshops and gold buyers each work, and what each costs the seller.Why is jade so expensive, and is it really rare?Most jade is not expensive. Why fine jadeite costs so much: rare gem-grade rough, one main source, boulders bought blind, wasteful cutting and Chinese demand.

Jade Bracelets and Bangles

All 6 pages

What a jade bracelet means, how to measure for a bangle that cannot be resized, and how to wear and care for one.

How to clean jade stone and jewelryClean jade with lukewarm water, mild soap and a soft cloth. What to keep away from it, why treated jade needs more care, and what to do when jade looks dull.Jade bangle size chart and how to measure your handJade bangle size chart in mm and inches, two ways to measure your hand, how shape and hand flexibility shift the size, and how to get a snug bangle on and off.Jade bracelet meaning: what a jade bangle stands forIn Chinese tradition a jade bracelet stands for protection, peace, good luck and a family bond. What each belief says, who wears one, and which wrist.What a jade necklace signifiesWhat a jade necklace or pendant signifies in Chinese tradition, with a table of pendant shapes (safety disc, Guanyin, Buddha, gourd, pixiu) and their meanings.What a jade ring meansWhat a jade ring symbolizes in Chinese tradition, from the archer's thumb ring of the Qing emperors to the saddle ring, and how much of it is documented.What does it mean when a jade bracelet breaks?The Chinese belief that a broken jade bracelet took a blow meant for its wearer, why bangles really break, and what can be done with the pieces.

Jade Meaning

All 3 pages

What jade has stood for in Chinese culture and elsewhere, kept separate from the health claims that have no evidence behind them.

What jade represents in Chinese cultureWhat jade represents in Chinese culture and how the meaning was built: ritual, rank, the Confucian virtues, burial jades, sayings and carved motifs.Jade spiritual meaningWhat jade means spiritually: the Chinese beliefs about protection, heaven and the dead, the customs wearers follow, and what crystal healing adds.Jade stone benefits: what is claimed and what the evidence showsWhat jade is good for and what it is not: each claimed benefit of jade (kidneys, calm, skin, hormones) set beside where it comes from and what the evidence shows.

Common questions about jade stone

What is jade stone made of?

Jade is a name for two different stones. Jadeite is a sodium aluminium silicate of the pyroxene group, and nephrite is a calcium magnesium iron silicate of the amphibole group. They are unrelated minerals that look and behave alike.

Is nephrite real jade?

Yes. Gemologists use jade as a general term for both jadeite and nephrite. Nephrite is the older of the two in Chinese history, and the finest white nephrite is prized as highly as fine jadeite.

How can I tell if my jade stone is real?

Home checks such as heft, a loupe, a strong light and a UV lamp can rule out plastic, glass and some treated stones, but none of them proves a piece is untreated. For anything of value, a report from a gemological laboratory is the only firm answer.

What color of jade is the most valuable?

Green. For both jadeite and nephrite, green is the most valued color, and for jadeite the Gemological Institute of America ranks color first among the value factors, followed by transparency and texture.

Why is some jade so cheap?

Much of the inexpensive jade on sale has been bleached and filled with resin or dyed, or is a different stone sold under a jade trade name. Treated jadeite is worth a small fraction of the same piece left natural.