The group
The separation was only made in 1863, by the French mineralogist Alexis Damour. Until then jade was jade. Today the difference decides the price: fine jadeite is among the most valuable gem materials on earth, while nephrite of similar appearance sells for a fraction.
Jadeite comes almost entirely from Hpakant in Kachin State, Myanmar. Chromium gives the imperial green; iron gives the commoner apple greens. Nephrite comes from British Columbia, Xinjiang, Siberia and New Zealand, and is the jade of Chinese antiquity — the archaic carvings are nephrite, not jadeite.
The disclosure that matters is the A, B, C grading, and it is about treatment rather than quality. A is untreated. B has been bleached with acid to remove brown staining and then impregnated with polymer to hold it together; it degrades over years. C is dyed. B and C material is routinely sold as jade without qualification, and the difference in value is an order of magnitude.
Nephrite is the toughest natural gem material known — not hardest, toughest. Its interlocking fibrous structure resists breaking better than anything else, which is why it was the material of choice for axes and tools long before it was jewellery.
Every jade compared
The whole group side by side. Where the constants overlap, the species cannot be named from a refractometer alone — which is exactly why the trade names mislead.
| Variety | Species | Colour | Mohs | RI | SG | Guide price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eclogite | A high-pressure metamorphic rock of red pyrope-almandine garnet in green omphacite pyroxene, formed in subduction zones | red | 6-7.5 | 1.67-1.79 (mixed) | 3.30-3.60 - unusually heavy, which is diagnostic in the hand | $10-80 per kilogram for ornamental slabs; diamond-bearing xenoliths from named kimberlites $200-5,000 per specimen |
| Jadeite | Jadeite pyroxene | green | 6.5–7 | 1.652–1.688 | 3.30–3.38 | $10–1,000,000/piece |
| Lavender Jadeite | Jadeite (pyroxene group) | violet | 6.5–7 | 1.652–1.688 (spot ~1.66) | 3.30–3.38 | $5–2,000/ct depending on saturation and translucency |
| Maw-sit-sit | Kosmochlor-bearing rock | green | 6–7 | 1.52–1.74 (spot, variable by phase) | 2.45–3.15 | $2–100/ct |
| Nephrite | Tremolite–actinolite amphibole | green | 6–6.5 | 1.600–1.641 | 2.90–3.03 | $1–500/ct |
| Omphacite Jade | Omphacite (pyroxene group) | black | 6–6.5 | 1.662–1.699 (spot ~1.67) | 3.29–3.39 | $1–200/ct |
Questions
What is the difference between jadeite and nephrite?
They are different minerals. Jadeite is a pyroxene, NaAlSi₂O₆, hardness 6.5 to 7, and far more valuable. Nephrite is an amphibole, hardness 6 to 6.5, and tougher. Both have been called jade for millennia; they were only separated in 1863.
What does grade A jade mean?
Untreated. Grade B has been acid-bleached and polymer-impregnated, which degrades over time; grade C has been dyed. The grades describe treatment, not quality, and the value difference between A and B is an order of magnitude.
Why is imperial jade so expensive?
Fine translucent emerald-green jadeite coloured by chromium is extremely rare, comes essentially from one region of Myanmar, and has centuries of cultural demand behind it. Top pieces sell for millions.
What is sold as jade but is not?
Serpentine most often, along with dyed quartzite, aventurine, hydrogrossular garnet and glass. Serpentine is the commonest substitution and is much softer, at 2.5 to 5.5.
Looking for jade?
Tell us which variety, what size and what it is for. We source it, photograph it and quote it, with the locality named.
Ask about jade