Gemstone Jade has intrigued mankind for many centuries. A number of civilisations hold the gem sacred. The purifying property of the stone is believed to uplift spiritual aspirations. At the same time the jewel is opulent enough to indulge one’s earthly pleasures.
Gemstone Jade owes its origins to the primitive humans dwelling in caves and huts. These stone age toilers carved out weapons, tools, ornaments, and relics out of this tough gem.
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In astrology, this stone is associated with the star sign Taurus. It is also the official gem for the 12th anniversary.
Ancient cultures in Asia have adored this stone since time immemorial. Furthermore, the beauty, durability, and rarity of the gem is now captivating the attention of non-Asian connoisseurs too. The rich and enduring legacy of the stone is what adds to its attraction.
Two different minerals are correctly called jade. They are Jadeite and nephrite. Metamorphic rocks composed of tiny tightly interlocking crystals create both these minerals.
The colors of jadeite are numerous and appealing. It can display shades of reddish orange, yellow, and green. Still other tints displayed by this gem are white, gray, black, brown, and lavender. Jadeite has a texture of striated or speckled coloration. Lapidaries exploit this to create visually compelling effects.
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International gem and jewelry manufacturers recognize nephrite too as jade. Translucent to opaque, nephrite comes in green, yellow, brown, black, gray, and white colors. Its colors are more mellow than jadeite. Further, it too can be striated or speckled akin to jadeite.
Discovered much earlier than Jadeite (almost 5000 years ago), Nephrite was a stone highly valued by the Chinese Imperials. When jadeite was discovered many years later, it was assumed to be a better quality deposit of the same stone.
We use the name “jade” as a common descriptor for both jadeite and nephrite. The history of this pair has been intertwined through time.
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When you compare the two types of jade in their polished form, you will usually be able to distinguish between both simply by looking at them.
Nephrite polished to a fine luster has an oily rather than vitreous (glassy) finish. But the opposite is true of jadeite. Also, apple-green and emerald-green gemstones are typically jadeite. Moreover, both stones have different degrees of translucency.
From antiquity to the present, sandstone, slate, and quartz have all been used to cut and shape jade. Cave and hut dwellers of the new stone age sculpted this sturdiest of minerals. They carved it into weaponry, implements, jewelry, and ritual objects.
The gemstone has persevered in its relationship with humans among the native societies in parts of North America and New Zealand to the present day.
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China has nurtured jade-carving as a flourishing artistic tradition for over three thousand years. “Jade” or “yu”, as it is popularly known in China; is considered as the heavenly or imperial stone. In fact, the Chinese consider this gem more precious than most other stones.
The Aztecs & Mayan civilisations of Central America treasured and coveted jadeite jade. These indigenous people used it as medicine. In addition, they also used it for making jewelry, ornaments, and religious artifacts.
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The Spanish expression ‘piedra de ijada’ means “stone of the pain in the side.” And this term gave birth to the name jade. Early Spanish explorers named this gemstone. They did so after seeing natives holding pieces of the stone to their sides to cure various aches and pains. Also, jadeite is an emblem of luck, prosperity & success.
Jadeite reached its pinnacle as an artistic medium in China. Myanmar (formerly Burma) supplied the first Jadite to China in the late 1700s. By the nineteenth century, carving masters created masterpieces that are still unmatched in vision, aesthetics, and artistic execution.
Chinese culture believes jade to symbolize purity of spirit & clarity of mind. Jade carvings of today still incorporate ancient symbolic motifs. Some of these emblems and what they represent are as follows:
| Bat: | Bats are believed to have the beneficial aura of Happiness descending from Heaven. |
| Butterfly: | is supposed to signify a long life. |
| Dragon: | is acknowledged as a harbinger of power, prosperity, and goodness. |
| Peach: | is believed to symbolize immortality. |
| Bi: | It is a flat circular disk with a hole in the center. It is believed to be an insignia for heaven. |
The translucent emerald green jades also known as the ‘imperial jade’ are considered the most prized and precious. The coloration is often streaked or mottled, giving jadeite gemstones an interesting visual texture that carvers can use to create imaginative and intriguing effects.
Nephrite is derived from the word ‘lapis nephriticus’. It is the Latin translation of the Spanish ‘piedra de ijada’. Nephrites are somewhat softer, but tougher and more resistant to breakage than Jadeite and they range between 6.0 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale. Jadeite on the other hand ranges between 6.0 and 7.0 on the Mohs scale.
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The Nephrite variety is more commonly found in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Zimbabwe, Russia, Taiwan, Alaska and Poland.
The rarer of the two i.e. Jadeite is mainly found in Myanmar (Burma), which is also the sole source of imperial jadeite. Jadeite is also found in Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Cuba and the USA.
Jadite Treatment:
Since the 1990s, a new type of Jadeite treatment called “bleaching” has become prevalent. There are two steps in the process. Bleaching is the first step and it is followed by polymer impregnation.
The material is first bleached using an acid. This enhances the appearance of jadeite by removing the brown component of color, if any.
Subsequent polymer impregnation process fills any voids left by the bleaching. The permeated polymer enhances clarity and reinforces the stone, thus stabilizing it. Jadeite treated in this manner can sometimes acquire only a minor change. While, at other times the change can be substantial.
The processed material is called “grade B jade” or just “B jade”. So far the treatment has been noticed for green and white jadeite only.
Among other treatments, grey material can be stained to imitate “imperial jade” or colored to take on a mauve color.
Jewellery traders and merchants have a grading system in place to determine the amount of enhancement the stone has received.
Type A jadeite: It has not been treated in any way except surface waxing.
Type B jadeite: It may have been impregnated and bleached but is not dyed. It results in considerable enhancement in color and transparency.
Type C jadeite: It is artificially stained or dyed. The color may change to a dull brown as a result and it loses translucency.
Type D jadeite: It is not real a jadeite. It may be a duplicate stone with a plastic backing.
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Jades are exceptionally versatile gemstones. Hence, they are extremely in demand as they can be delicately carved in to a number of shapes and designs. This property makes it tremendously useful in making fashionable jewellery like beautiful rings, attractive brooches, elegant pendants and even fancy bangles. They can also be fashioned in bracelets and necklaces.
Jade is widely considered as a symbol of power and prosperity. It is also believed to positively influence the health and longevity of the wearer.
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