Jade, the Gem that Sparks Clarity of Mind and Purity of Spirit

By Aimee Berrent on May 25, 2020 in Blog

While we associate jade with China, it’s steadily gained in popularity around the world for its beauty and the artistry of its carvers.

What people call “jade” is actually two types of mineral:

Nephrite gets its color from magnesium for muted colors ranging from light to dark green, yellow, brown, black, gray, and white. A special a creamy white color (highly prized) is known as “mutton fat.”
Jadeite comes in a variety of colors (from its iron) including blue, red, reddish-orange, black, lavender, white, and dark green. Jadeite’s the more precious of the two, but price depends on a number of factors (we’ll that discuss later).

The market for jade in China is larger than the entire diamond market worldwide.
It’s the official gem for a 12^th anniversary.
Nephrite rings when it’s struck.
There are more than 300,000 carvers in China; only 80 master carvers specialize in jade.
Green is the most valued color for the stone, and semi-transparent clarity and an even texture can also increase the stone’s value.
Jade represents prosperity, success, and good luck, traditionally viewed as protecting the wearer from harm and bringing them harmony.
Jade’s fibrous structure makes it tough—in fact, Stone Age workers created weapons, tools, and ritual objects out of it.

Similar to a diamond’s “4Cs,” jade pieces are priced on their color, translucence, size, and interpretation—how the designer has incorporated the natural shading and surface of the stone into the finished piece.
Unlike other gems, like diamonds, jade is generally sold by the piece rather than its weight.
In jadeite, look for a hard, vitreous luster; in nephrite, a waxy luster.

As the GIA notes, jade represents clarity of mind and purity of spirit. Some of the ancient symbolic motifs are still used today: