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JADE - JADEITE
Name: The name comes form the Spanish expression “Piedra de ijada” meaning “stone of the flank” or “stone of the side”.
AKA: Jade. Stone of Heaven. Yunnan Jade. Yu-stone (in part).
Description: A metamorphic rock composed of sodium-aluminum-rich pyroxene mineral that forms in high-pressure metamorphic environments such as subduction zones. Jadeite is one of two types of rock known as “jade”. Jadeite is generally sought after as a fine gemstone.
Chemical Composition: Na(Al,Fe3+)Si2O6
Variety: Jade
Color: green, yellow, red, reddish orange, orange, white, gray, black, brown, and lavender, light purple, light grayish violet, purplish blue, blue-green, greenish white, apple-green. Imperial Jade denotes the finest quality jadeite that is almost transparent with a vibrant emerald green color. Kingfisher jade has a green color that is only slightly less vivid than imperial. Apple Jade is an intense yellowish green. Moss-in-snow Jade is translucent white with bright green veining, patches, or spots.
Treatments:
Dyeing (referred to as C jade) adds color (usually green or lavender) in white or light-colored material with fair to good stability but may fade with time. Common.
Impregnation w/ paraffin wax hides fractures and improves polish appearance. Heat will destroy the treatment. Common.
Bleaching and Impregnation w/ plastic-type polymer resin (referred to as B jade) is a two step process that improves color; fills and hides fractures and cavities and improves polish appearance. Stable under normal conditions. High heat can damage or destroy the polymer. Common.
Heating produces a stable brown or reddish color in some material.
Moh’s Hardness: 6.5 to 7.
Toughness: exceptional. (tougher than diamond or sapphire)
Location Found: Guatemala; Japan; Myanmar (Burma); Russia; USA (California).
Birthstone: March; May.
Wedding Anniversaries: 12th.
Zodiac Signs: Libra; Taurus; Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Crown (lavender); Heart; Root (black).
Historical Associations: good luck; healing; prosperity; success; status; spirituality; royal; royalty; noble; benevolence; justice; intelligence; safe pregnancy; wealth; business success; peace; loyalty between partners; protection against negative spiritual energy; guard against accidents; access inner wisdom; rational decision making.
Historically Used to Treat: aches; pains; kidney stones; urinary tract infections; toxins; balance fluids; aging process; labor pain.
Care: Heat, such as a jewelers torch can damage it. Slightly affected by warm acids. Avoid acids or bleach. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are safe except for the wax-impregnated material, dyed material, or resin impregnated material. Warm, soapy water and a soft brush are safe. The stone’s polish can be scratched by harder stones (diamond, sapphire).
Imitations: Glass; Plastic; Nephrite; Aventurine Quartz; Chrysoprase; Serpentinite.
Synthetics: Hydrothermal (produced by General Electric in the 1970s and 1980s, but are not commercially prevalent today due to high production costs).
JADE - NEPHRITE
Name: comes from Latin words meaning “kidney stone”. Derived from the Greek “nephros” meaning “kidney”.
AKA: Jade. Stone of the Ancients. Pounamu (“greenstone”; Maori). Stone of Fidelity.
Description: A durable, dense metamorphic rock that is one of two rocks that are commonly known as “jade”. It is an amphibole silicate. It ranges from translucent to opaque and is often mottled with white or black specks. It has a soft, greasy, or oily luster. It is often used for carving, jewelry, and tools.
Chemical Composition: (Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2)
Variety: Actinolite-Tremolite Series
Color: ranges from translucent to opaque and can be light to dark green, yellow, brown, black, gray, or white. Its color tends to be more muted than jadeite and often mottled or streaked.
Treatments:
Dyeing produces or improves color (usually green) in light-colored material. Stability is variable, depending on the type of dye. Occasionally used.
Impregnation w/ paraffin wax hides fractures and improves polish appearance. Stability is fair; high heat will destroy the treatment. Common treatment.
Impregnation w/ a polymer filling is rare compared to jadeite.
Heating lightens color of dark green material. Also darkens or “ages” white, yellow, or brown material. Stable.
Moh’s Hardness: 6 to 6.5
Toughness: exceptional (toughest known gem; nearly impossible to break or chip)
Location Found: Canada (British Columbia); China (Hotan); New Zealand; Russia (Siberia); Taiwan; Untied States.
Birthstone: March; May.
Wedding Anniversaries: 12th.
Zodiac Signs: Libra; Taurus; Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Crown (white); Heart.
Historical Associations: Clarity of mind; purity of spirit; sacred; preserve the body; preserve the soul for eternity; fidelity; long life; faithful partnership; health; abundance; wealth; good luck; financial stability; dream stone; release suppressed emotions; unbreakable mind; persistence; meditation; quiet the mind; middle path approach.
Historically Used to Treat: kidney stones; kidney ailments; urinary infections; filtration systems; liver; spleen; remove toxins; life force; illnesses; eye fatigue, inflammation, and strain.
Care: Heat from a jeweler’s torch can damage it. Slightly affected by warm acids. Resistant to most chemicals, but avoid long exposure to acids which can dull the surface over time. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are generally safe except for wax-impregnated material. Warm, soapy water and a soft cloth are safe to use. It can be scratched by harder gems (diamond, sapphire, ruby, topaz).
Imitations: Glass; Plastic; Serpentine (“New Jade”); Aventurine; Bowenite..
Synthetics: No commercial synthetics.
JASPER
Name: derived from the Greek “iaspis,” the Latin “iaspidem,” or the Old French “jaspre” all meaning “spotted or speckled stone”.
AKA: Supreme Nurturer. Blood of Isis (red jasper).
Description: Jasper is a member of the chalcedony family and is distinguished from its cousins agate and onyx by its complete opacity and high mineral content with up to 20% “impurities”.
Chemical Composition: SiO2
Variety: chalcedony; opaque microcrystalline quartz.
Color: Virtually any color, with red, brown, and yellow being the most common. Red, brown, yellow, white, black, green, pink, purple, cream.
Treatments: Rarely treated. Occasionally, porous varieties may be dyed to mimic other stones such as lapis lazuli when it is dyed blue.
Moh’s Hardness: 6.5 – 7.
Toughness: Excellent.
Location Found: Australia; Egypt; India; Madagascar; Russia; USA (Idaho, Oregon).
Birthstone: March.
Wedding Anniversaries: 12th.
Zodiac Signs: Aries; Leo; Scorpio; Virgo.
Chakra Associations: Heart (green); Root (red); Solar Plexus (yellow).
Historical Associations: protection; safe journey into the afterlife (red); invoke water or rain; rain-bringer; fertility for the land; grounding; endurance; comfort; stability during times of chaos; fairness; rectify unjust situations; enhance stamina; organize thoughts; turn ideas into actions.
Historically Used to Treat: digestive tract; stomach cramps; stanching blood; wounds; bleeding; heavy menstrual cycles; epilepsy; seizures; fever; soothe the nerves.
Care: Resistant to most household cleaners, but it’s best to avoid harsh acids that could react with mineral “impurities” that give the stone color. Ultrasonic cleaners are generally safe, however be cautions with varieties that have many small cavities (vugs) such as ocean jasper as the vibrations could potentially loosen internal structures. Use warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. Store jasper away from topaz, sapphire, ruby, or diamond as they can scratch it. It’s tough enough not to be damaged by most other stones.
Imitations: Glass; Plastic; and Dyed Marble.
Synthetics: No commercial synthetics.