Jadeite
Jadeite is one of two different minerals sold as jade; the other is nephrite. It is hard, very tough and dense, and it ranges from white through every shade of green to lavender. Most gem-quality jadeite comes from northern Myanmar, and in China, where it is called fei cui, it came into significant use only towards the end of the 18th century.
Definition
Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral, a silicate of sodium and aluminium, with a hardness of about 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale and a specific gravity of about 3.4. Nephrite, the other jade, is a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group. Jadeite is typically apple-green to emerald-green, less often white or white with green spots, and it also occurs in lavender. The terms hard jade and soft jade for jadeite and nephrite come from a mistranslation and are best avoided.
Origin
For thousands of years Chinese jade meant nephrite. Jadeite, almost all of lapidary quality from Myanmar, where stream boulders of the Uyu River remain an important source came into significant use in China only towards the end of the 18th century. Japan has its own, much older story: jadeite beads and axe heads, and the remains of Neolithic workshops, have been found at Itoigawa, the centre of the world's oldest known jadeite-using culture, whose work was traded across Japan and the Korean peninsula.
Key facts
| Mineral | Pyroxene; sodium aluminium silicate |
|---|---|
| Hardness | About 6.5 to 7 |
| Main source | Northern Myanmar |
| In China | Significant use from the late 18th century, as fei cui |
| In Japan | Neolithic workshops at Itoigawa |
The words
The English word jade comes, through French, from the Spanish piedra de ijada, flank stone, first recorded in 1565, after its supposed power to cure ailments of the loins and kidneys; nephrite comes from the Latin translation, lapis nephriticus. The name jadeite was coined by the French mineralogist Damour in 1863, and in China it has been replaced by fei cui, the traditional name in use long before. In our reading, the many names explain why so much confusion surrounds the word jade in catalogues.
Treatments
The trade grades jadeite by treatment. Type A is natural, untreated jadeite, the most valued. Type B has been enhanced with resin, and type C with colourant. In our handling, the grade of a jewellery stone matters a great deal and is best confirmed by a gemmological laboratory; for large carvings, which are rarely tested, we describe the colour and translucency as seen and make no claim about treatment that we cannot support.
How to identify it
- Weight. Jadeite is dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4, and in our handling feels heavy for its size.
- Lustre. In our handling, polished jadeite has a glassier look than nephrite.
- Colour. Green, lavender and white, often mixed in one piece.
- Papers. A laboratory report for a jewellery stone; for a carving, the carving itself, its subject and its stand.
Where it appears in the collection
Examples include a monumental lavender jadeite censer on an inlaid stand, a pair of jadeite guardian lions and a smaller carving of lions, bats and ruyi, on the Asian antiques shelf. Our guide to karamono gives the context.
Related entries
Sources
- Jadeite, encyclopaedia entry, for the mineral, its colours, specific gravity, Myanmar and the Uyu River, fei tsui in China and Itoigawa. wikipedia.org
- Jade, encyclopaedia entry, for nephrite, the etymology, Damour and fei cui, the hard and soft jade mistranslation and types A, B and C. wikipedia.org
Last reviewed 15 November 2026. The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team, Tokyo, Japan.